Christmas Jumper Day is exactly one week away.
If you haven’t purchase this year’s festive ensemble yet, you might want to hold off – an environmental charity has just released research revealing that the annual tradition could be harming the environment.
There are currently 65million jumpers in wardrobes across the UK – that’s almost one jumper per person – so in theory, there should be enough to go around.
However, the findings showed that two out of five Christmas jumpers are only used once during the festive season, and Brits will purchase around 12million new ones this year.
Hubbub reviewed 108 jumpers sold by 11 online and high street retailers to find out what materials these are made from – it was found that 95% are made entirely or partially from plastic components.
One of the reasons shoppers purchase new jumpers without considering the environmental impact could be due to them not being aware of what their clothes are made of.
‘A lot of people are concerned about plastics in the oceans, but they don’t realise that the stuff they are wearing also has plastic in it as well,’ said Sarah Divall, creative partner at Hubbub.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t still don a jolly jumper this Christmas, but the charity recommends that people do a jumper swap, rather than invest in a new one.
Sarah said: ‘You should still enjoy Christmas, no one is saying that this means that you don’t get to have fun.
‘There’s a way you can join in: wear a Christmas jumper but swap it or see what you have in the cupboard, or see if you can borrow a friend’s so you don’t have to go out, spend loads of money and buy something new that you’re probably only going to wear once.’
You could also upcycle an old jumper or make your very own creation from decorations at home.
Jumpers are not the only seasonal items to be highlighted for its environmental impact in 2019.
In October this year, in an effort to reduce plastic waste, John Lewis and Waitrose announced that its Christmas crackers will no longer contain plastic items.
The contents of the crackers will be replaced with metal or recyclable paper trinkets going forward. The wrappers will also not be decorated with plastic glitter.
Food is also a major waste concern, as half of Brits admit to overspending on edible goods for the holiday.
Christmas needn’t be a sustainable nightmare.
From eco-friendly decorations to recycling your winter wardrobe and donating left-over food to shelters, there are plenty of ways to have a green Christmas.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/06/charity-urges-people-swap-christmas-jumpers-reduce-impact-environment-11281500/
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