The International Day of Zero Waste was observed last week. The 2025 theme, Towards zero waste in fashion and textiles, focused on the “urgent need to take action to reduce the waste impact from the fashion and textile sector and promote sustainability and circularity.” You can read the speeches from the opening segment and watch the replay from this year’s International Day of Zero Waste. There was a panel discussion on “Creating the enabling environment that incentivizes innovative product design and inspire consumers” with executives from Algramo, CityNet Asia Pacific, EauGlobe, and the International Solid Waste Association. You can view the panelists biographies here.
In the run-up to zero waste day, the UN published a story on the five ways to reduce waste in the fashion industry, which looked at “simple things that governments, businesses and everyday people can do to minimize waste in the sector and reduce its environmental toll.” Elisa Tonda, Chief of the Resources and Markets Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), would like to see:
- Reduced production volumes of new items and keep clothes and raw materials in use for as long as possible,
- Municipal investment in fabric recycling infrastructure,
- Government regulations on the use of hazardous chemicals in textile production,
- Pushback on overconsumption by brand marketers and fashion influencers,
- A focus on “high-quality garments that will stand the test of time.”