With UK shoppers estimated to buy 12 million Christmas jumpers this year, the environmental charity Hubbub, has expressed its concerns on the effect to the environment.
With jumper wearing a vital part of the Christmas tradition with days such as ‘Christmas jumper day’, the number of people who buy Christmas jumpers is huge. Hubbub has found that of the 65 million already own Christmas jumpers, yet 12 million still went out to buy new ones this year. The charity analysed 108 high street Christmas jumpers and found that 95% of the festive jumpers are made from plastics.
A survey by the charity also concluded that out of 3,000 people, 29% weren’t aware of the plastic used to make the jumpers. To add to this, it is estimated that these jumpers will only be worn once during the festive period. Fast fashion has become an increasingly worrying issue, and this Christmas is already creating more environmental troubles in the name of fast fashion.
75% of the jumpers were found to contain the plastic fibre, acrylic. In 2016, a study by Plymouth University discovered that acrylic releases nearly 730,000 microfibres per wash. The charity explained how this poses a “major threat” to the planet, due to the amount of plastic used. The charity has urged people to buy second hand jumpers or to re-use last years jumpers to help minimise the waste this Christmas. The charities project co-ordinated released a statement reminding people that “a jumper is for life, not just for Christmas.”
With Save the Children’s annual Christmas jumper day ahead, which asks for donations of £2, we urge that you make the most of re-using your old jumpers.
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