More than 62,000 shoppers pledged to only buy second-hand clothes last month.
Shoppers slashed the UK’s carbon footprint by 1500 tonnes in September by only buying second-hand clothes, according to Oxfam.
The charity’s Second Hand September campaign saw more than 62,000 people pledge to change their shopping habits during the month as a step towards more sustainable consumption.
It came after Oxfam research revealed that the carbon footprint of new clothes bought in the UK every minute is greater than driving a car around the world six times.
The campaign was supported by a host of famous faces, including designers Vivienne Westwood and Henry Holland, singer Paloma Faith, models Stella Tennant, Lily Cole and Georgia Jagger, and actor Rachel Weisz.
Tennant, who modelled in an Oxfam fashion show earlier this year, said: “I’m delighted to see the positive impact made by Second Hand September. I hope this will snowball year on year as more people take on the challenge.”
More than 37,000 people shared the hashtag #SecondHandSeptember on social media, often with pictures of the outfits that they had purchased in charity shops.
Fashion commentator Caryn Franklin MBE said: 'It’s fantastic to see how many people have gotten behind Second Hand September. It just goes to show the effectiveness of mindfully transforming habits and behaviours.”
Oxfam is following up the campaign with a plea to fashion companies to do more to encourage sustainability.
Chief executive Danny Sriskandarajah said: “Tackling something as big as climate change can feel impossible as we go about our daily lives, but Second Hand September shows that you can make a difference as an individual. It’s fantastic to see that tens of thousands of people took part and together reduced their carbon footprint equivalent to driving a car around the world 200 times.
“Choosing second-hand is one way that people can vote with their purchasing power - and buying or donating clothes through Oxfam raises vital funds for our work fighting poverty and supporting people hit by the climate emergency.
“T here's a real energy among many people to reduce their carbon footprint and a growing demand for the fashion industry to change. We hope that companies respond by doing much more to ensure that clothes are produced in ways that are kinder to the planet and the people who make them.”
