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Consumerism means we unnecessarily throw away millions of tons of clothes every year. A lot of these items are like new. Some may be a little worn or miss some buttons. France has come up with a scheme to get people to increase the length of their clothes' life. It will pay people a "repair bonus" for getting their clothes and shoes repaired at special workshops or cobblers. Individuals can get back up to $27 of the cost of repairs. The scheme is run by the eco-organization Refashion. Its goals are "to support those who carry out repairs" and help the environment.
Around 700,000 tons of clothing are thrown away in France every year. Two-thirds of this ends up in landfills. Furthermore, the world's fashion industry creates 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions. The rise of fast fashion has worsened this. Fast fashion is the purchasing of cheap clothes to wear a few times. It uses a lot of synthetic materials and chemicals, which harm the environment. Refashion wants people to cut the amount of clothing they buy, and to donate unwanted clothes and footwear to charity. These will be reused or recycled.
Back to the clothes repair lesson.
