Next month Wastebusters is turning the spotlight on fashion waste by encouraging people to have a go at the Six Items Challenge. 

This is the second year Wastebusters has run the challenge, where participants limit their clothing choices for the month of March. The goal is to help people rethink their relationship with clothing and fashion.

“It’s a chance to take a break from buying new clothes, and make the most of what you already have in your wardrobe,” Wastebusters’ event organiser Abbey Lewis said. 

A 2020 report by The Formary found that the majority of New Zealand textile waste (including upholstery) ends up in landfill - an estimated 220,000 tonnes every year. 

Globally, humans continue to make vastly more clothes than we need - an estimated 150 billion items per year for a population of 7.8 billion. The negative effects of fast fashion are becoming better known, and people are pushing back, Abbey said.

“There’s a growing global movement to rethink fashion’s impact on workers and the environment,” she said.

Wastebusters hopes the challenge, which has been updated for 2021, will help raise awareness about the waste, exploitation and environmental impacts of clothing.

Some of last year’s participants found the six item limit could be too restrictive, so this year there are three options to choose from: The Straight Six, the Wildcard Six and the Flexi Six.

The Straight Six involves limiting your wardrobe to just six items for the whole month (excluding underwear, footwear, active wear, accessories or a jacket); the Wildcard Six adds one ‘wildcard’ addition to the initial six items each week; and the Flexi Six allows people to choose the number of items that best suits their lifestyle. 

Abbey said that fear of failure shouldn’t put people off, because any level of participation was worthwhile.

“The feedback from our participants [last year] was that they learnt a lot by giving the Six Items Challenge a go.”

As well as running the Six Items Challenge, Wastebusters is working to make the flow of fashion circular, through reuse, repair and upcycling. 

Participants can sign up for the Six Items challenge at Wastebusters website.

Wastebusters will provide them with information and support throughout the challenge, including information about the clothes swap launch event hosted by Sustainable Queenstown and wrap celebration in Wanaka. 

PHOTO: Wastebusters