Local weather change: Sabrina Lee quits shopping for new garments

Along with her job as a tv climate anchor, Sabrina Lee would discover it simple to justify commonly buying new garments for work.

As an alternative, he has set himself a problem: cease shopping for new garments for your entire 12 months 2024.

“There may be stress to look good due to my function and I do know there are plenty of eyes on me,” Sabrina mentioned.

“However I'm a meteorologist, I studied climate and local weather at college and I additionally discuss to the general public about it… so I spotted that the style trade has a detrimental impression on the atmosphere.”

Sabrina's personal work on this space has proven her the doubtless penalties of local weather change going unchecked.

It has produced a 30-year forecast that predicts coastal modifications and extra excessive warmth occasions that may end in heat-related diseases, infrastructure failures and wildfire threat.

Sabrina, 31, has at all times beloved trend and buying together with her mom.

She spent round £700 on garments final 12 months and estimates she at the moment owns round 200 items.

“That's not one thing I'm happy with… it's a set that's been constructed up primarily during the last decade,” mentioned Sabrina, who has been a climate presenter for BBC Wales since 2019.

“My wardrobe is full, however there are additionally objects I've solely worn as soon as and I really feel dangerous about that.”

He mentioned that when he talks to the general public, he’s typically requested two issues: the primary is inevitably in regards to the climate, primarily when it is going to get higher, and the second is often one thing about his wardrobe.

“Individuals marvel what I'm going to put on subsequent, the place my garments are from and that provides extra stress, so I feel if I wasn't on this job I wouldn't have so many garments,” she mentioned.

Earlier than beginning her problem, Sabrina mentioned she sometimes purchased a couple of objects of clothes every month and was typically tempted by advertising and marketing and gross sales emails.

She was impressed by American meteorologist Ginger Zee, who in June 2022 pledged to not put on new garments and has remained steadfast ever since.

“I like to think about her as America's Carol Kirkwood,” mentioned Sabrina, who grew up in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and now lives close to Cardiff.

“She wears a few of her colleagues' garments, rents garments… and in addition evokes different climate presenters in the USA.”

Sabrina has been on her personal problem for over two months now and has already began saving cash.

So what guidelines has she imposed on herself?

No new clothes is allowed, besides underwear and footwear.

Any purchases you make needs to be second-hand, primarily on-line or from charity outlets.

She'll additionally concentrate on “timeless,” high quality items that may final, and can primarily purchase block colours fairly than prints to make sure new purchases might be blended and matched with garments she already owns.

“I want buying in charity outlets as a result of I can stroll to these locations. If you purchase garments on-line it’s a must to take into consideration your carbon footprint due to the journey from another person's home to yours,” she mentioned.

Sabrina mentioned she was doing her finest to not purchase any garments, however thus far this 12 months she has purchased two second-hand objects: a gown from a charity store for £9.40 and one other gown from second-hand on-line market Vinted for £7.20.

“I actually wish to attempt to restrict how a lot I purchase. The final word purpose is to promote greater than I purchase,” he mentioned.

He at the moment has £88 in his Vinted account from promoting objects on the app and hopes will probably be within the a whole lot by the top of the 12 months.

She's additionally embracing hand-me-downs.

“I’ve a few of my grandmother's garments that I put on, my mom and my aunt have handed down some actually high quality items that I’ve used to current the climate on Wales At the moment,” she mentioned.

Sabrina additionally plans to learn to sew so she will mend objects herself, and when one thing can not be used, she is going to recycle it as a substitute of sending it to the landfill.

She has a couple of weddings to attend this 12 months, plus a trip, however she plans to put on garments she already has in her closet.

Will need to have had some wobbles?

“I observe some trend influences on-line and a number of the objects look actually cool, and I feel 'oh, that will look good on me,' however I attempt to assume, 'Sabrina, you don't want these items proper now.'” ',” she mentioned.

Along with being chargeable for between 2% and eight% of world greenhouse fuel emissions, the style sector additionally produces vital air pollution, water extraction and impacts on biodiversity, together with 9% of annual losses of microplastics within the oceans, in response to UNEP.

Then there’s water use: UNEP has mentioned the trade consumes 215 billion liters of water a 12 months.

Final 12 months, the BBC podcast Extra or Much less: Behind the Stats explored the oft-cited statistic that it takes 20,000 liters of water to make one pair of denims and one T-shirt.

It discovered that the worldwide common was in actual fact 1,931 liters of groundwater and freshwater sources, and the environmental impression varies enormously relying on the nation the place cotton is grown.

Other than the environmental impression, some within the sector have been criticized for poor employee situations.

In 2021, a report by Swiss advocacy group Public Eye discovered that employees at some suppliers to Chinese language trend large Shein typically labored 75 hours per week.

Shein responded by saying it took provide chain points significantly and would overview the report.

In November, a BBC Panorama investigation discovered that quick trend firm Boohoo had damaged its guarantees to make its garments pretty and ethically, and an undercover journalist witnessed proof of employees pressuring suppliers to decrease costs, even after agreements had been reached.

Boohoo mentioned it had not shied away from previous points and had pushed constructive modifications to its enterprise.

“I don't wish to assist quick trend,” Sabrina mentioned.

“I really feel nice about being on this problem, saving cash and caring for the planet, and in the end my purpose is to teach others alongside the way in which.

“I deal with the atmosphere and on the similar time look good.”