Earth Day 2024: ‘Planet vs Plastics’
Author - Ellen Niven | Date - 21th February 2024
Happy Earth Day everyone!
It’s time we gave this spinning, resilient, gorgeous rock we call home a bit more attention don’t you think?
It can be easy to get absorbed by the complexities of our own lives, so much so we often forget to focus on the bigger picture. This annual event aims to remind us all of the increasing risks our planet faces and to bring the world together in an ongoing bid to tackle these serious issues - such as global warming, pollution and the growing health risks caused by single use plastics.
As a cause that impacts us all, irrespective of background, politics, race, gender, or age, Earth Day can be incredibly unifying. We encourage all to take part in its celebration, whether that’s in joining local events, signing the EARTHDAY.ORG petition or simply making small sustainable changes in your day-to-day habits.
Throughout this article, we’ll be delving into the origins of Earth Day as well as shining a light on the pivotal role Pole Junkie and fashion retailers play in combating the detrimental effects of fast fashion. We'll showcase some of the strides we're taking to make Pole Junkie a more environmentally conscious company, aiming to inspire a transition towards circular fashion through promoting longevity, eco-consciousness, and ethical production. Let’s champion a sustainable future for fashion!
The Task at Hand
Today marks Earth Day’s 54th anniversary, a day dedicated to addressing the planet's urgent needs, acting as a call to arms from its inhabitants to step up - meaning, well everyone.
In line with Earth Day 2024's Global theme, "Planet vs. Plastics," campaigners are advocating for a 60% reduction in plastic usage by 2040. The overuse of packaging, particularly single-use plastic, is one of the planet’s biggest environmental challenges. This is where online retail gets put in the hot seat.
There's no denying the fashion industry's significant role in the global environmental crisis. Whilst Pole Junkie doesn’t manufacture its own clothing, as a distributor of numerous fashion brands, we recognise we are part of the problem and have a responsibility to reduce carbon emissions, extend product lifespan, and minimise plastic use. Whether it’s one individual, a small business or a warehouse chain, every effort made to phase out single-use plastics is a worthwhile endeavour and WILL make a difference.
By being more environmentally conscious and putting in that bit more effort, we can revert fashion from harmful and wasteful to fun, expressive and sustainable - the way it should be.
What can Pole Junkie do?
Brands
When choosing which brands to stock, we make it a priority to ensure our suppliers reduce or eliminate the use of plastics from the start of the supply chain, and that their products are ethically produced and made with eco-friendly materials. But it isn’t just down to manufacturers, there’s steps distributors can make as well to aid the planet, particularly in their warehouses.
Warehouse
When packing orders, Pole Junkie removes and recycles every piece of possible plastic, using only biodegradable packaging and even plant based ink! Noted by Stuart Gannon, Commercial Director at Delta Global:
“Recycling isn’t something that should be left to the consumers, but rather, a key focus for all steps within the supply chain”.
Other steps retailers can take include eliminating unnecessary air packs and bubble wrap from deliveries. Pole Junkie uses shredded cardboard from our stock deliveries which not only repurposes our boxes but is a cheaper solution for the company.
Deliveries
We try to use Eco friendly delivery options that use less carbon as much as we can. For example by using Royal Mail delivery services for UK and ROW for 90% of our orders, we use the lowest carbon option for the majority of our packages.
Product Lifespan
Prolonging the wear and lifespan of our products is a top priority for us at Pole Junkie. Shocking statistics from 'Keep Britain Tidy' reveal that 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every 5 minutes. In response, we're committed to breaking away from the linear cycle of buy, wear, discard that characterises fast fashion. Instead, we embrace a circular approach by encouraging Returns, providing Store Credit for minor defects, and offering guidance on how customers can repair items themselves. By fostering a culture of reuse and repair, we're working towards a more sustainable future for fashion.
Pole Junkie : Preloved
Our newly launched Resale Platform, PoleJunkie : Preloved, was born from our commitment to promoting sustainable fashion. We recognise that while you may outgrow your old clothes, what's a blast in the past for you could be someone else's dream come true. PoleJunkie : Preloved offers you the opportunity to purchase preloved Pole Junkie items at discounted prices while giving the items you no longer wear a second life. Join us in loving our planet. Do good. Feel good. Look good.
Ecologi
Pole Junkie proudly participates in the Ecologi community, a platform committed to empowering individuals and businesses to make a real difference in the fight against climate change. Through Ecologi, we are able to calculate our carbon footprint, taking into account energy usage, transportation and lifestyle choices. We are then able to offset these omissions by funding projects that restore ecosystems, combat deforestation or remove/prevent an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So far, through Ecologi, Pole Junkie has funded the planting of 3,088 trees across 18 different countries and has supported the prevention of 198.11 tCO2e from being emitted through 51 verified carbon avoidance projects.
Community
There are thousands of events taking place on Earth Day 2024 around the world, including the Global Cleanup campaign with various communities across the states and Europe gathering to litter pick in their local areas. Whilst PJ doesn't have a designated Cleanup spot nearby, we’ve decided to take matters into our own hands, noticing an unfortunate amount of littering around our Glasgow branch in Hillington. This April marks the first of our monthly litter picks where our team will roll up their sleeves and swap picking orders for picking rubbish! If you’re interested in checking out your own local litter pick areas or wish to register your own, check out the EARTHDAY.ORG map.
Further to go
It would be dishonest for us to claim we were fully sustainable, just being a part of the online fashion industry in this day and age makes this near impossible. But we believe we are on the right track by focusing on the progressive choices we can make as opposed to taking an all or nothing approach. Thanks to the support of our loyal customers, we have been able to make more planet conscious decisions without sacrificing the shoppers experience, the quality of the clothes or the growth of the business - proving to the industry it can be done.
Want to know more about the Origins of Earth Day? Read on!
How it all started
The very first celebrated Earth Day dates back to 1970, spurred by a significant oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California which led to widespread environmental damage. Junior Senator Gaylord Nelson saw the need to take action, organising an on campus teach-in to National media to raise awareness about the drastic air and water pollution the country was facing. But why on a college campus? And why April 22nd?
College students, known for their activism and passion, particularly during the anti-war movements, were seen as the key to spreading the message of environmental conservation. April 22nd fell between Spring Break and final exams, ensuring more students could take part.
On that first Earth Day, 20 million Americans took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations and rallies. The collective efforts of activists, students, and concerned citizens saw the passing of America’s very first environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, the National Environmental Education Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act by the end of the same year.
Since then, Earth Day has grown into a global phenomenon, with billions of participants across over 190 countries.
