The In Our Nature Guide to inspiring community climate action
Volume 2: How to talk about sustainable fashion
Hello! Many people want to take action on climate change, but knowing where to start can be tricky, and it can sometimes feel like everything has a bad impact. Latest figures show that 81% of the UK population agree that climate change is a global emergency (UN Development Programme, 2021), but many are still unsure of how to act or scared that change will be difficult. Manchester has set ambitious climate targets, aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions down to zero by 2038 – 12 years earlier than the national target. It’s only by working together that we can reach this target, and create a greener, healthier and more connected city that works for everyone.
About this guide This guide has been created to make it easier for local authorities and the voluntary sector to talk to people about what they can do to help tackle climate change. It is aimed at Neighbourhood teams, comms teams, community engagement officers and anyone responsible for planning communications and engagement activities. The guide is part of ‘In Our Nature’, an exciting new programme that aims to make it easier for people across Manchester to take action on climate change, at home and in their communities. In Our Nature brings together lots of tips, advice and inspiration on how to live greener in Manchester covering themes such as nature, food, fashion, recycling, energy and water, money and more. Over the coming months, we’ll be creating a series of handy guides for each theme filled with top tips and ready-to-share content.
This guide brings together everything we’ve learnt talking about sustainable fashion. It will help you: Talk to people about the benefits of buying better and making their clothes last longer.
Make the connection between everyday behaviours and climate change.
Give people the tools they need to start taking action at home and in their community.
Get started... This guide is about how to talk to people about climate issues, with a focus on fashion, rather than a guide to sustainable fashion. However, we’ve included lots of ready-to-share content and handy resources which you can share, direct people to, and use to learn more about the topic. How to talk about the climate
Top tips for talking about fashion
Collaboration is key Ready-to-share content
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How to talk about the climate
Striking the tone When talking about the climate, it’s very easy to switch your residents on or off based on the tone and language you use. The climate involves complex topics that need to be communicated simply. Here are our top tips for getting it right: Use everyday language that’s clear and simple. Don’t use jargon, and cut any fluff! Be conversational and human. For example, use ‘we’re’ and ‘it’s’ instead of ‘we are’ and ‘it is’. Be inclusive and relatable, demonstrating that environmental action is for all parts of society. Make sure you’re staying relevant, understanding your residents and what they care about. Polling conducted by Hubbub revealed how the pandemic has changed the way residents value food, their belongings, their homes, and their communities. It’s important to reflect these changes in your communications.
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How to talk about the climate
Stay positive. Some of the issues you’ll be talking about are big and serious, but you can keep it positive by highlighting what can be done in a light mood. Environmental action can be and should be fun! Lead with messages directly linked to your residents’ passions around topics like food, fashion, homes and communities. At Hubbub we rarely lead with a purely environmental message, but it’s always there as a strong undercurrent. Be all about the action. Make it easy for your residents to understand what they can do today and use language which doesn’t claim ownership over content. Talk about what ‘you’ can do and what ‘you’ can share, and browse ‘these’ tips rather than ‘our’ tips. Create strong and simple narratives behind campaigns, using as few words as possible and build off real and authentic stories from your residents who take part.
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How to talk about the climate
Consider these positive switches that avoid instructional or contentious phrases: Cut meat and dairy
Reduce food waste Make your food go further
Eat more veg
Cut your carbon footprint
Don’t drive
Dial it down
Walk and cycle more
Hubbub recently tested some different messaging encouraging people to use their freezer to prevent food waste. The winner was the following: •
‘Follow our freezer tips! Save your leftovers and do your bit for the environment’
•
The phrase ‘Do your bit for the environment’ was very popular, as people do want to know they're doing the right thing.
•
‘Reduce food waste’ was not successful; it's a negative, abstract concept that doesn’t interest people.
We concluded that it’s best to lead with the personal benefit, and then stress the environmental benefit.
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Top tips for talking about fashion
Top tips for talking about sustainable fashion Whatever our style, the clothes we wear have an impact on the planet. Huge amounts of resources go into producing, transporting and disposing of our clothing. In fact, the fashion industry is estimated to be the world’s second most polluting industry. It also has huge issues when it comes to providing safe and ethical working conditions. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our wardrobes whilst still enjoying fashion and saving money at the same time. Whether you’re talking to someone who loves fast fashion*, an expert in digging out second-hand treasures, or a parent keen to make their kids’ school uniform last longer, there are plenty of tips and hacks that you can share to inspire them to make small changes to have a big impact. *Wondering what fast fashion actually means? Fast fashion is where cheap clothing is mass-produced on a large scale by retailers to respond to trends.
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Top tips for talking about fashion
1. One size doesn’t fit all! Sustainable fashion can be a broad, complex topic, and it doesn’t have to mean the same thing to everyone. What works for one person, won’t work the next – and that’s okay! Let people know there are options – charity shopping might work for someone, whilst opting to shop new from more sustainable brands might be someone else’s preference. Check out these 4 ways to reduce the environmental impact of your clothing:
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Top tips for talking about fashion
2. Guilt tripping doesn’t work! Most of us have bought garments from fast fashion brands at some point. Expecting people to go cold turkey overnight isn’t realistic, and making people feel guilty won’t lead to long-lasting behaviour change. Celebrating small actions is a great way to encourage people to do more and remember, incremental progress can make a big difference: if loads of people cut their fast fashion purchases by 25%, or did one wash a week less, the collective impact would be huge!
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Top tips for talking about fashion
3. Use seasonal hooks Draw people into the conversation and inspire them to alter their behaviours by using seasonal hooks. For example, Christmas is a great time to talk about our buying habits as loads of us have the last-minute office-party panic buy and summer is the perfect season to encourage people to air-dry their clothing more and save money in the process! Be inspired by our seasonal guides to: Creating more sustainable pride merch:
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Top tips for talking about fashion
How to make your own Halloween costume:
5 tips for dressing more sustainably at your festive party:
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Top tips for talking about fashion
4. Make it digestible Heaps of facts and figures are chucked around when people discuss fashion’s environmental impact, most of which go over people’s heads! If you’re going to tell people it takes 1000s of litres of water to make a pair of jeans, explain why! (If you’re wondering… it’s because cotton plants are hugely thirsty crops!). Instead, why not explain that it takes 2720 litres of cotton to make one t-shirt, which is as much drinking water one person would need for 3 years… Be inspired by our bite-size guide to sustainable fashion here:
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Top tips for talking about fashion
5. Lead with the positives Highlighting the benefits sustainable fashion habits can have is key to getting people on board. Show them that being more planet-conscious is not only good for the environment, but often mean supporting companies with better working conditions and can help you save money too. For example, taking better care of what we own, washing less and air-drying clothing more saves us time and money, and will make our favourite pieces last longer, too – it’s a win-win!
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Top tips for talking about fashion
6. Start with the basics Meet people where they’re at and don’t be afraid to go over the basics! Whilst stitching a hole or understanding a care label might be straight-forward to some, to a lot of people it’ll be daunting – break it down and take more people along on the journey in the process! For example, check out our collaboration with Stitched up here to learn how to fix rips in your pockets:
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Top tips for talking about fashion
Check out our ready to use tip cards here on understanding your care label:
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Collaboration is key
Get to know your audience When it comes to communicating sustainable fashion, there’s no size fits all. Remember to think about the type of hooks that might appeal to your target audience and any barriers that are preventing them from making more sustainable choices. Appeal to their personal motivations, whether this is saving time, convenience, learning new skills or having a more unique style. It’s important to also think about any barriers to people engaging with your content – consider offering both digital and printed communications, and whether you need to translate your content into other languages.
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Collaboration is key
Not a fashion expert? Not a problem! We believe the key to innovation is collaboration. For any topics you aren’t comfortable guiding on, reach out to a local expert who can help. Manchester has a vibrant fashion scene, packed with tons of organisations and initiatives doing amazing work in this area – don’t be afraid to reach out for help! Collaboration is also a great way to reach more people so have a think about who you might partner with to reach a broader audience. Check out our collaboration with Stitched Up where the amazing social enterprise shared top tips for reducing the environmental impact of your clothes, patching up your worn-out jeans or fixing holes in your favourite t-shirt.
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Ready-to-share content
Ready-to-share content Now that you’ve learnt more about how to talk about fashion, it’s time to get sharing. To help you get started, we’ve pulled together some of our top performing content which you’re welcome to share or be inspired by to create your own content. Check out our easy tips and social content below covering the following topics: Check out this simple guide to learn more about why are clothes a climate issue:
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Check out these simple tips on how to pass on your old clothes in Manchester, by Hubbub:
Check out these 3 ways to give an old t-shirt a new life, by Stitched Up:
Ready-to-share content
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Ready-to-share content
Check out these 5 tips for washing less and staying fresh in the process (to save money, time and extend the life of your clothing!) by Hubbub:
Additional resources Want to learn more? Check out the below resources to get your (sustainable) fashion fix 5 ways to reduce the impact of our clothes: bit.ly/301xerzbit.ly/301xerz Manchester Fashion Movement – a collective of passionate individuals asking for a more sustainable, ethical and transparent fashion industry Stitched Up – a Manchester-based not-for-profit inspiring action on sustainable fashion Vintage lover? Browse Manchester’s second hand shops on this handy map (https://bit.ly/3Dl3p3F) or be tempted by The Culture Trip’s review of The Best Vintage Shops in Manchester. https://bit.ly/3iCKedE
Learn about the benefits of choosing organic cotton in this video by Hubbub. https://bit.ly/3AgeUHA For general tips and hacks on caring, repairing, refashioning, upcycling or discarding your clothes, check out loveyourclothes.org.uk. If you have any issues accessing the links or resources in this guide please let us know by emailing inournature@hubbub.org.uk
If you have any issues accessing the links and assets in this guide please let us know by emailing inournature@hubbub.org.uk
Thanks for reading! For more inspiration and content, follow @InOurNatureMCR on social media and don’t forget to tell us how you’re using the guide by emailing: inournature@hubbub.org.uk This guide has been created by Hubbub.
In Our Nature is a partnership between
The programme is funded by the National Lottery and a coalition of funding partners. Visit inournaturemcr.co.uk to find out more.