Nicky Severn, Marketing Manager at Cawleys, argues for a more positive secondhand culture

With the whole world now waking up to the wastefulness of modern society in the western world and the impact it is having on our planet, it's more important than ever that to inbed a different mindset into our children and young people.

Fast fashion and convenience food

Today's children are growing up with convenience food, fast fashion and a throw-away culture as the norm. Make do and mend, 'hand-me down' clothes, and flasks of tea or probably alien concepts to many youngsters. Ask them what a 'jumble sale' is and it's likely that many of them don't have a clue.

But is the tide finally turning?

Bring back 'bring and buy' sales

Although tupperware parties and 'bring and buys' are probably a thing of the past, the idea of being less wasteful in our day to day lives is slowly coming back into fashion.

Okay, we don't use flasks much any more but most kids have a re-usable plastic bottle. Tupperware parties were left in the 1970's but trendy lunchboxes from Smiggle and the like, perform the same function. Even second hand clothes dressed up in the guise of 'vintage' are becoming all the rage. So isn't it time we embedded this ethos into the minds of our young people starting with school uniform?

Second hand school uniform is cool

Kids grow fast and although the odd holey knee and stained white polo shirt will inevitably mean the item can't be worn again, there will be many many items that are in mint condition, even after several wears. School branded cardigans, jumpers, fleeces and staple items such as girls' pinafores and summer dresses are more than fit for use long after the original owner has grown out of them.

Rather than second hand uniform being something to be ashamed of, we should bring kids up to be proud that they are part of the re-use generation. Ideas such as the uniform exchange by the Level Trust in Luton are a perfect way for parents to reduce the waste and the cost of uniform in one go. The Uniform Exchange feels like a boutique shop but instead of money, uniform is the currency - any family can take in uniform their children have finished with and swap it for uniform they need.

Proud to save the planet by wearing secondhand

The planet needs less throw away fashion and in a school environment where everyone needs to wear the same, we should teach our kids to be proud to wear items that have been worn before, and promote the fact that they are doing their bit to work against the huge mounds of clothing that find their way into landfill every day!

At Cawleys we are happy to provide school tours of our Materials Recycling Facility and come along to your educational facility to discuss any aspect of waste reduction, recycling and reuse. Get in touch for more information