Press release

Green Consumerism Campaign
Don't be a slave to your clothes


(2005/3/19) Hong Kong people love clothes. Each of us buys an average of 30 pieces of clothing every year. But many are reactionary consumerists. Friends of the Earth (HK) has found in its green consumption survey that 44% of interviewees had experiences of dumping brand new clothes.

To distinguish by sex, 77% of women dumped unused clothes while men account for just 23%.

FoE(HK) has collected used clothes for years. "In our collected clothes, an average of 5-10% of them still have the tags on, meaning they are thrown away without being worn" said Edwin Lau Che-feng, Assistant Director of FoE(HK) "According to the percentage, among the 22.9 million pieces of dumped clothes in 2003 up to 1.15 to 2.29 million are new ones."

FoE(HK) conducted a survey on green consumption on Mar 5 at Causeway Bay and Mongkok, two of the most populous places, and interviewed 618 citizens aged above 15 years.

The result shows that the interviewees bought an average of 30 pieces of clothes every year. Analyzed by sex, women bought an average of 38 pieces of clothing every year, 60% more than the 24 pieces that men buy. The champion buyer of the interviewees, a woman, buys over 20 pieces of clothing every month. That is 240 pieces a year.

Asked about the reasons for buying, "like", "pretty", "need", "cheap", "not enough clothes" are the most commonly cited reasons. Among the 241 interviewees (44% of the total) who have thrown away unworn clothes, "don¡¦t like it anymore", "cannot match", "doesn¡¦t fit", "forgot", "cannot keep up with putting new ones on" are the main reasons given for the throw away.

Price is merely one of the temptations, Edwin Lau believes, "The consumers are quite influenced by the trends and the ads. That's why they buy clothes for fancy, beauty and not having enough, etc. and stack them up for not being attractive anymore or for having too many."

Although 72% of the interviewees said they had participated in clothes donation, Lau believes
"It would be more in accordance with the principle of conservation if consumers can think more carefully before buying rather than donating their purchase later." He suggests consumers being their own masters rather than being led by the nose by the commodity.

(For the english version, please click the following table.)

Green Consumption Survey Results

Interviewees
618 persons (men: 236 women: 382)

(For the english version, please click the following table.)

Contact Details:

Edwin Lau Che-feng, Assistant Director, 2528 5588
Hahn Chu Hon-keung, Environmental Affairs Manager, 2525 5588

Further Reference


Impact of clothes on the environment

Cotton is the main material for clothes making. A T-shirt, for example, uses an average of 60g of cotton. The cotton industry consumes ten percent of the world¡¦s herbicides a year and contaminates rivers and fields nearby. When you buy one extra piece of clothing it means extra pressure on the ecosystem.

Bibliography: John C. Ryan, Alan Thein Durning (1997) Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, Northwest Environment Watch.

  
     
 
 
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Reduce paper use and promote paper recycling
If fewer trees are cut down to produce paper, we will have more trees to absorb CO2 which is the gas implicated in global warming.
少砍伐樹木, 幫助減低溫室效應. 據資料顯示, 每公頃森林每日能吸收一公噸的二氧化碳, 放出0.73公噸的氧氣.

Choose electrical appliances with an Energy Efficiency Label
改用能源效益標籤屬於第一級別的電器, 可大大減少電力消耗. 第一級別的雪櫃比普通雪櫃省電35%, 儲水式熱水爐可減少25%耗電量, 第一級別的洗衣機則可以減少用電20%等.

Energy saving
Make sure all your electrical appliances are switched off, instead of just being in standby mode, when you leave the room
睡覺前把不用的電視, 電腦, 微波爐等電器的電源關上, 比起設於備用狀態更加省電.

Keep the room temperature at 25.5 C
Electricity consumption is lowed by 1.5% for every degree Celsius increase in the thermostat
原來每調高1度空調, 一年可以節省1.5%耗電量

When you order a take away,
bring your carrier or reusable container. This helps to reduce non-biodegradable Styrofoam packaging.

Promote paperless office
Promote a paperless office by sending send emails instead of mail and link up your computer network, as this cuts
down on the need for printing jobs which will save paper. Reuse computer print-out paper as memo pads or telephone message pads.

Reduce Water Consumption
When brushing your teeth, use water in tumbler instead of from a running
tap. Take a shower instead of bathing
in a bathtub. Install a dual-action flush in your toilet to reduce
water consumption.

Enjoy natural resource
It's better to rely on natural and ventilation. Leave windows open and switch off the lights and fans which are not in use to reduce energy consumption.

Green consumption
Plan your shopping list to avoid over-consumption, which normally contributes
to household waste. Instead of ending up with many plastic bags, bring your
own shopping bag to hold smaller items. This eliminates unnecessary
consumption of plastic bags and reduces waste.

Say Yes to Public Transportation
Public transport can usually take more people at a time to their destinations,
which reduces your energy consumption. You can also consider
other means of transportation, such as a bicycle or simply go on foot if
possible.

Plants are great!
Growing plants can creat a pleasant working and living space. In additional, they can
also serve as an air purifier and give us all healthier surroundings.