Reducing clothing waste through a clothes swap

Contiki – clothes swaps

In 2019, tour operator Contiki conducted a survey to uncover how many new items of clothing people buy for a holiday, and how many are continued to be worn on return. Horrified by the results (which found 132 million holiday clothes were going unworn every year), Contiki partnered with #LoveNotLandfill, an ECAP funded initiative, to set up a holiday clothes swap. The #ContikiSwap event saved 1,500 clothes from landfill and raised awareness about the perils of fast fashion (the story was picked up in Miss Vogue and London Evening Standard). Contiki’s Basement in London is now host to a #LoveNotLandfill clothes bank so that any Contiki traveller whose suitcase is a little too heavy to make it through check-in can sustainably dispose of excess clothes.