Australians mass mending clothes this weekend to fight textile waste crisis
The Great Global Mend returns Saturday with expected 600 participants aiming to save 800 items from landfill across Australia.
Australia became the world's biggest textile consumer per capita in 2024, dumping more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing yearly. The average Australian buys about 56 new items a year.
Two businesses, Perth's Care to Rewear and Victoria's Fab Patch, organised the Great Global Mend to encourage repair instead of landfill. This Saturday, November 7, councils and community groups across Australia will run several free repair workshops and collection events.
Perth's Circular Fashion Festival at Yagan Square will teach basic mending skills and offer expert repairs for trickier jobs. Last year's inaugural event had almost 300 participants, saved more than 400 items and prevented about 2.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
This year organisers expect more than 600 participants and plan to prevent four tonnes of emissions.
- Over 600
- Expected participants this year
- Over 200,000 tonnes
- Clothing to landfill yearly
- 56 per person per year
- Average new items bought
- 4 tonnes of greenhouse gas
- Planned emissions prevented
Why it mattersAustralia's textile waste has spiralled out of control, and mass repair events rebuild mending skills while diverting clothing from landfill.
AustraliaAustralians are learning to repair clothes instead of replacing them, reducing waste and emissions in a country consuming more textiles per person than anywhere else.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
