15 December 2024
17x thoughtful and warm socks for under the Christmas tree
- COSH! Member Publicity
- Gift Guide
- Lifestyle
Time to take action for a better fashion industry! On 16 March, COSH! organised a surprise act at the Grote Markt in Hasselt in honour of the FTI festival. The goal? Drawing attention to overproduction, overconsumption and the huge mountain of textile waste left on earth as a result.
Unprecedented heights
Did you know that the textile waste mountain in the Atacama Desert is now so high that it is visible from space? That should come as no surprise when you consider that in 2014, for the first time in history the fashion industry produced more than 100 billion clothes in a single year. Apart from creating a huge mountain of waste, this has other disastrous consequences for nature. Indeed, clothing is responsible for as much as 20% of global water pollution and 10% of global CO2 emissions, according to European Parliament figures.
Together with the dancers of U2S Dance Academy, COSH! therefore confronted Hasselt shoppers with the matter during a fun flashmob in honour of FTI Hasselt. The kilos of textile that Okazi Hasselt made available for the occasion were transformed into a life-size textile ball. Passers-by could admire it all Saturday afternoon on the Grote Markt and the following day on the Elfde-Liniestraat. Flemish Minister for Mobility & Public Works Lydia Peeters also came to watch!
Technology for a more sustainable future
The surprise act was organised in honour of the Flanders Technology & Innovation festival in the city of Hasselt. Under the theme ‘People Making Places’, FTI Hasselt wants to bring citizens together from 16 to 21 March to work on the transition to a more sustainable city. Because whether you are an entrepreneur or a policymaker, this transition concerns everyone.
In honour of this inspiring, groundbreaking initiative, COSH! launched its new Hasselt roadmap! On it, you will find all important local shops, repair points and fun eateries that are committed to a more sustainable society. You can get the COSH! map for free at Visit Hasselt, Modemuseum Hasselt, De Ware Vrienden gallery, Z33 or at participating shops.
