Research for Oxfam reveals 61% of Brits won’t recycle last year’s Christmas party outfit

A recent study has shown that one truck of textiles is wasted every second and the Copenhagen Fashion Summit reported that the fashion industry is responsible for 92m tons of waste dumped in landfills every year. 

But despite this, research conducted by Atomik Research for Oxfam reveals 61% of Brits say they won’t recycle last year’s Christmas party outfit, with 35% saying they don’t want to appear on social media wearing the same clothes 12 months later. 

Oxfam wants people to think about the implications for buying disposable fashion that is worn once at Christmas and then thrown away – whether that means wearing an item again or giving it away rather than sending it to landfill. 

Nearly a fifth (18%) of people say they will buy at least FIVE pairs of shoes for Christmas and a quarter (24%) say they will be buying four or more tops for family gatherings, the office party and Christmas Day itself. 

The most important consideration for Brits buying a Christmas party outfit is low price (20%) – more than being able to wear an item again (19%) and being a good fit (14%). 

Millennials aged 25-34 are biggest consumers when it comes to fast fashion, with most (92%) saying they will buy at least one item of clothing over Christmas. 

Londoners push the boat out most when it comes to shopping for Christmas party outfits, splashing out an average of £176 compared to those in the east of England who spend £43. 

On average, Brits throw away 28 items of clothing every year and have 32 items of clothes in their wardrobe that have not been worn for 12 months – with two fifths (42%) saying this makes up more than half their wardrobe. 

View the full case study here to find out how we carried out this research and the coverage it generated.