So, what brings a water filter company together with a fashion designer and an actress you may ask? Sustainable fashion! Brita has teamed up with House of Holland, Lily Cole and the Marine Conservation Society to push a sustainable fashion campaign to prevent needless waste ending up in our oceans and landfill sites. Reports show that there are currently 7.7 billion plastic bottles used in the UK alone every year, and at the rate we are going there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.
The slogan t-shirt design motifs: 'Don’t be a waster' and 'Single use plastic is never fantastic'
To combat these somewhat terrifying stats the #SwapForGood campaign was launched. Henry Holland has designed two slogan t-shirts which RRP at £30, and for an extra £5 you get a Brita Fill & Go bottle too, with all proceeds going to the Marine Conservation Society. The initiative is to remind people to swap single-use plastic for reusable in a bid to help save our planet. Plus, the t-shirts themselves are a lesson in sustainable fashion: created in a wind-powered factory they use an average of 7 waste plastic bottles per t-shirt, mixed with salvaged organic cotton. So not only will your £35 go towards a great cause, you are physically reducing landfill waste!
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Lily Cole, a known environmentalist who has already worn an Oscars dress made from recycled bottles, also joins the campaign. The model and actress proclaimed: "We have a responsibility to be more conscious about our choices; by choosing a reusable water bottle we can reduce the amount of needless waste plastic that ends up in our oceans and landfills".
Lily Cole showcased a T-shirt from the collection on Instagram
At Spring restaurant, Somerset House, Henry Holland and Lily Cole joined a panel hosted by Emma Gannon to discuss how they reduce their plastic waste. Simple environment saving tips such as asking for tap water to refill a bottle rather than buying a new one each time, through to replacing plastic cups by the water cooler with glass cups were discussed. While the Dragonfly Initiative's Assheton Stewart Carter also suggested not using the thin plastic bags in supermarkets to hold fruit and vegetables, as they will only be going in to another plastic bag anyway.
You can buy the slogan tees and your Brita fill & go water filter bottle from House of Holland for £35 with all proceeds going to MCS. If you already have a Brita fill & go, the t-shirt alone is £30. (Sizes come up a little large – perfect for an oversized slouchy look!)
Stay up to date with more of sustainable fashion campaigns here.