Sustainable Fashion – UNICEF Turkmenistan Sets the Trend

Going Green and introducing a new “green” initiative every year on the Earth day has become a tradition at UNICEF in Turkmenistan. This time it was about Sustainable Fashion.

How does FASHION relate to UNICEF? Fashion constitutes one of the major threats to the climate nowadays. Textile industry or working for fast fashion makes negatively impacts the planet. To produce garments the textile industry uses harmful chemicals, which in turn, produce greenhouse gases. They destroy the environment and non-biodegradable fabrics sit in landfills for hundreds of years and spoil the soil. Growing cotton requires tons of pesticides, which harm the nearby living communities. To make just one cotton shirt requires 2,700 litres of water - enough to meet the average person’s drinking needs for two-and-a-half years!

And this is the planet we intend to leave to our children.

Being on the frontiers for ensuring the best childhood to the children, UNICEF strives to encourage actions to reduce fashion’s negative social, economic and environmental impact.

Therefore, this year’s Earth Day we dedicated to further supporting Reduce-Reuse-Recycle practice and promoting sustainable and wise use of textiles, second-hand and vintage clothing. We also continued our advocacy for reducing the use of plastic bags.

On 15 April, we joined hands with other UN agencies, the diplomatic community, as well as the first in the country vintage and second-hand studio in Turkmenistan and organized the Sustainable Fashion Show and Sale. Young local designers worked one month prior to the event. They presented their artistic works - renovated garments, bags, accessories and home décor items, made of used clothes and textiles, contributed by UN staff throughout the year.   

At the end of the show, guests had an opportunity to purchase unique pieces of art right from the runway, meet designers, share ideas and enjoy the “green” pastries.

All the funds raised during the event were transferred the local NGO that support children in need.

On 22 April, UNICEF staff members continued setting the trend and shared their personal eco-habits and tips on saving resources and acting more responsibly towards the environment.

At UNICEF Turkmenistan, we believe that larger change will happen if we start from ourselves. We decided to become role models by wearing clothes longer time and then donating them, buying strategically, and saying “no” to plastic bags. Step by step we change our own, our partners’ and community’ perceptions and behaviour to make the world around us a safe place for living, developing and protecting our children. This is how we contribute to every child. For every child – a clean planet!