The Poles’ knowledge of recycling – research report

Awareness in our society about environmental issues is growing every year. More and more people understand that our choices in purchasing clothing, as well as disposing of unnecessary clothing, also have a real impact on the environment. The issue is particularly familiar to our company. For this reason, together with a research company and experts connected with the fashion industry, we have created a report showing the trends and opinions prevailing in society.

The results of the report show the level of knowledge of the Polish society concerning the management of unnecessary clothing, as well as habits connected with purchasing and disposing of garments. You can also learn a lot from the document about the motivations of people who are second-hand shoppers and the reasons why others do not visit such places.

Apart from presenting the results of the quantitative survey, the report was enhanced with comments from experts – so that the analysis of the responses could be in-depth. Comments on the results of the survey were provided by Marta Karwacka, PhD, Senior Manager, Deloitte Sustainability Central Europe, Agata Szopińska and Piotr Barczak from the Polish Zero Waste Association, second hand influencer Mateusz Leszczyński, eco stylist Żaneta Sakowska and Jackob Buczynski, a designer involved in the idea of upcycling.

The content of the report is the perfect read for anyone with even a minor interest in recycling, ecology and environmental protection, whether they are just starting their adventure with these issues or have been analysing the subject for many years.

Some highlights from the report:

• A large majority of respondents (78%) believe that recycling of clothing helps protect the environment.
• Respondents consider industrial wastewater (29%), landfill waste (21%) and road transport (17%) as key sources of environmental pollution. Clothing manufacturing is considered the most important such factor by less than 7% of respondents.
• The majority of the Poles (61%) give away unwanted clothes to a dedicated recycling point or container. More than one in three respondents (37%) give them away to acquaintances, and 28% sell them.
• The most important argument for purchasing second-hand clothes is the lower price (52%), the possibility to find good quality clothes at an affordable price (48%) and the possibility to find more interesting things than in the so-called chain stores (36%).
• Unfortunately, almost 15% of respondents answered that they still discard unnecessary clothes in the rubbish – making them a nuisance waste as a consequence. This shows that a lot of clothing recycling education is still ahead of us, but it also demonstrates that we are ready to change our behaviour and learn to take responsibility for our choices.

  Announcements about the results of our survey were published in the most important Polish media – Forbes, Rzeczpospolita, Puls Biznesu, Newseria, Onet – these are just some of the titles informing about the report.

  We are very delighted that news of the material has spread, as it shows that the subject of ecology and giving a second life to clothes is important and is of growing concern to us.