Bristol first city in the UK to ban fast fashion ads

You might have read that Bristol City Council have implemented an outright ban on all council owned advertising platforms from promoting high carbon products. Of course, "high carbon" includes fast fashion. Fast fashion has rightly been targeted by a city council determined to put the climate at the centre of its policies. 

Bristol is often tipped as being the most progressive city in the UK. Right now its booming. As a local, the city feels as though its at the dawn of a new era!  Bristol has it all: a banging night life, events every single weekend, hundreds of markets, two universities, 1000s of international students and a multicultural mix of people as well as 100's of years of history - part of which was recently toppled (literally) and was dumped into the harbourside. In many ways, it's a smaller, more accessible London but sadly  without London's brilliant transport network! 

Thankfully,  Bristol City Council has been led by a majority (34/70) Green Party since 2024. As part of their "Advertising and Sponsorship Policy", council owned advertising spaces which includes bus shelters, digital boards and traditional billboards are now banned from promoting fast fashion. The measure will apply to any "high carbon product" and includes advertisement for holidays, flights and petrol. 

Once climate change deniers or those wishing to hide from the truth sought comfort in climate breakdown happening elsewhere. Yet, recent escalations in extreme weather here in the UK, have put paid to this self interested and even entitled narrative. The El Nino effect, the hottest summer on record, the recent melting glacier in Nepal killing thousands, storm Darragh in the UK, wild fires across Europe including in the UK, combine as a grave reminder that the climate catastrophe is no longer somewhere else and it will affect us all. Recent events are a terrifying and humbling juxtaposition that should finally force governments (and individuals) to come up with meaningful strategies to combat the ensuing dangers. 

Afterall, "Climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footagebu that gets closer and closer to where you live until you're the one filming it." Source: Unknown 

By now, we all know that fast fashion carries a huge and unnecessary carbon footprint and unjustifiable levels of waste. According to Earth.org 92 million tonnes of textile waste globally ends up in landfill every year and things are only set to worsen with predictions that the textile industry will increase its global emissions by 50% by the year 2030.  While the CEO's of Zara, Mango, H&M  line their pockets, rivers, local eco-systems, marine life and humans are paying an enormous toll. For a system that predicates on our over consumption, targeting advertisements can be one way to start breaking down the aggressive business models at play. But in reality, the move won't be enough. 

Fast fashion contributes more to climate change than shipping and international aviation combined, that's according to a 2019 Parliamentary review, "Fixing our  Clothes: Clothing consumption and sustainability." Modern society has been shaped around the supply of copious amounts of "stuff". Gone are the days of minimalism or tailors to make clothes that fit perfectly and importantly, last.  Getting rid of a cultural norm aka, retail therapy is as much about addressing behavioural change as it is addressing the source of the problem. Shopping for stuff we never needed is a weekly, or worse a daily norm, for some. Christmas is a ferociously materialistic time of year. In the UK we produce an extra 3 million tonnes of waste  according to  the GWP group. In short, our economy is shaped around consumer capitalism. Reforming a system that's taken 40+ years to form will need careful and deliberate dismantling. 

What's clear is successive governments have failed to act on addressing and holding the industry accountable. Bristol City Council has already done more than central government by banning high carbon advertising. The move demonstrates a party remaining true to the policies outlined in their manifesto as well as the positive powers of local government. 

As previously mentioned, the 2019 the UK Parliament's, Environmental Audit Committee published, "Fixing fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability" rather depressingly, the report opens, The way we make, use and throw away our clothes is unsustainable. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined, consumes lake-sized volumes of fresh water and creates chemical and plastic pollution. Synthetic fibres are being found in the deep sea, in Arctic sea ice, in fish and shellfish. Disappointingly, the government decided on minimal action to address the problem, choosing instead to encourage companies to introduce their own clothes recycling schemes. These are available in shops such as H&M. In 2024, the government addressed fashion companies that used misleading language and cautioned companies including Boohoo and George at Asda from using greenwashing claims such as a "planet loving jacket" when describing clothing that is anything but! 

Banning fast fashion ads might prove more than symbolic. According to the University of Wrexham, "People cannot buy a product or service unless they know it exists." Fast fashion lures us in with flashy ad campaigns that make us feel aspirational. If they are not as abundant, consumer appetites might shrink. Banning fast fashion ads is the tip of the iceberg however. The sector needs to be treated as a major polluter and requires urgent reform. 

If you feel inspired this article or its made you reflective about your own contributions to fashion pollution, why not consider visiting your local charity and vintage shops, look on Apps such as Vinted and Depop and second hand website such as Messima Hembry and Traid. 

Documentaries to consider watching:

• The True Cost
• Riverblue 
• The Conscience of Clothing 

Sources:

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report-summary.html#heading-3

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complying-with-consumer-law-when-making-environmental-claims-in-the-fashion-retail-sector/complying-with-consumer-law-when-making-environmental-claims-in-the-fashion-retail-sector

https://bristolgreenparty.org.uk/bristol-council-bans-advertising-of-high-carbon-products/

https://online.wrexham.ac.uk/blogs/the-effects-of-advertising-on-consumer-

https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts/