Earth Overshoot Day: case study from 'The Long View' report
A case study from the 'The Long View: Exploring Product Lifetime Extension' report of the One Planet Consumer Information programme has been featured in a story on the occasion of Earth Overshoot Day, which in 2019 occured on 29 of July - earlier than ever before. On that day humanity used nature’s resource budget for the entire year, according to Global Footprint Network, an international sustainability organization that has pioneered the Ecological Footprint. This is akin to using 1.75 Earths. Its date has moved up two months over the past 20 years.
Moving the date of Earth Overshoot Day back 5 days each year would allow humanity to reach one-planet compatibility before 2050.
Description of the case study
Magna Coeli founded Refazenda, a textile company which upcycles discarded fabric to create clothes, jewelry and accessories, in an effort to decouple economic growth from the consumption of finite resources.
Refazenda’s workers use patchworks made from fabric scraps as raw materials for the design of new items. Although the firm started making household fabrics, today it makes clothes and also produces natural fabrics using organic cotton, silk and linen.
It also employs local lacemakers, providing jobs to skilled artisans who had fallen out of favour because of new technologies. Refazenda also runs workshops to help consumers learn more about upcycling their own clothes and extending the life of their wardrobes. Coeli believes that it is not possible to be environmentally sustainable without being socially and financially sustainable as well.
Magna’s story is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Consumer Information for SCP
A global platform supporting the provision of quality information on goods and services, to engage and assist consumers in sustainable consumption. It implements and supports projects; undertakes research; identifies and encourages policies; and provides collaboration opportunities for anyone looking to engage and assist consumers in sustainable consumption.
Read more about the One Planet Consumer Information programme: https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/consumer-information-scp
