While Thanksgiving continues to be an all-American holiday its companion Black Friday has been welcomed with open arms worldwide. A day that has become synonymous with overconsumption.
To coincide with Black Friday The Or Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on reducing textile waste at Accra’s Kantamanto Market in Ghana (the world’s largest secondhand market), announced their Speak Volumes campaign. This initiative is focused on encouraging fashion companies to reveal the size of their yearly production.
Liz Rickett, the non-profit’s co-founder and executive director, told Vogue that there shouldn’t be a gap in this data as it is a number that all companies already have. However, the lack of transparency has been a recurring issue when discussing fashion’s impact on the environment.
The organisation is asking its followers to nominate three brands that they would like to know the figures of. The Or Foundation will then contact the brands selected by the followers.
The 20 brands that are possible to choose from include large fashion conglomerates such as Zara, H&M, and Shein. Simultaneously, these are the brands that most frequently turn up in Ghana’s waste stream during the organisation’s regular clean-ups.
Some companies have voluntarily disclosed their numbers for 2022 while also committing to releasing their yearly production figures in the future. However, this is mostly smaller brands that already are producing in smaller numbers.
“We’re really hopeful that at least one of these big brands will step up and be the first because someone has to be the first.” Rickett told Vogue.
You can take part and sign the petition here.