Boosting youth towards Responsible and sustainAble choices in fashioN inDustry
▶Summary
The BRAND project, aligned with the European Youth Strategy 2019-2027, recognizes the crucial need to fortify the responsibility of young people to engage for a sustainable and fair future. Its pr...
▶Objectives
The BRAND project aimed to raise the awareness of young people on the themes of fast fashion and its severe impacts on the environment as well as to provide youth workers with all the necessary material and tools in order to raise awareness, influence and empower young people towards more eco-friendly fashion choices to earn a greener and more sustainable (fashion) future through the use of digital innovative tools and deliverables. Further, the BRAND project aims to contribute to the improvement of the quality of youth work. - We created youth-oriented material on the most important challenge of today - climate change and environmental challenges. We relate that to a topic that almost every young person can connect to, namely clothing and fashion.
▶Activities
A 5-days LTTA activity was implemented in Larissa, Greece with young persons, learners and project staff. The LTTA was organized as an intensive workshop on sustainable fashion including inputs, interactive sessions like games, role plays, discussions etc., as well as creative work and study visits to relevant stores and institutions. 9 Multiplier Events took place (2 in Austria, 1 in Denmark, 2 in Poland, 2 in Serbia, 1 in Greece, and 1 in Malta) in order to disseminate the project results and to spread awareness on sustainable, eco-fashion. In each ME, the participants could try out the PRs and learn about concrete ways to integrate sustainability in their fashion choices through interactive methods. They further had the chance to participate in clothing swap events and talk face-to-face to experts and activists in the field of sustainable fashion. Additionally, many dissemination activities have been conducted, ranging from social media, podcasts, internal and external meetings and seminars to bigger events and newspaper articles.
▶Impact
The PR1: ECO-FASHION Toolkit: The toolkit is an interactive pdf addressed both to young people and youth workers. Its two parts, (1)“Be Aware.. of what you wear” and “Be Prepared… to make a change”, serve to deliver (1) deep knowledge on the concept of sustainable fashion to young people and youth workers and youth educators, and (2) a broad collection of activities and methods to get active with a group of young people. The e-book is available in 7 languages, English, German, Danish, Greek, Serbian, Polish, and Portuguese. Additionally, print-out versions were published in order to give them to multipliers and other interested persons. In order to make the toolkit interactive, youth-friendly and attractive, three videos, several AI generated pictures and infographics that were embedded in the toolkit were produced. For advertising for the toolkit, five different postcards were designed. The PR2: BRAND e-book: The e-book is displaying 12 case studies and best practices – 6 of which are Augmented Reality based - to influence and inspire young people. The partnership provides practical guidance for environmental sustainability, elimination of environmental harmfulness, positive impact towards consumers etc., generating a pleasant educational environment. Each case study is a two-pager, including some information plus a video (4 produced by the BRAND consortium) and/or AR content, as well as a quiz to test one’s knowledge. The PR3: BRAND e-NFLUENCERS: The e–nfluencers are digital role-models developed and designed by the BRAND consortium. These six personas offer information on textile manufacturing, water waste, energy use, chemical use, social impact and consciousness related to fashion, through attractive short facts as well as a comprehensive e-book. Young people can “support the cause”, download the material and use it on their social media. The PR4: BRAND App: The app mainly addresses young people, developing an interactive environment of knowledge and aims to cultivate sustainable, eco-friendlier mindsets towards more eco-conscious fashion decisions. The app offers hands-on support on how to integrate sustainable and responsible fashion choices, by providing a comprehensive list of which materials are eco-friendly and which are problematic, best practice examples of second hand solutions in Austria, Greece, Poland, Denmark, Serbia and Malta, as well a so-called “5R-library” – introducing the concept of reuse, recycle, refuse, reduce and repurpose. For each PR, a podcast episode was produced in order to advertise for it. Additionally to several videos and pictures produced to be embedded into these digital results, one video was produced to introduce the project as whole. Further, a project logo, 4 newsletters, a leaflet, a roll-up, presentation templates, a project's website and social media channels were created.