The students calculate their personal textile footprint and reflect on their role in reducing environmental impact and inspiring others.
The intention is to raise awareness about fashion-related environmental footprints and motivate sustainable personal and social actions for the students.
Explain that an ecological footprint shows the negative impact of behaviour on the planet (e.g. water use, clothing waste), while a handprint shows how one’s positive behaviour influences others. Show the students the resource Ecological footprint and handprint. Ask students for other examples of this. Give clothing-related examples, such as taking friends to go buy second-hand clothes (handprint), or buying fast-fashion from Primark and Shein (footprint: bad materials, lasts very short, harmful materials and chemicals).
Walk the students through the Fashion Footprint calculator, by first filling it in with the whole class. Explain that this tool helps you in calculating your effect, that you have on the planet given your consumption and washing habits. If questions such as washing habits are difficult to answer, ask students if they know how many times their parents wash clothes. If they don’t know, advise students on what to fill in (an average e.g.)
Ask each student to complete the Fashion Footprint calculator individually. Use laptops or tablets. Either let them keep the laptops or tablets during the reflection, or ask them to write down their results.
Using the Random Groups, divide the class into groups. Give each group a handout with Reflection questions on your footprint and handprint. Let them take turns answering reflection questions by using the Round Robin.
Using the 3-Point Presentation, students discuss their findings.
Ask students how one can reduce their footprint, and share your behavior through your handprint?
Broaden the plenary discussion by including the role of brands, companies, and governments in shaping the textile industry. Ask students what they think the responsibility of sustainable fashion behavior of us citizens is, and what the responsibility is of governments and companies. Using the Round Robin, let students briefly discuss the answer to this question in groups. Each group appoints one student, and lets them briefly summarize their answers to the class.
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