Understanding and awareness of the Agenda2030 for Sustainable Development remains low among the population, which makes tracking progress and keeping governments accountable extremely difficult. At the same time, the prevailing narrative on youth participation is that young people are generally apathetic, less interested in politics and active citizenship. However, the nature and scope of participation is rapidly changing and evolving, with a rise of global youth movements over the past years. Following a crisis, there is an opportunity to reinvent our social models and enhance collaboration for building a more sustainable Europe. The project plans to do this by bringing Agenda2030 to the forefront of public and political discourse by raising awareness and empowering European youth to advocate for individual and collective action, locally and at European level.
The project plans to train a team of 45 young people to become Street and Advocacy Campaigners on sustainable development and Agenda2030 (through an online and offline training course). These young people will then develop and implement, with the support of the project team, a large-scale European Online Campaign and a Transnational Caravan that will visit and implement campaigns in 17 cities across Europe and that will culminate with a two-day event in Brussels, where young people will organise street actions and meet with decision makers to present the Youth Manifesto, a vision of the future developed by collecting information and ideas from the youth on the ground in the 17 locations.
The project has a snowball effect impact: 45 young people will be trained and empowered and will then mobilise and engage a minimum 10000 young people offline and 20000 online, who will then have their voices heard by decision makers nationally and at EU level, which will lead to more urgent action on Agenda2030 for Sustainable Development.
Open letter to the European Parliament
Dear members of the European Parliament, we, the Youth of Europe, supported by experts, activists, decision makers and civil society organisations, urge you to take immediate action on the pressing issue of fast fashion and its detrimental impact on our societies and environment.
Fast fashion has created a culture of disposable clothing, where new collections are churned out at an alarming rate. This relentless production cycle demands vast amounts of natural resources, contributing to severe environmental degradation. The fashion industry is now one of the largest polluters in the world, responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. The rivers are contaminated with toxic dyes and microplastics, while landfills overflow with garments that decompose slowly, releasing harmful chemicals into the soil and air.
Beyond the environmental impact, the human cost of fast fashion is staggering. The pursuit of ever-cheaper production has led to the exploitation of millions of workers in developing countries and not only. These individuals, often women and children, work in unsafe conditions for meagre wages, devoid of basic rights and protections. It is unacceptable that in the 21st century, we still tolerate modern-day slavery in the name of fashion.
Fast fashion encourages a culture of overconsumption and overproduction. We are bombarded with the message that our worth is tied to the latest trends, leading to a cycle of constant purchasing and disposal. This throwaway culture not only depletes our planet’s resources but also undermines the values of quality and longevity in the products we buy. We must move away from a mindset of consumption to one of mindful purchasing and sustainability.
The time for change is now. With the collective voice of young Europeans and the support of civil society, we ask the European Union to reshape the fast fashion industry into one that respects both people and the planet or refuse them access to the European market.
We call upon our governments and EU policymakers to take immediate action to address the detrimental effects of fast fashion. We demand:
- Integrating a ban on fast fashion advertising into the European Green Deal to discourage unsustainable consumer behaviour.
This ban should compel fast fashion brands to redesign their business models if they wish to promote their products within the European Union. It must encompass both physical and online advertisements as well as the influencers promotion on social media.
To support this effort and ensure its effectiveness, this must be accompanied by:
- Combating greenwashing advertisement by endorsing the Directive on Green Claims, mandating that all environmental claims are scientifically validated by independent third parties.
This directive ensures that environmental claims are credible and based on rigorous evidence. By enforcing strict validation standards, the directive aims to eliminate misleading greenwashing and promote transparency. This approach will protect consumers from false claims and encourage brands to genuinely adopt sustainable practices.
- Defining fast fashion brands by regulating clothing production, setting a cap of four collections per year with a maximum of three drops allowed per brand.
This cap identifies fast fashion brands and controls excessive production. Brands surpassing these limits will be categorised as fast fashion and banned from advertising. This measure is designed to prevent brands from expanding their collections solely to follow trends and embrace the emerging fast fashion model. By slowing the pace of production and consumption, it aims to combat trend-driven consumerism and promote a more sustainable fashion industry.
- Requiring Member States to impose penalties on fast fashion companies that exceed these limits to reduce overproduction.
This advocates for an annual cap on market launches, combined with a progressive reduction target, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. A return to four annual collections to slow down production and consumption in the fashion industry should be an objective promoted by the European Union. Additionally, a bonus/malus system, similar to the French model, should be established. Overproduction, which often leads to environmental degradation and human rights abuses, should be penalised, with the fines redistributed to support sustainable brands economically.
Signed,
The Youth of Europe
Supported by,
A.R.T. Fusion, Romania
ALDA – Association Europeene Pour la Democratie Locale, France
Balkan Idea Novi Sad Udruzenje, Serbia
Associazione Centro Ricerche e Attivita – Crea Onlus, Italy
Suomen Rauhanpuolustajat Ry Fredskamparna I Finland Rf Suoma Rafibealusteaddjt Rs, Finland
Sloga Platforma Nevladnih Organizacij Za Razvoj, Globalno Ucenje In Humanitarno Pomoc, Slovenia
Eine Weltz Netz NRW EV, Germany
Teatro Metaphora – Associacao de Amigos Das Artes, Portugal
Eclosio, Belgium
Asociația HaicuBicla, Romania
Asociația REPER 21, Romania
Asociația Bankwatch Romania
Cătălin Teniță – Deputat Partidul REPER, Romania
Agent Green, Gabriel Paun, Romania
Asociația ÎntreVecini, Romania
Fundația Eco-Civica, Romania
Asociația Institutul pentru Dezvoltare Locală – Think Global, Act Local (UrbanizeHub), Romania
FEMNET e.V., Germany
Verband Entwicklungspolitik Niedersachsen e.V., Germany
green.fair.fashion frau & herr toebben (Fair Fashion Online Shop), Germany
Organization of creative grouping OOCG, Serbia
Citizens’ Association “Vision” Pirot, Serbia
Omadinski centar Brus, Brus, Serbia
SINHRO Hub, Pancevo, Serbia
Greenpeace Romania
ViitorPlus – asociatia pentru dezvoltare durabilă, Romania
Asociatia “Mission 4 Life”, Romania
Asociația MaiMultVerde, Romania
Grupul Initiativa Civica Bucurestii Noi, Romania
Manuela Mureșan – Consilier Municipal București, Romania
Asociația Părinți de Cireșari, Romania
Maria Ohisalo, MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Finland
FAPAS – Associação Portuguesa para a Conservação da Biodiversidade, Portugal
Associação Womaniza-te, Portugal
Junta de Freguesia de Câmara de Lobos, Portugal
Clube Desportivo Garachico, Portugal
Casa do Povo de Câmara de Lobos, Portugal
Câmara Municipal de Câmara de Lobos, Portugal
Merja Kyllönen, MEP, GUE/NGL The Left, Finland
Suomen Rauhanliitto, Finlands Fredsförbund ry, Peace Union of Finland, Finland
Jussi Saramo, MEP, The LEFT, Finland
Saskia Bricmont, MEP, The Green, Belgium
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