Student Life August 2019

APP REVIEWS
BY LIBBY DAWSON
It has become known that there is an
increased awareness surrounding the
lifestyle factors that are linked to pollution,
climate change and our planet dying. Social
consciousness is not simply a result of
reducing your intake of animal products or
your usage of plastic, there are many other
factors that need attention; one of them
being to recognise the damage that our
appetite for constant clothing consumption
can have on the environment and the
future of our planet.
FACT: The fast fashion industry is
responsible for producing 20% of
global wastewater and emits 1.2
billion tons of CO 2 equivalent per year!
GoodOnYou
GoodOnYou is an app that I have recently
discovered and I am shocked that I had
never heard of it before. It provides
ethical ratings for thousands of fashion
brands, giving information for anything
from watches to ties and belts. I will
admit that it is really hard seeing some of
your favourite brands be rated so badly,
but it is also great to see new brands
with ethical clothing labels. Sustainable
fashion is definitely something I am trying
to implement as one of my conscious
changes and this app makes it a lot
easier to know if where you’re buying
from supports the environment and their
workers. Their tagline is, ‘wear the change
you want to see’, and I personally love it!
reGAIN App
I discovered this app recently when I was
thinking about clearing out my wardrobe. If
I’m being completely honest, I’m not really
sure what I used to do with my unwanted
clothing, it is not until recent years that I
began donating them to charity shops. But
what if you have some items of clothing or
accessories that are too worn or damaged?
The reGAIN App lets you send your
unwanted clothing, shoes and accessories
at any of their drop off points around the
UK FOR FREE! All you need to do is find
the one closest to you, get a shipping label
or barcode and simply, send your parcel.
There are so many drop off points around
the UK and not only that, in return you
get access to lots of discount codes and
coupons! They will recycle all of your
items, and you get rewarded. How
amazing is that?
Whilst fast fashion can be cheap and easily
accessible, it is so important to recognise
the harsh effects that it is having on the
environment, as well as the workers. Our
cultural attitudes surrounding the fashion
that we consume and dispose of, needs to
change and using these apps help to make
these little changes a bit easier.
41 • MY PLANET • STUDENT LIFE