Swap over Shop
Intercambios
Photos and Text by Sarah Birch
The Gibraltar Youth Service is committing to going
green, with a series of different projects and events
that aim to not only educate young people, but also
encourage the community to develop a conscious
awareness of how we live, buy and use items.
To promote reusing and recycling, the first ‘Swap
over Shop’ day took place at the Youth Centre at the
beginning of November. Organised by youth club
members concerned with greenhouse gas contri-
butions attributed to non-biodegradable clothing,
this clothing exchange event invited members of the
community to come along and donate unwanted clo-
thes and then swap them for other donated items.
Clothing exchanges have proved very popular
around the world, helping people to save money and
waste less, whilst promoting a circular economy
with a smaller carbon footprint. At the ‘Swap over
Shop’ event, each item brought in was exchanged
for a button. Using these buttons as ‘currency’, you
could then swap one button for another item of your
choice. There was a great selection of styles and
sizes available, as well as shoes and other acces-
sories.
Speaking to organisers, their hope is that events
like this raise awareness of the fashion industry’s
environmental impact, encouraging locals to make
smarter choices and to think more about the pur-
chases they make. In turn, leading to a new culture
of buying lifetime pieces, lending clothes, and even
upcycling items rather than disposing of them.
Currently, the clothing industry is one of the
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OTWO 05 / DECEMBER 2019
OTWO 05 / DECEMBER 2019
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