Lorry loads of used clothing is incinerated or buried in landfill every day. The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter after petroleum. Estimates are that its greenhouse gas emissions overtake those of the international marine and aviation industries combined. It consumes billions of cubic metres of water every year and dumps around half a million tons of plastic microfibre into the oceans.
This is a scandal but what does this have to do with the equine industry you may ask? A lot, sadly. Let me explain.
We may not have previously perceived equestrian fashion in the same mind frame as ‘fast-fashion’, but now more than ever we should start to look for ways in which we can help our planet. We can all do our bit – in fact it is as easy as 1-2-3….. 1. Reduce 2. Recycle and 3. Reuse.
The equine industry in the UK is both vibrant and valuable, contributing £8bn a year to the economy. With around 1m horses, the sector has a gross output of £4.3bn a year and it has been found that there are approximately 374,000 horse-owning households in Britain. Earlier this year, Horse & Hound wrote an article on ways in which riders can easily embrace sustainability recommended that we should focus on buying higher quality products that will last the test of time and help prevent wastage. This will help us Reduce the amount of energy and raw materials we consume via the products we buy – we might spend more initially but buying (for example a WeatherBeeta Rug) well reduces cost and environmental impact later.
We can all Recycle more although many of us try hard. At WeatherBeeta we have been working hard to make sure our materials are recyclable and that we reuse whatever we can in our business (the boxes we use for delivery are either recycled from what we receive or use recycled cardboard). And do please Reuse the bags that our WeatherBeeta rugs are packed into – they make great storage bags for your rugs, accessories and general horse gear!
It’s vital that we find ways of creating a market for Recycled plastics so we can Reuse the thousands of tonnes recycled every year and that’s why WeatherBeeta has produced the new Green-Tec Collection.
This collection utilises recycled plastics for the outer fabric and lining. A 6’3/140cm/75” rug saves over 340 500ml plastic bottles from entering landfills or oceans. As well as recycling unwanted plastic waste, the method used also reduces the energy output needed to produce the materials by 50%!
Plastic bottles are diverted from landfill, shredded into flakes, cleaned, melted down and extruded into yarn that is transformed into our stunning Green-Tec range.
Be assured the WeatherBeeta Green-Tec rug collection retains 100% of the quality that we are world famous for. While our rugs come with a 3-year warranty, they often last far longer than that. We like to think of a WeatherBeeta rug as a long-term investment in a happy horse and a happy owner. We think cheaper alternatives simply are not up to WeatherBeeta standards and typically do not last as long. So, you can buy a WeatherBeeta rug with confidence, knowing it should last for many years to come. And you can play your part as easily as 1-2-3.