Consumer Culture: Why We Need to Buy Less (Josephine Philips)

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Feb 12, 2026

Josephine Philips, founder of Sojo and sustainable fashion entrepreneur, modernises clothing repair to fight fast fashion. She discusses the human and environmental costs of throwaway clothes. Short, practical steps like secondhand shopping, accessible repairs and supportive regulation are explored. The conversation champions slowing consumption and restoring joy in clothing care.

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INSIGHT

Massive Global Clothing Waste

The world produces roughly 92 million metric tons of clothing waste annually.
That weight exceeds the entire population of Europe in mass each year, showing clear unsustainability.

INSIGHT

Dissociation Hides Fashion's True Cost

Many consumers are dissociated from who makes clothes and what materials contain.
Polyester garments are essentially plastic and behave like plastic waste in landfills.

INSIGHT

Resale Markets Are Rapidly Scaling

Secondhand and resale markets are growing 20–30% year-on-year and outpace first-hand fashion growth.
Platforms like Vinted and Vestiaire drive circular consumption by rehoming garments at scale.

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The fashion industry is the world’s second‑largest contributor to carbon emissions, surpassed only by agriculture. With such a significant impact on the climate, the question is: what can we actually do about it? Tech entrepreneur and founder of SOJO, Josephine Philips, wants you to stop throwing clothes away and think about what you’re buying.

In her conversation with Amol, they explore the wider issues tied to fast fashion, including exploitative labour practices, overflowing landfills, and the relentless pace of production.

They also look at the rise of second‑hand shopping, from charity shops to online resale platforms, and how this shift is reshaping consumer habits. She says legislation can play a major role in holding large companies accountable for their product life cycle and Josephine shares practical, everyday steps we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment.

TIMECODES

(00:02:17) What is SOJO?

(00:06:22) How the fashion industry impacts people and communities globally

(00:11:03) Corporate responsibility and legislation

(00:13:38) The environmental impact of the fashion industry

(00:21:45) Josephine’s RADICAL solutions

(00:23:38) The growth of second-hand fashion

(00:26:55) Learning to repair our clothes instead of throwing them away

(00:32:20) The downside of overconsumption

(00:35:30) Affordability in sustainable fashion

(00:38:38) Practical advice to help you consume less

(00:50:41) Learning from past generations

(00:54:24) Amol’s Reflections

GET IN TOUCH * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.