A youth exchange turning young people from passive consumers of fast fashion into advocates for sustainable clothing, through upcycling, swaps and public campaigns.
The fashion industry accounts for around 10 per cent of global carbon emissions and 20 per cent of wastewater production. Fashion for Earth targets the demographic that industry depends on, 1.2 billion young people worldwide, and works to turn them from passive consumers into local leaders and ambassadors for sustainability.
The youth exchange brought 30 participants and five group leaders to Alicante from Spain, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Italy and Serbia, from 20 to 29 September 2025. Each national group included five participants facing fewer opportunities, supported by group leaders chosen for their experience in non-formal education and youth facilitation.
Activities combined workshops on sustainable fashion with hands-on upcycling and two public events organised by the participants themselves: Swap and Share, a clothing swap promoting conscious shopping, and Style for Impact, a fashion competition showcasing upcycled designs. Digital skills ran through the whole project, with participants producing content for the Fashion for Earth channels and leading the Conscious Fashionistas campaign using Canva, CapCut and Trello.
Results include the Fashion for Earth blog documenting the activities and offering sustainable living tips, participant testimonials and video content, the two public events, at least three new project ideas emerging from collaborative sessions, and the Eco Talks webinar series run by participants after the exchange.
Co-funded by the European Union · Erasmus+ KA152-YOU