A clothing swap supporting students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) was among various events and activities marking Sustainable Development Goals Month at the university.
Since October 2024, the Student Sustainability Club and the Office of Sustainability have been collecting items such as jackets, pants, shirts, hats and shoes to put together a free mini thrift store at KPU Surrey.
“We came up with this idea to encourage clothing swaps and more of a slow fashion trend that we want to popularize among students,” says Honey Mathew, club president.
Mathew says the club set up donation bins where students could drop off their used items for the clothing drive.
“The idea is to take home the concept of reusing and encouraging others to practise swapping,” says Mathew.
The clothing swap was held at KPU Surrey on March 12. Students were invited to browse the items and take up to three pieces for free. The club hopes this event exposes students to sustainable alternatives to buying clothes new.
“Sustainability is ingrained in our core values,” says Kavya Saikia, club secretary and treasurer. “In all of our classes we’ve learned about fast fashion and how many clothes end up in the landfill so this is one of the little things we can do as a club to alleviate that problem. Even if it’s a small impact, it’s still an impact.”
This event was one of several taking place at KPU for Sustainable Development Goals Month.