France to pay people to repair their clothes

 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oARMhVOPd2Q

In this age of consumerism, we unnecessarily discard millions of tons of clothes every year. A lot of these items are as good as new. Some may be a little threadbare or miss a button or two. France has come up with a new scheme to encourage people to increase the longevity of their apparel. The government will pay a "repair bonus" to people who get their garments repaired at special repair workshops, or take their shoes to a cobbler. The bonus allows individuals to claim back up to $27 of the cost of their repair bill. The scheme will be run by an eco-organization called Refashion. The government said the goals of its new initiative are "to support those who carry out repairs" and help the environment.

An estimated 700,000 tons of clothing are thrown away in France every year. Around two-thirds of this ends up in landfills. Furthermore, the global fashion industry accounts for between 8-10 per cent of global carbon emissions every year. The emergence of fast fashion has exacerbated this. Fast fashion is the practice of purchasing cheap clothes to wear just a few times. It utilizes a lot of synthetic materials and chemicals, which harm the environment. The Refashion group also aims to encourage people to reduce the amount of clothing they buy, and to donate unwanted clothes and footwear to charity. It says over half of donations can be reused, and a third can be recycled into something new.

 1. TEN YEARS: Students A strongly believe we should all wear our clothes for at least ten years; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
2. REPAIRS: What repairs might these things need? How good are you at repairing these things? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Repairs

How Good You Are

Shirts

 

 

Socks

 

 

Shoes

 

 

Cars

 

 

Bags

 

 

Toys

 

 

 

3.Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

consumerism

a.

Clothing.

      2.

discard

b.

An act or strategy intended to resolve a difficulty or improve a situation.

      3.

threadbare

c.

The obsession of society with the buying things.

      4.

longevity

d.

Get rid of someone or something as no longer being useful or desirable.

      5.

apparel

e.

Long life.

      6.

cobbler

f.

A person whose job is repairing shoes.

      7.

initiative

g.

Becoming thin and ragged with age.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

landfill

h.

Give money or goods for a good cause.

      9.

emissions

i.

Made by chemical processes, especially to imitate a natural product.

      10.

emergence

j.

Made a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse.

      11.

exacerbated

k.

An area used for disposing of or burying waste.

      12.

synthetic

l.

An organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.

      13.

donate

m.

The production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.

      14.

charity

n.

The process of coming into existence or prominence.

 

4. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. age
  2. discard
  3. threadbare
  4. garments
  5. initiative
  6. estimated
  7. accounts for
  8. emergence
  9. synthetic
  10. donate
  1. approximate
  2. artificial
  3. scheme
  4. worn / tatty
  5. makes up
  6. dispose of
  7. contribute
  8. clothes
  9. appearance
  10. era

 

5.Role play

Role  A –  Discarded Clothing
You think clothing is the thing we should never waste. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why it's OK to waste their things. Also, tell the others which is the least problematic to waste of these (and why): 

Role  B – Uneaten Food
You think food is the thing we should never waste. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why it's OK to waste their things. Also, tell the others which is the least problematic to waste of these (and why):

Role  C – Water
You think water is the thing we should never waste. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why it's OK to waste their things. Also, tell the others which is the least problematic to waste of these (and why):

Role  D – Energy
You think energy is the thing we should never waste. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why it's OK to waste their things. Also, tell the others which is the least problematic to waste of these (and why): 

OR

  • Lights left on
  • Our life
  • Money
  • Paper
  • Talent

 

6.Discussion - Clothes Repair

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS 

  1. What did you think when you read the headline?
  2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'repair'?
  3. What do you think of consumerism?
  4. How often do you throw clothes away?
  5. Should we all repair our clothes when they become worse for wear?
  6. What item of clothing have you had longest?
  7. Would you like to get a 'repair bonus'?
  8. How important is fashion to you?
  9. What damage does the clothing industry do to the environment?
  10. How good are you at sewing on buttons and patches?
  1. How do you feel about the millions of tons of discarded clothing?
  2. Should discarded clothing end up in landfills?
  3. What do you think of fast fashion?
  4. How can the fashion industry become more environmentally friendly?
  5. Should we all donate our old clothes to charity?
  6. Should we all buy second-hand clothes?
  7. What questions would you like to ask a fast fashion fan?

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