Tanya Plibersek reveals a surprising fashion secret as she sheds light on Australia's 'throwaway clothing culture'

As a little girl, Tanya Plibersek had only two “special” dresses: one was a hand-me-down from her cousin, whom she idolized, and the other was made by her aunt.

Now she is one of the most fashionable women in Canberra, hard to miss in the corridors of Parliament House in her colorful two-piece trouser suits.

Speaking at eBay's Circular Fashion Fund showcase on Wednesday morning, the Environment Minister admitted she is far from perfect when it comes to her fashion choices, but said all consumers, along with businesses and governments, have a role to play in promoting sustainable fashion.

“The scenario, you've all seen it – and done it on occasion – you're scrolling through social media, you see an outfit worn by an influencer. You buy it with the click of a button,” she said.

'It will be one of the 56 items of clothing the average Australian buys in a year. You might wear it once or twice before it loses its shape, or you decide it doesn't look good on you.'

Ms Plibersek told the crowd that most Aussies try to do the right thing from this point on. They put it in a bag with all the other unwanted clothes and take it to a charity bin.

'But like most Australian charities at the moment, the country is overwhelmed by the amount of low-quality fast fashion they end up receiving. There is no market for it and it ends up in the landfill.'

Ms. Plibersek shared her own personal relationship with fashion growing up.

In stark contrast to many of today's children, she had two beautiful dresses that “made her feel like a princess.” One was a hand-me-down and the other was handmade.

“Those very special things that you love and cherish,” she said.

'Clothes were of high quality at the time and were expected to last for years or decades.'

Ms. Plibersek said that even today, in 2024, she still owns, wears and maintains the clothes she bought in the 1980s, forty years ago.

She noted that cycling shorts and slip dresses are back in fashion, and that the biggest difference between today's fashion and that of the '80s is “the extraordinary acceleration of production and consumption.”

'Improved affordability of clothing is a good thing'

Ms Plibersek has no problem with the downward pressure on clothing prices – which is partly a response to the wide range of options now available on the market.

“Parents should not have to choose between paying the electricity bill and buying a new pair of school shoes,” she said.

The problem, she argued, lies in the promotion of the 'throwaway culture'.

It is the marketing strategies that tell us that we have to buy a new outfit for every event, that we have to have the latest trend to be fashionable, which is the root cause of the problems that the industry is facing.

“We're not talking about someone buying a cheap T-shirt that their kids wear to school over and over again. That's fine,” she said. 'There is certainly and unequivocally room for that.

'I'm talking about a system where people buy something, wear it once and it ends up in the landfill. There's too much of that.'

Poisoning the world with good intentions

Australian charities spend millions of dollars every year, sifting through and handling the donations they receive that are not fit for purpose.

Ms. Plibersek said consumers often have the best intentions when they bring their used clothing to donation stores, but the reality is that many cannot keep up with the sheer volume of clothing they receive.

“This is money these charities should be spending on helping Australians in need,” she said.

'Not dealing with our guilt about giving away our one-off garment.'

To put it into perspective, Ms. Plibersek told the crowd that products made from synthetic fibers take 500 years to decompose.

“Those yoga pants made from carbon fuels will outlast you by many centuries.

“Our beautiful, natural world has become a dumping ground for clothes that we can't even call second-hand anymore, because the relationship with that item was so short, you can hardly call it love.”

eBay's solution and the way forward

On Wednesday, eBay awarded $200,000 in prize money to three companies committed to promoting and improving circularity in the fashion industry.

First prize recipient Dempstah recycles Australian textile waste into new spun yarn, giving it new life.

This yarn can then be made into knitwear, household items and furniture.

Founder Guy said he hopes to establish a factory in Tasmania to boost local manufacturing and create more local textile and eco-friendly jobs.

Ms Plibersek said: 'If we can extend the life cycle of clothing, if we can repair it, resell it or reuse it, that's great.

'Can we exchange clothes? Can we rent them? Can we embrace frugality like my children have?”

The Environment Minister said that increasing the lifespan of a shirt by a factor of three – from an average of 20 wears to 60 – reduces the water and carbon footprint of that garment by 66 percent.

“As someone who still wears things I bought in the 1980s, that makes me very happy,” she said.

'The fashion industry that makes the profits must be responsible to do something better for the environment… We shouldn't have to rely solely on consumer preferences to change the way we consume fashion.'