Are you looking to buy a new Christmas Jumper? Why not try swapping your old one with a neighbour, or recycling last year’s? This is what a campaign run by the Octopus Communities Network is hoping to encourage.
Octopus’ Save the Christmas Jumper campaign, aims to persuade people to upcycle their used Christmas jumpers, instead of discarding them in favour of purchasing new ones.
One in four Christmas jumpers bought in 2016 were discarded or unlikely to be used again, according to The Guardian. “The Covid-19 pandemic has given people a different mindset to be a bit more responsible with what they buy,” Julie Parish, of Octopus, said.
“We also want to encourage Christmas jumper swaps so that families are able to save their pennies at this expensive time of year,” she added. Jumper swaps will be run by community centres across Islington.
The campaign will run online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Participants are encouraged to think about how they could give their old jumpers a new look, or find a new use for them.
“We are hoping to particularly engage people with large disposable incomes,” Parish told Islington Now.
“We’ve had a great start to the campaign, with Octopus members from across the network getting involved. We can’t wait to see people get creative with their jumpers and organise swaps with friends as we get closer to Christmas,” said Project Coordinator Rosie Apperley.
The Save the Christmas Jumper campaign comes at a time of climate action. “The campaign was planned much before the COP26 summit, but we think it will be more successful because of its coverage”.
The campaign is funded by the North London Waste Authority, which manages waste disposal for seven London boroughs.
People can get involved in the campaign on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #SaveTheChristmasJumper, tagging @octopusCN.
