When I was a child in the 1970s, all the moms in the neighborhood (sexist, I know, but the reality) stocked up on patches so they could repair ripped trousers. They maintained hand-me-down networks so children who grew out of clothing in a matter of months could pass the (often barely used) garments on.

Nobody thought twice about this because it was absolutely ordinary.

Of course, clothing was relatively more expensive then –manufactured generally to higher standards and meant to last longer.

The less expensive clothing becomes, the more people are likely to treat garments as disposable. The children in my extended family today are loathe to wear hand-me-down or repaired clothing. To them, it’s a social stigma.

So huge numbers of serviceable, even practically new, garments get thrown away or languish in charity shops where no one buys them.

We need to turn the ethos around and intentionally reject the notion of practically disposable clothing.