Christmas jumpers are ‘bad for the environment’, charity warns

'A lot of people are concerned about plastics in the oceans but they don't realise that the stuff they are wearing also has plastic in it as well,' says charity partner

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Shoppers are being urged to reconsider the annual Christmas jumper craze after a new report reveals that the majority are made from plastic.

Environmental charity Hubbub examined 108 jumpers from 11 online and high street retailers and found that 95 per cent were made either entirely or partly from plastic.

But Christmas jumpers are also one of the biggest fast fashion culprits, the report found, given that Brits typically only wear them once.

The charity estimated that roughly 12 million Christmas jumpers will be bought this year in the UK, despite 65 million festive jumpers already stashed in Britons’ wardrobes from previous years.

Sarah Divall, creative partner at Hubbub, said many shoppers are “unaware” of the environmental consequences of their purchases.

“A lot of people are concerned about plastics in the oceans but they don’t realise that the stuff they are wearing also has plastic in it as well,” she added.

“You should still enjoy Christmas, no one is saying that this means that you don’t get to have fun.

“There’s a way you can join in: wear a Christmas jumper but swap it or see what you have in the cupboard, or see if you can borrow a friend’s so you don’t have to go out, spend loads of money and buy something new that you’re probably only going to wear once.”

You can find more tips on how to have a sustainable Christmas jumper day, which falls on Friday 13 December, on Hubbub’s website here.