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Do we have enough clothes for the next six generations?

We delve into the stats on the scale of the fashion industry.

A huge quantity of clothing is produced every year around the world. But is so much made that there are already enough tops, trousers, skirts and all the rest to clothe humanity for decades into the future?

That’s a claim that has been percolating around the internet recently, that there are already enough clothes for the next six generations.

Tim Harford and Beth Ashmead Latham explore the source of this claim and, with help from Sabina Lawreniuk from Nottingham University, find that the evidence behind it is far from persuasive.

Presenter: Tim Harford and Bethan Ashmead Latham
Producer: Bethan Ashmead Latham
Series producer: Tom Colls
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound Mix: Annie Gardiner
Editor: Richard Vadon

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 11 Nov 202400:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 9 Nov 202405:50GMT
  • Sat 9 Nov 202411:50GMT
  • Sat 9 Nov 202416:50GMT
  • Sun 10 Nov 202409:50GMT
  • Sun 10 Nov 202411:50GMT
  • Sun 10 Nov 202422:50GMT
  • Mon 11 Nov 202400:50GMT

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