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Nature and EnvironmentSweden

Greta Thunberg slams fast fashion in Vogue cover story

Dharvi Vaid
August 9, 2021

The Swedish climate activist is being featured on the first cover of the newly launched Scandinavian edition of the fashion magazine. She slammed the fashion industry as a "huge" contributor to the climate crisis.

https://p.dw.com/p/3yjJJ
Greta Thunberg sitting on a rock
Greta Thunberg said the fashion industry uses expensive ad campaigns to appear sustainableImage: Carl-Johan Utsi/TT/NYHETSBYR?N/picture alliance

Teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg appeared on the cover of the first issue of Vogue Scandinavia and is using the platform to criticize fast fashion. 

On Sunday evening, Thunberg shared a picture of the front page of the magazine on her social media accounts. She is seen wearing an oversized trench coat while petting a horse in a forest. 

"The fashion industry is a huge contributor to the climate-and ecological emergency, not to mention its impact on the countless workers and communities who are being exploited around the world in order for some to enjoy fast fashion that many treat as disposables," Thunberg said in her post. 

Thunberg slams 'green' fashion campaigns 

The Swedish environmental activistsaid the fashion industry uses expensive promotional campaigns to appear sustainable without actually doing anything to protect the environment, calling the campaigns "greenwashing." 

The 18-year-old said in her Vogue interview that she has not purchased new clothes in years.

"The last time I bought something new was three years ago and it was second-hand. I just borrow things from people I know," Thunberg said.

She called for a change in how clothing is produced and consumed worldwide. 

"You cannot mass produce fashion or consume 'sustainably' as the world is shaped today. That is one of the many reasons why we will need a system change," Thunberg said.

DPA contributed to this report