This year, the theme focuses on "Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles," highlighting the challenges and opportunities in reducing waste and promoting circularity within the fashion industry. However, the waste crisis spans beyond textiles—it includes food, electronics, and plastics, with humanity generating between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually. Without action, this number could surge to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050, worsening the triple planetary crisis: climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
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The International Day of Zero Waste, facilitated jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), highlights the importance of bolstering waste management globally and the need to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns to address the waste pollution crisis.
In Lara’s words: "Besides addressing food waste with The Waste Transformers, we must act now on all waste streams. Through scalable, circular solutions, that supports communities and reduces emissions, integrating of solutions must happen globally, and we can tackle waste pollution head-on and create a more sustainable future."
The International Day of Zero Waste is a call to action for governments, businesses, civil society, and individuals to take responsibility for their waste and transition towards a zero-waste future. By addressing waste at every stage—from production and consumption to disposal and reuse—we can slow down the increase in global temperatures and forthcoming extreme weather patterns.
Join the UN Advisory Board on Zero Waste in creating attention to Zero Waste Day 2025 and committing to innovative waste management solutions to keep all sorts of waste out of landfill, nature and incinerators. Climate leadership can transform waste into opportunities and help achieve the vision of a circular and sustainable world.
