The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of Zero Waste also known as Zero Waste Day is annually observed across the globe on 30 March to underscore the significance of bolstering global waste management and the need to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns to combat the waste pollution crisis.
- 30 March 2025 marks the observance of the 3rd International Day of Zero Waste.
- In 2025, for the first time, the International Day of Zero Waste was observed under the theme, “Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles”.
The observance of the Day is facilitated jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the leading global authority in the UN system, and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Note: The 2025 theme focuses on the need to take action to reduce waste in the fashion and textile sector and advance sustainability and circular solutions.
Significance:
i.The Day aims to raise awareness about the critical role of waste management and responsible consumption and production in achieving sustainable development.
ii.Promoting zero-waste initiatives helps achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically:
- SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
iii.These efforts address waste management, including food loss, natural resource extraction, and electronic waste.
Background:
i.On 14 December 2022, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution A/RES/77/161 entitled “Promoting zero waste initiatives to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, proclaiming 30 March of every year as the International Day of Zero Waste.
- The resolution was proposed by Türkiye, with support from 105 other countries.
ii.The first-ever International Day of Zero Waste was observed on 30 March 2023.
What is Zero Waste?
i.The term “Zero Waste” was first used in the chemical industry in 1973 in connection with the recovery of usable components from chemical compounds.
ii.Zero Waste is a philosophy and a design principle that aims to minimise the amount of waste generated by promoting the sustainable management of resources throughout their life cycle.
- The goal of Zero Waste is to eliminate waste entirely by ensuring that products are designed, produced, consumed, and disposed of in ways that maximise resource recovery and reduce environmental impact.
Türkiye’s Zero Waste Project:
i.Türkiye’s Zero Waste Project is a significant environmental initiative launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Government of Türkiye under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan.
- Emine Erdoğan is the First Lady of the Türkiye and the wife of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Türkiye.
- The project basically aims to prevent waste and to use resources more efficiently.
ii.Through its zero-waste project, the government provides support for the establishment of zero-waste management systems across all 81 provinces.
iii.In 2021, Türkiye’s zero waste project has won the UN Development Program (UNDP) Turkey’s 1st “Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) Action Award” for successfully meeting the goal “Responsible Consumption and Production”.
iv.In 2022, Emine Erdoğan, and the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres signed a goodwill document to extend Türkiye’s zero-waste project globally.
2025 Events:
i.On 27 March 2025, a high-level event for the 3rd annual International Day of Zero Waste was observed at the UN Headquarters in New York, the United States of America (USA).
- The event was organised in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye to the UN, with the support of the Zero Waste Foundation.
ii.On 27 March 2025, an event was organised at the UNEP and the UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
- This event showcased 3 zero-waste practices from Thailand, India and Norway selected by the UNSG’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste from 220 global submissions.
iii.Closing The Loop Program, from Bengaluru (Karnataka) was the Zero-waste practice of India showcased in Nairobi.
- It was launched by the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF), an industry-led platform. This pioneering initiative redirects post-consumer textiles from landfills to markets via textile recovery facilities.
Impact of Fashion and Textile Waste:
i.Humanity generates between 2.1 billion and 2.3 billion tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) annually – from textiles and packaging to electronics, plastics and food.
ii.2.7 billion people lacking access to solid waste collection, leading to open dumping and severe environmental risks.
iii.Only 61 to 62% of MSW being managed in controlled facilities. MSW generation is predicted to grow to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.
- Waste pollution threatens human health, costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars every year, and aggravates the triple planetary crisis – climate change, nature, land and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
iv.The fashion and textile industry alone produce 92 million tonnes of textile waste yearly, equating to a garbage truck of clothes being incinerated or landfilled every second.
v.Between 2000 and 2015, clothing production doubled, while the duration of garment use decreased by 36%.
- The use of fossil fuel-based synthetic fibres contributes to microplastic pollution, harming ecosystems and human health.
vi.The fashion and textile sector contribute 2–8% of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and 9% of microplastic pollution reaching oceans annually.
- Doubling the number of times a garment is worn would reduce GHG emissions by 44%.
vii.The fashion and textile sector also consume 215 trillion liters (l) of water—enough to fill 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
viii.About 15,000 chemicals are used in textile manufacturing process, with many accumulating in the environment for decades.
About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director– Inger Andersen
Headquarters– Nairobi, Kenya
Founded– 1972
Member States– 193
