Climate activist makes the blue jeans go green through launch of sustainable clothing initiative

AMMAN — A young Jordanian climate enthusiast makes the blue jeans go green, balancing style with sustainability, while giving garments a new lease on life.

Shima Wasfi Abulobbad, a 24-year-old climate activist who joined UNICEF’s SAWN programme, holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and media, but her climate action journey started with her passion for sustainable fashion.

Sawn, translating to “Preservation” in English, is a youth-led climate action initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Youth and Generations For Peace.

The programme aims to equip youth from all governorates in the Kingdom with the skills to lead climate action and advocate for a more sustainable future.

Looking at fashion through eco-conscious lens, Abulobbad has concentrated her efforts on the impact of the growing fast fashion industry which is especially notorious for contributing to environmental degradation, being the second most consuming industry for copious amounts of water and thereby generating huge amounts of wastewater.

In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, Abulobbad said that she launched her initiative called “Jeans Akhdar” with the support of UNICEF, as she wanted to draw people’s attention to the fact that the fashion industry is a significant contributor to the global climate crisis, drying up water resources and producing 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

According to Abulobbad, she picks pieces from the Friday Market situated in Downtown Amman and other thrift/second-hand stores and pumps new life into her finds, by redesigning and up-cycling them. 

Moreover, Abulobbad noted that she is opting for expanding her design options, as well as organising workshops during which she can spread more awareness about sustainable clothes.

“People could have eco-friendly wardrobe choice… nowadays companies are producing constant supply of clothes at extremely low prices, but what people should know is that they can be stylish while also saving the planet,” she explained.

In addition to her roles in UNICEF’s SAWN 2 programme, Shima has led an initiative called “Dialogue for Climate” through which she contributed to the facilitation of 15 dialogue sessions with young people of her community. The sessions focused on climate justice, carbon footprint, Jordan’s water scarcity, waste management and recycling, according to a UNICEF statement sent to The Jordan Times.

Further, Abulobbad during her participation in COP28, focused on conveying the challenges faced by women in the region due to climate change, in addition to highlighting water stress in the Middle East.