Bristol has become the first UK city to impose a ban on the advertising of fast fashion, as part of wider restrictions on ads for polluting industries.
The council’s strategy and resources committee voted eight to one to approve an updated advertising and sponsorship policy. It extends rules introduced in 2021 when Bristol became the first council outside London to restrict junk food adverts.
The new policy will apply to council-owned billboards, bus stop shelters, digital screens, as well as print and online advertising. It will also restrict adverts for fossil fuel companies, airlines, cruise holidays, SUVs and non-electric cars.
Bristol joins more than 20 UK councils that already limit advertising for polluting products and services, including Cardiff, Edinburgh, Portsmouth and Sheffield. However, the council said no other local authority has previously introduced restrictions specifically targeting fast fashion advertising.
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Deputy council leader Heather Mack said: “We don’t want Bristol to be a billboard for polluters while we’re working hard to improve health, air quality and nature in the city. We’re proud to be thinking holistically about the changes we need to keep Bristol green and thriving.”
Green Party co-leader and Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer welcomed the move, saying the council had taken a “much-needed next step” by adding high-carbon products and services to the list of categories that will not be advertised on council-owned space.
Denyer added that it “makes no sense” for Bristol’s climate and sustainability work to run alongside adverts for “oil and gas companies, SUVs or fast fashion”.
Photo by Tak Kei Wong on Unsplash
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