Swap Fair – Wanna Trade?

The fast fashion industry has made clothing and footwear increasingly cheap and accessible. Unlike previous generations, today the accumulation of garments has become a common phenomenon. At the same time, fashion trends change rapidly, encouraging shorter clothing life cycles and a constant urge to shop for more. This consumer behavior results in vast amounts of textile waste, significantly contributing to environmental pollution.

Swap fairs offer a sustainable alternative – an opportunity to extend the life of clothing and shoes and thus reduce textile waste. Through exchanging, small repairs, and creative reuse of clothing, we not only reduce the harmful impact of fast fashion but also raise collective awareness in the local community about environmentally responsible lifestyles. That’s precisely why Sunce launched the project Swap Fair – Wanna Trade?, aimed at encouraging more sustainable habits among the citizens of Split.

Through regular and themed swap fairs, the goal is to reduce the consumption of new resources and increase the use of second-hand items, thereby decreasing the negative impact on the environment while promoting the 4R principle (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover – with emphasis on the first step: reduce). Moreover, the project contributes to long-term social impact through ongoing education and engagement of young volunteers and participants who develop organizational, digital, social, and civic skills through their involvement.

Project Goals

The general aim of the project is to empower young people to actively participate in environmental protection and sustainable development through educational and participatory activities that promote sustainable practices, social inclusion, and skill development—contributing to a higher quality of life for youth in the local community.

Specific Objectives:

1. To inform young people about sustainable practices and activities and involve them in local initiatives through continuous communication, themed events, and creative informational campaigns.
   Via social media posts and the project’s website, young people will be informed about monthly and themed Swap Fairs they can participate in, as well as the goals of these fairs, which focus on fighting consumerism and unnecessary waste accumulation. Educating youth helps create more aware and sustainable local communities.
2. To enable youth to develop skills and gain knowledge about sustainable lifestyles, volunteering, and social engagement through participation in short- and long-term volunteer programs.
   Local young volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in the preparation and implementation of regular and themed Swap Fairs throughout the year, during which they will develop organizational, digital, social, and civic competencies. Through public events and short-term engagements—especially for students and high schoolers—volunteers will be able to share experiences and receive feedback directly from citizens and participants.
3. To identify the interests, awareness levels, and needs of young people through evaluations aimed at designing new community activities and content.
   To determine the real needs, interests, and awareness of young people regarding local events, ongoing evaluations will be conducted using questionnaires. Collected data will be used to design new environmentally responsible and sustainable community activities.
4. To encourage connection and empowerment of youth within educational institutions through organizing Swap Fairs in schools and universities.
   The Civic Education curriculum encourages youth to actively participate in solving social issues, including the right to a healthy environment—a topic rarely emphasized in formal education. Through participating in the Swap Fair and receiving mentoring support, students will be empowered to take initiative and build networks for future community-driven projects.

Project Activities:

• Monthly Swap fair at Klub Zona
• Themed Swap fairs – clothing and footwear swap (Fashion Revolution day) and kitchen items swap (Sustainability festival)
• Swap Fairs in educational institutions – V. Gymnasium Vladimir Nazor and the Faculty of science (PMF)
• Long- and short-term youth volunteering programs
• Communication activities, promotion, and project visibility

Project Holder: Association for Nature, Environment, and Sustainable Development Sunce
Project Partners: Info zona
Project Duration: 12 months (January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025)
Project Budget: EUR 5,245.25 (City of Split)
Project Manager at Sunce: Margita Radman, head of the Education and information department
([email protected])
Contact Person at Sunce: Mihaela Mladar, intern in the Education and information department
([email protected])