• Overview

When: 27 March 2025

Where: General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, New York

Follow the event live on UN Web TV

This flagship event is part of the International Day of Zero Waste 2025 celebrations.

The International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on 30 March annually, was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 14 December 2022 to promote responsible production and consumption patterns and encourage a shift towards a lifecycle approach so no materials or resources go to waste. 

This year, for the first time, the day will be observed under the theme “Towards zero waste in fashion and textiles” to shed light on the environmental and social challenges caused by the sector’s linear business model, which drives overproduction and overconsumption. Every year the textile sector is estimated to be responsible for 2-8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the use of 215 trillion litres of water (the equivalent of 86 million Olympic-sized swimming pools), and 9 per cent of annual microplastic pollution to oceans. 

It will be observed in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, on Thursday, 27 March 2025. UNEP and UN-Habitat are jointly facilitating the observance of the day in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Türkiye to the United Nations and Zero Waste Foundation.

Further information