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The Government paid five social-media creators a combined €44,280 to promote changing clothes-buying habits as part of a wider campaign aimed at cutting fast-fashion waste. The effort — branded Reverse the Trend — sought to persuade younger consumers to buy less, repair and reuse garments rather than discard them.
How the payments were recorded
Purchase orders published by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment show €68,880 listed under “influencer payments” for the campaign at the end of 2025. The department later confirmed the five creators engaged were Joanne Mooney, King Ye, Laura de Barra, PJ Kirby and Siomha Ni Ruairc.
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Between those five, the State paid a total of €44,280. The balance of the €68,880 covered media-buying costs, agency fees and VAT related to the influencer component. The department says the full campaign — including creative work, production, media buying and fees — cost €145,440.25.
Campaign aim and timing
The influencer partnerships ran from June to November 2025 and targeted mainly women aged 16 to 34, whom officials identified as frequent clothing buyers. The campaign encouraged audiences to buy less and to re-wear, repair, swap and share existing items.
The department said it selected creators with the help of its media-buying agency, arguing social creators can reach new audiences, build trust and amplify public information. Campaign material directed people to trusted sources, including MyWaste.ie, the Environmental Protection Agency’s website and the department’s textiles pages.
Why textiles were singled out
Textiles form a stated priority in the Government’s circular economy plans. The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020 to 2025 commits to supporting education and awareness work on clothing and textile waste.
A department spokesperson pointed to research by the EPA and the Regional Waste Management Offices that found low public awareness of the environmental impact of clothing. An EPA report on post-consumer textiles in Ireland concluded that “targeted educational campaigns are required” and noted a pattern of buying large volumes of cheap garments that are quickly discarded.
At the campaign launch, then Minister of State Ossian Smyth said Ireland’s rate of new textile consumption was among the highest in the EU, measured at 53kg per person each year.
Measured engagement and survey findings
Officials supplied evaluations suggesting the influencer strand reached large audiences. An assessment by Spark Foundry, the department’s media agency, reported the influencer content achieved 14.8 million video views and about 37,600 likes.
Post-campaign research by Core Media found strong self-reported effects among those surveyed: 87% said the campaign made them more likely to choose sustainable clothing, while 95% agreed it encouraged reuse. Some 71% said they felt prompted to donate, buy second-hand or repair garments.
The department summarised sentiment around the campaign as positive, with high levels of trust reported in the evaluation materials it provided.
