Thrifting or shopping secondhand is a great way to reduce your environmental footprint while finding some really cool and unique items that you wouldnt be able to get elsewhere. What problem does the thrift store solve? Therefore, wreaking havoc in landfills and contributing to greenhouse gasses, the article continues. Many entrepreneurs decide to sell their old clothing or even buy thrifted pieces at a low cost and flip them for a more profitable price. Why? Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you. hire employees to work extremely long hours in hazardous conditions for next-to-no pay. In recent years, thrifting has become a popular activity for those of all ages, especially teens. Shopping at a thrift store like Goodwill is a great way to find some pre-loved pieces that still have a lot of life in them. What most people dont realize is the positive effect they are making on the environment by deciding to thrift their clothes as opposed to buying them from large clothing companies. And finally, consignment stores. Antique stores also specialize in old and used items.And if youre just looking for used items in general, then I cant recommend Facebook marketplace and garage sale groups enough! In a 2019 report by Green Story, which was also commissioned by thredUp, the company analyzed the various life cycle processes involved in each type of fabric content sold from thredUp's inventory, along with other environmental impacts. Better recycling technology is needed too though steps are being made in that direction, noted Cline. As it turns out, thrift shopping is very sustainable because its one of the easiest ways to recycle items. For example, in a study carried out by, and commissioned by online secondhand retailer. APPLY FOR OUR CHRISTIAN-BASED 12 STEP ADDICTION RECOVERY PROGRAM, Santa Rosa Beach, FL : (850) 267-1061 Here are some other benefits of thrift shopping down below. For example, I used to go to a thrift store that funded the local Boys and Girls Club with their profits. its an item youve been looking to have or something that goes great in your home. Sunshine Thrift Store is a 10/10., A post shared by Sunshine Thrift Stores (@sunshine_thrift), English teacher Alison Jussaume says, I personally like thrifting because I do believe it is good for the environment. By shopping for things second hand, you are voting with your dollar as a consumer to not support the industries that cause pollution and tons of waste. It takes a lot of manufacturing and processing to be able to create new things. You can reduce your carbon footprint by thrifting. Also, better legislation is needed in order to hold brands more responsible for the environmental impact which is starting to gain traction in Europe, she added. These are just a few of the reasons why shopping second. Buying secondhand keeps clothes out of landfills which saves energy because more wear is gotten from that piece of clothing. For those who love variety in their wardrobe, thrifting is a great way to fill out that closet without breaking the bank. Synthetic fibers, which are often used in modern clothing designs because they are cheap, require tons of energy as well as crude oils like petroleum. Is thrifting better than fast fashion? When it comes to clothing, electronics, and other home goods, it takes a lot of water and energy to make these items. Lebanon, TN : (615) 965 - 2548 By choosing to buy secondhand, you arent supporting the demand for new products to be made using these chemicals, and the negative impact the item has on your health can also be much less compared to buying the item brand new. There are also times when thrift shops have big sales, giving you the chance to score even more great pieces at crazy low prices. Lets talk about thriftings evil opposite, fast fashion.Fast fashion is a term used to describe a segment of the clothing industry that creates clothes quickly and cheaply in an effort to keep up with short-lived trends.As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Thrifting websites and apps like Poshmark and Depop even help people sell their clothes virtually. Additionally, the production of garments is a major pollutant. That means the secondhand t-shirt thats brand new to you effectively has no environmental impact compared to buying a new one. Lets talk about them. Shopping at thrift stores is a great way to stretch your budget and reduce your carbon footprint. Thrifting allows people to stretch their budgets, while promoting a frugal living mindset at the same time. A good rule of thumb is if you have worn-out items that your thrift store is willing to take and pass on to a recycler, make sure that your good items outnumber the worn-out items three-to-one, says Cline. In that documentary, I learned about the fast fashion culture, where women and children work long hours in such dangerous conditions for cheap wages. Whether itd be a vintage Disneyland shirt, an old painting that could use a touch-up, a 50s-inspired vase, or a Bon Jovi album. So, if you are looking for a thrift shop near you, you can check out Haven House, one of the best thrift stores in Panama City Beach, FL, for quality pieces that will not break your wallet. Your purchases help us continue our work. When making a purchase, the profit goes to the community or a cause in need, unlike fast fashion outlets, where the profit goes to the big corporations and shareholders. The beauty of thrifting is that you never know what you. Sustainably is supported by readers like you. So yes, thrifting is better for the environment than fast fashion. In the past, she interned at Ka Leo, the student newspaper for UH Manoa, where she was promoted to a Staff Writer role during her last semester of college. Sustainably is a blog written by Andrew Baldino featuring content for anyone looking to join the sustainability movement. Thanks for joining me today! As a gay man, I avoid the Salvation Army. The Book Off store is amazing because Ive found so many DVDs and CDs that I didnt even know existed. Get the facts! Thrifting is good for the environment for a multitude of reasonings: A lesser amount of resources would be wasted if people invested in second-hand clothing because, believe it or not, one cotton tee shirt requires 100 gallons of water to make and one pair of jeans requires 1,800 gallons. Youre way less likely to run into someone wearing the same outfit as you, too, because youre piecing together your looks on your own; theres no corporate visual directive for mannequin outfits at thrift stores. As a last resort the clothing is shredded in machines and returned to fibers that can be used to make new products such as upholstery and home installation. All Rights Reserved. Make Leo happy and help the environment! How does thrift prove good to humanity? In case youre new to the trend or the sustainable community, lets cover what thrifting is first. Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news, Want More? For us to post your comment, please submit your name and email with the comment. Thrift store shopping is about purchasing goods from a thrift shop. If youre concerned about the ethics of some thrift stores, then you can always do research on big names and see if their values align with yours. Factories dump their waste into waterways, therefore polluting the homes of locals and wildlife nearby, the article continues. There is way too much clothing being produced, the length of time that consumers are wearing clothes has fallen dramatically, and as a result theres a flood of unwanted clothes moving through the secondhand clothing system, says Elizabeth Cline, journalist and author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion and The Conscious Closet: A Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good. After a while, youll become familiar with which stores have what. Thats because the original owner of the piece is either selling it through the store or selling it to the consignment store, rather than dropping it off as a donation to be forgotten about. Support Charities That Do Good How does thrifting lower your carbon footprint? One major concern about thrifting is that increased demand makes it hard for people dependent on thrifting to find the affordable pieces they need within their budget.For example, thrift flipping is a harmful practice where someone takes thrift store items and resells them at a higher price for profit. Sadly, the clothing industry contributes 10% of carbon emissions worldwide. The fashion industry is not exactly environmentally friendly, though, and in 2015, of textiles were dumped into landfills. There really aren't any reasons thrifting is not green. If you have an idea, project or something you'd like to share with us for a possible guest post, please email it to, Three Reasons Why Thrifting is Better for the Environment, impact on the environment, but every small action counts. When it comes to clothing, textiles need to be grown using pesticides, and then those fabrics are treated with harsh chemicals and dyes that can be not only harmful to the environment but also to our health. Minimizing carbon emissions is critical to stopping climate change. In elementary school, we were taught the saying, reduce, reuse, and recycle. Even Blues Clues taught us the importance of recycling paper, plastic, and metal. You may not see the value in a used item, but that doesnt mean someone else wont. I know what (the items) are going to look like in the afterlife. By shopping for things second. When you thrift something, you are not directly supporting the demand for new things to be made, and this has a positive impact since resources and energy were already used to create that item. Producing new clothing uses a huge amount of energy, water, and chemical processing; sometimes clothing manufacturing is even the culprit for negative health outcomes for the people involved. 1) Bettering The Environment Thrifting promotes the reuse of these pieces, keeping more of these materials out of landfills for a longer period of time. Here are some of the many reasons why thrifting is better than buying, The creation of new things takes a lot of resources, especially in todays world of fast fashion and hyper, consumerism. With that in mind, any item that can be resold as-is is generally the best win for the planet. One thing might not serve the person that originally bought the item, but maybe its an item youve been looking to have or something that goes great in your home. Traditional filter coffee, on the other hand, has the highest carbon footprint, mainly because more ground beans are used to produce the same amount of coffee, the researchers wrote. When we create synthetic fabrics, greenhouse gases are released which contribute to climate change. Thrifting is also a good way to get clothes that are less expensive, still in good condition, and brand name., One popular online thrift store is ThredUp who claims to be the largest online secondhand shopping destination., Jussaume says I use ThredUp a lot. Photo courtesy of Becca McHaffie via Unsplash. In the past, showing hauls from fast fashion brands like Zara and Shien was all the rage on social media. In addition, when clothing is shipped for re-sale overseas a growing percentage is getting trashed there as well, noted Cline though the data is similarly limited. A lesser amount of resources would be wasted if people invested in second-hand clothing because, believe it or not, one cotton tee shirt requires 100 gallons of water to make and one pair of jeans requires 1,800 gallons. Thrifting is good for the environment. Those are the little ways we can help but, of course, the big changes will come from the top with brands needing to move back toward prioritizing durability and making items easier to recycle. Just your email. However, fast fashion corporations utilize mass production that perpetuates economic inequality, making thrift shopping the most equitable way to get clothes. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes PER YEAR. In fact, the second-hand market is growing to become twice the size of fast fashion retail by 2030. Brianna LaSita, a junior occupational therapy major, writes that thrift shopping is not only affordable, but environmentally sustainable. impact on the environment, but every small action counts. They usually support local charities. Additionally, the production of garments is a major pollutant. The thrift store industry by contrast makes every effort to find a market for the clothes they get. With that in mind, any item that can be resold as-is is generally the best win for the planet. Thrift shopping is good for the environment and good for your wallet. While thrifting is often seen as a fun pasttime among those in our generation, its also important we consider the paradoxical nature of thrift shopping being popular among upper- and middle-class young people. Corporations utilize mass production that perpetuates economic inequality, making thrift shopping is sustainable. Textiles were dumped into landfills contributing to greenhouse gasses, the clothing industry contributes 10 % of carbon worldwide! Out that closet without breaking the bank even Blues Clues taught us the importance of paper! Us the importance of recycling paper, plastic, and commissioned by online retailer. 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