Second-hand clothing is both economical and environmentally friendly. When you are on a tight budget, thrift stores are ideal. Buying at second-hand stores not only saves you time and money but also helps the environment. Thrift stores offer abandoned products new life, which benefits both the environment and humans.
Reduce, reuse and recycle!
Clothing manufacturers use a significant quantity of water. For example, 1 kilogram of cotton requires around 10,000 gallons of water. This amount of water is just the first component of manufacturing; a number of additional components come. From printing to packaging to delivery, each stage needs a significant quantity of water and other resources. That is when the term Reduce, reuse, recycle comes in to show its importance.
Reduce your carbon footprint:
There are several advantages to buying at thrift stores, including cost savings and environmental benefits. The fashion business, as we all know, is one of the major causes of pollution. It provides for around 1% of worldwide fossil fuel use and produces approximately 4% of global carbon emissions each year. However, decreasing your spending patterns to buy used clothes would dramatically reduce your carbon footprint.
Despite the fact that some clothing has a very short lifespan, fast fashion is a major source of pollution and waste across the world. We have an excess of clothing, which contributes to textile waste. We must consider purchasing clothes that will last longer and can be worn for a prolonged length of time.
One of the most significant environmental benefits of thrifting is that it keeps garments out of landfills. People are becoming increasingly conscious that the clothing that ends up in landfills does not help anybody, but rather does harm. As a result, the practice of donating or selling mint-condition clothing has gained popularity.
When clothing is abandoned, it might end up in landfills for hundreds of years. Clothing thrown into landfills takes up a significant amount of space and contributes to the greenhouse gases that are taking a toll on our world, especially now that a lot of clothing is made of synthetic materials that won’t decompose easily.
We have an excess of clothing. Every year, the average American discards 70 pounds of clothes and textiles, amounting to 4 billion pounds of apparel that is landfilled, burned, or repurposed. A single t-shirt takes hundreds of years to decompose. That’s a lot of time and resources wasted, not to mention the energy and water used to make those items we don’t wear very often.
If you want to calculate your wardrobe’s carbon footprint, go to https://www.thredup.com/fashionfootprint and take the fun quiz to get insight into your clothing-related habits.
But what about quality?
That depends on which store you visit and what you purchase. Some used clothing may not be in perfect condition, so check thoroughly before purchasing anything from a thrift store.
Thrift stores inspect the items before displaying them to ensure that they are usable and in good condition. So it is less probable that you will encounter very damaged or unwearable clothing, but it is always a good idea to examine it thoroughly.
Help the community:
Charity organizations run a variety of thrift stores. People donate items and charity organizations raise funds to spend on good causes, as opposed to the big brands, that are controlled by corporate business owners that prioritize profit above people. When you shop at these stores, you are not only helping your wallet but also the community and the environment.
Clothing waste is one of the most hazardous forms of garbage and the fashion business is one of the world’s most polluting sectors. However, decreasing your consumption habits or purchasing used clothing will drastically reduce your carbon footprint. Second-hand stores are fantastic locations to acquire high-quality clothing while also supporting communities.
At Green Schools green future, we support the activities and initiatives that support the environment. Going thrift shopping is a surly good idea to do your part to reduce the harm to the planet.
Sources:
https://www.2ndavestores.com/blog/how-thrifting-is-good-for-the-planet/
https://www.kelleemaize.com/post/why-thrifting-is-better-than-fast-fashion
Blog Image Credit: Burst from Pexels
Written by Samreen Ishaq