Read original post of article here: https://millennialandassociates.com/2019/09/02/shrink-your-closet/
Thrifting has become my new, less guilt-inducing shopping experience. Instead of going to the mall and purchasing new pieces of clothing, I try to find gently used pieces at one of my local thrift stores – the fun part is you never know what you’ll find. Sometimes there will be items with the original tags still attached and you pay a steeply discounted rate at the thrift store. Other times, you end up finding a shirt that’s grossly stained and should probably be burned.
I get it – some people don’t like wearing “other people’s clothes” and I can appreciate that. Those stained clothes or extremely used clothes can be less than appealing. However, I also have come to learn that the clothing industry is the second-largest polluter in the world (1), only being beaten out by oil pollution. From the shipment of the products across the globe to the actual production of the clothes, the clothing industry consumes many resources and creates too much pollution.
In addition, the fashion industry also produces nearly a fifth of the global waste (2). Trends come and go but where do all those past trendy clothes go? Those items are thrown out and, in 2013, contributed 12.8 million tons of discarded textile to the overall textile waste of 15.1 million tons (3). I’d like to think that I don’t contribute too much to this waste but thinking about my closet, I know I have purchased items that are years old that I may have only worn once or twice. I also try to keep up with trends so I know my clothes have come and gone just as fast as those trends.
While this pollution isn’t going away any time soon, I think becoming cognizant of how many items of clothing you throw out or donate is extremely important to start to slowly decrease this waste. If you choose more carefully with what items you want to purchase, you could also save more money.
Thrifting is another great option because you are giving your clothing another “life” instead of throwing them away. And thrifting doesn’t mean giving up your sense of style; you find more unique pieces or have to search a little harder for your perfect top. I’ve seen brands from all major retailers and, in some cases, designer apparel that would normally cost up to $100 discounted down to maybe $14.
15.1 million tons of waste from the clothing industry is far too much, and you not buying that one t-shirt may not get rid of all the waste, but it’s a great start. In order to begin to solve the excessive waste problem in the clothing industry, people need to actually understand that it is, indeed, a problem. Start in your own closet and cut down on the amount of clothes you need or maybe donate clothes you no longer wear so they can get another life in a new closet. Even small steps like these will slowly build up to what we can only hope will become a great change and less waste.
(1) https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/
(2) https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/
(3) https://edgexpo.com/fashion-industry-waste-statistics/
