Shopping has drastically changed in many ways over the past few decades. Some for the better and some for the worse. According to the Carbon Literacy Project, the fashion industry alone accounts for 10% of the entire world’s pollution. From manufacturing to transportation and often to a landfill, 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon are released by the fashion industry every year. That’s around the same weight as 3287 Empire State buildings. Not only does it pollute our atmosphere, but also our water.
The growing and processing of cotton, which is used in 60% of all U.S.-produced apparel and home furnishings, requires a large amount of water. It is estimated by Statista that one pair of jeans and a t-shirt uses 20,000 liters of water, which equates to 5,283 gallons. This can put heavy stress on the local water supply and deplete the aquifer, which can take thousands of years to replenish naturally.
Not only does it use a lot of water, but it also pollutes it. According to Green America, roughly 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile manufacturing. This comes from the textile finishing and dyeing process, which infuses many chemicals into the water. That water then makes its way into nearby streams, which may be used by farmers for their crops.
How can we lower these horrifying numbers? Mostly, shopping less. These days, it is common to see big companies like Brandy Melville, Shein, or even Nike making cheap, trend-driven clothing. Fast fashion is built on a model of disposable clothing and the constant purchasing of new clothing to optimize profits. According to Earth.org, these cheap materials pollute our waters even more, with high levels of microplastics being shed into the water.
Thrifting is a great way to find new looks without hurting the environment and fueling harmful companies. By purchasing secondhand clothing, you avoid the production process of new clothing entirely. Additionally, make sure the clothes you’re buying are high quality and can last you a long time, and donate the clothes you are no longer using instead of throwing them away. That way, less clothing ends up in landfills, and more clothing is actually used.
It is also important to mention that not all thrifting is actually buying secondhand. Recently, it has become a way for resellers to flip for an easy profit. Out of a survey of 1000 buyers, 32% had experienced some sort of scam. If you look at a site like Depop, which is an online marketplace for selling second-hand clothing, you’ll find that a large quantity of the clothing on it is simply fake replicas of expensive brands. Purchasing stuff like that isn’t actually doing any good, but rather the opposite. When purchasing fake clothing on Depop, all you’re doing is feeding into the cycle of fast fashion.
Fortunately, Ann Arbor has many great thrift stores that you can buy from or donate to. Places like the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor, the Salvation Army, and the Sharehouse are great places to check out for secondhand clothing. They also have more than just clothing. You can find great furniture, jewelry, paintings, and all sorts of household items for a great price.
Ann Arbor is known for being a more environmentally conscious city, with plans by the Office of Sustainability and Innovations to reduce the city’s carbon emissions to zero by 2030. One of the programs they run to help reach this goal is a monthly clothes swap. In this swap, you can bring up to ten pieces of clothing you no longer wear and take other people’s used clothing you’re interested in.
