Amongst the many reasons I opened a thrift store, I wanted an outlet to expose and educate consumers on the unfortunate relation between the environment and the fashion industry.
DID YOU KNOW?
The textile industry, according to Vice News, emits 1.2 billion tones of greenhouse gases into the air annually, which is more than that of shipping and aviation combined. Because of trends like fast fashion and the easy access to new apparel, consumers are throwing away their old clothes more often. The average person purchases 60% more clothing each year and discards them 50% quicker than they did over a decade ago. To account for all these purchases, companies are producing an extensive amount of clothing. According to businessinsider.com, since 2000, apparel production across the globe has more than doubled!
You may be thinking, “okay, yes, we buy more clothes, what’s the problem?” It is hard to envision how the fashion industry actually pollutes the environment when not exposed to it. I mean, do we really want it brought to our attention that our favorite pair of jeans is from a store that operates unsustainably? Not really. But it is also hard to understand what that actually means. When we picture industry pollution, we usually think of coal mines, vehicles, or planes, etc. Not necessarily the pair of jeans we are wearing. We don’t think about the pollution created during the stages of production, manufacturing, shipping, as well as the use of raw materials used in creation, and then its disposing.
Let’s dive a bit deeper: Your favorite pair of 501 Levi’s jeans (or let’s face it and say everyone’s favorite pair of jeans) throughout their lifetime uses 3,781 liters of water per pair. That number accounts for all the water used during their initial developing stages during manufacturing all the way to to their very last laundry washing. Let's also say your jeans were made with a blend of synthetic fabrics such as polyester, rayon, etc. Synthetic fabrics have tendencies to release millions of microfibers into our water systems which then flow into our open oceans when laundered.
WHY CHOOSE SECOND-HAND?
Basically, the less production and manufacturing the fashion industry does, the less it will pollute the environment. Shop second-hand and buy what has already been manufactured instead of buying new. Also, limit your denim laundering to every 4-5 wears.