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Second Hand Shopping For Everybody

by Amber Kang

If you’re anything like me then you love clothes… but you also love the environment! Shopping can be a tricky activity especially now since so many fast fashion stores exist. The truth is second hand clothes are probably what is best for the environment and the more we circulate clothes that already exist the better!  Thrifting/shopping sustainably can have many positive benefits and impacts towards your overall climate impact. 

If you're still not convinced, here are some facts that might interest you:

Reduce clothing in landfills - About 60% of clothing made across the globe are made from plastic synthetic materials. Buying from a thrift store means that we’ll be keeping that plastic outside of the landfills

Less resources used and wasted - It takes about 1,800 gallons of water to make a single pair of jeans! Plus it generates greenhouse gases that equate to driving 80 miles. About 8 -10% of global carbon emissions comes straight from the fashion industry. 
Decrease in pollution - Believe it or not there is a lot of pollution involved in the making of textiles such as cotton. Almost 20% of pesticides used globally are specifically for cotton production. Not to mention that the making and production of of synthetic materials which are used in making clothes emits nitrous oxide. As this greenhouse gas is released into the atmosphere it damages the o-zone layer and the environment.
Reduce climate impact - By thrifting you are reducing your carbon footprint. The average American throws away about 81 lbs of clothing a year, this means 26 Billions lbs of clothing going to landfills annually. 
Help the community - In fact majority of thrift stores depend on your money in order to help them stay open. In turn, they can help the less fortunate communities and provide them with more affordable clothing to them. 

So if you're convinced then here is a list of some of the top sustainable clothing brands for both men and women that you can shop from without feeling guilty:

A. Online shopping: 

  1. Thredup
  2. Vinted
  3. Depop
  4. Swap
  5. Flyp
  6. Maw Supply
B. For Women (or men):
  1. Tentree
  2. Pact
  3. Able
  4. Miakoda
  5. Nube 
  6. Fair Indigo
C. For Men (or women):
  1. Alternative apparel
  2. The classic T-shirt company 
  3. NAU
  4. Pact
  5. The Good Tee
  6. Third Mind

So far I have only shopped using the online platforms, which would make sense due to COVID. But I have loved my online thrifting/ second hand experience! Shopping off of Depop, Thredup and Vinted have been nothing short of exciting! It's fun to know that you are giving to a certain individual through buying with them. From my experience, the prices are reasonable and the people are super helpful so I would 10/10 recommend. 

Do you have any stores you would like to share? 

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