Secondhand clothing: Thrifting to save the environment
We take a look at the impact fashion has on the environment and how second hand clothing can help spare it.
Secondhand clothing… For many of us, growing up it was a firm likelihood that you would get clothes your older siblings first staked claim to. For some, this was a dreaded experience, while for the few it was an aspect of life met with indifference.
As with everything, however, time has managed to change the perspective many have towards secondhand clothing. As of now, not only have more people come to see the aesthetic power that ‘cool’ vintage jacket dad once owned has, they also see that one simple jacket has the ability to save the environment.
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According to the website, Choose to Reuse, not only does buying used reduce the number of natural resources being used, it also reduces the amount of energy used and pollution that’s being emitted. Things like pesticides, burning fuel in the trucks that haul the items, toxic chemicals, and carbon emissions. The site also said that when it comes to textiles and clothing, about 50% of energy input to the textile industry is lost onsite. They explained that buying secondhand goods means that the energy and natural resources that went into creating those goods have already been used. So, by buying secondhand you’re not creating a demand for new items, which require additional energy, or deplete even more natural resources.
Enter, thrifting! Many have come to gain a firm appreciation for thrifting. So appreciative, in fact, that some have written songs about it and many have come to solely live by it. Website, Thrift World, described thrifting as a movement that puts emphasis on being frugal, by repurposing items and embracing values that align with the economic challenges of the time.
Organisations such as Oxfam have started movements that encourage the sustainability of the environment, one used garment at a time. Through their initiative, Second Hand September, which encourages people to pledge to buy only secondhand clothing for the duration of the month. The pledge is described as wanting people to rethink the month that’s usually associated with European Fashion Week, and encourage them to shop secondhand rather than buying the latest trends for the approaching autumn/winter season.
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What is fast fashion?
The website, Good On You, defines fast fashion as cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand. It can be viewed as bad because of the pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes – which many could argue is making the fashion industry one of the largest polluters of clean water globally.
What is slow fashion?
Good On You defines this as the opposite of fast fashion. It encompasses an awareness and approach to fashion that carefully considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It advocates for buying better-quality garments that will last longer, and values fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet along the way.
Are you considering purchasing secondhand clothing for the rest of the month of September?
Here are a few thrift stores in your area:
Northcliff Melville Times
• The Curiosity Charity Shop (225 Beyers Naude Dr)
• Ietsie Thrift (65 4th Ave, Linden)
• Junkie Charity Store (Shop 18, 59 4th Ave, Linden)
• Greymont Salvage Store (4 West Rd, Greymont)
Rosebank Killarney Gazette
• Manaka Preloved Clothes (Rosebank Mall, 50 Bath Ave, Rosebank)
• Thrift Up (96 Francis road, Grant Avenue, Norwood)
• Toc H (17 4th Avenue, Parktown North)
• Rosebank Sunday Market (50 Bath Ave, Rosebank)
Midrand Reporter
• Rufaz Thrift Shop (1 Scale End, Halfway House Estate)
• Tee’s Thrift 4 Kiddies (Princeton Street, Vorna Valley)
• Red & Worn (Whisken Avenue, Crowthorne AH)
• 2nd Hand (86 Whisken Avenue, Crowthorne AH)
Randburg Sun
• Ons Winkel Randburg (72 Rabie Street, Fontainebleau)
• Second Chance (153 Bram Fischer Drive, Ferndale)
• Randburg SPCA Charity Shops (Shop 9, Linhill Centre, 33 5th Street, Linden) and (229 Northumberland Avenue, Northriding)
• Junkie Charity Store (Shop 18, 59 4th Avenue, Linden)
• Ietsie Thrift (65 4th Avenue, Linden)
Sandton Chronicle
• Linbro Park Thrift shop (135 Ronald Avenue, Linbro Park AH)
• Cheshire Chest Thrift Store (Shop 30, Cramerview Village Shopping Centre, 227 Main Road)
Fourways Review
• Nite Nite Baby (Witkoppen, The Straight Avenue)
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