When I would hear about how much clothes the average American threw away yearly I’d mentally pat myself on the back knowing that my family would never dream of throwing away clothes, we gave our old clothes to the salvation army. But as I continued to learn about the consumption habits of the typical Westerner I’d come to know that only 10% of clothes given away to places like the Salvation Army make it on to anyone’s bodies. That means the end result of my family’s altruism was almost identical to that of families who couldn’t care less about charity or environmentalism.
It admittedly made me feel a bit hopeless; if giving away my clothes was of no use than how could I make a positive environmental impact without having to change my shopping habits? Unfortunately, the answer was, I simply could not. There is no scenario in which we can consume a lot of new clothes without harming the environment and/or contributing to subpar working conditions of the workers who make our clothes. As long as you buy more clothing than you need or clothing that you only momentarily want but will end up “giving away” at some time in the future, you’re still a part of the problem.
The only way that we can ensure our clothes don’t continue to end up in landfills where they will pollute the environment for 200 years to come, is to buy less of it, period. Unless you shop exclusively at thrift stores or until technology finally finds a way to truly recycle our old clothing, less consumption is the only solution.
__________
Recently discovered this blog, helpful tips on making less waste: trashisfortossers.com
And this website demonstrates the art of less: un-fancy.com
Recent Comments