In honor of Her Campus’s April Challenge of sustainability, I thought I would recommend some online thrift stores for you to shop at! Thrifting, upcycling, and recycling clothes are all amazing, sustainable ways to reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills and support smaller businesses. The reason why clothing ending up in landfills is so detrimental to our environment is because during the decomposition process, the clothes generate greenhouse methane gas which seeps chemicals and dyes into the earth’s soil and water. Clothes also take 200+ years to decompose entirely, 200 whole years!!! Therefore it is extremely imperative that we do our part by trying our best to not participate in fast fashion and thrift from small businesses or other new websites out there that cater to being environmentally friendly. I will start by listing some websites below, I hope you find them useful and recommend them to others!
- ThredUp
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ThredUp is an online thrift store which people sell their clothes to for the company to then resell. They say they are, “about shopping with intention, rejecting throwaway fashion culture, and standing for sustainability”. Their prices are super affordable and they have so many items to choose from! They even have a designer clothes section where you can get the fancy stuff for cheaper than they usually sell for.
- ourCommonplace
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This website has standards they go by, which are being 1) woman-owned, 2) sustainable, 3) toxic free, 4) ethical, 5) BIPOC-owned, and 6) cruelty free. Each and every brand they carry is held accountable to at least two out of these six standards. Not only does this company promote sustainability, but they also promote smaller businesses and BIPOC-owned businesses as well! Given their standards, who wouldn’t want to shop here?
- Poshmark
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You may have already heard of Poshmark! It is an extremely popular website for people to sell their old clothes, accessories, etc. Each user has their own account and can sell items simply by posting a picture of the item and giving it a starting price! Other users can then buy your item or even bargain with you. I like this site because it’s an effective way of cleaning out your closet, making some money, and helping the environment all at the same time!
- Patagonia: Worn Wear
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I am absolutely ecstatic that I found this website because I love Patagonia with all my being. Although it is very expensive, which is why this site is a godsend. How it works is you trade in your old Patagonia clothes in exchange for credit toward purchases in Patagonia retail stores! Not only can you shop for Patagonia apparel for cheaper on the site, but you can also get retail credit for your trade-ins and get yourself a little something. You can promote sustainability while saving your wallet!
- Swap.com
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Swap is another online thrift store where you can sell your clothes to the company and make money. The people at Swap will inspect every item sent in to make sure it qualifies for second hand use. The prices are also very affordable, and they offer free return shipping within 30 days of your purchase, so if it doesn’t fit like you thought, no worries! You can use the filter to shop by brands, what condition the item is in, etc.
I hope you can use these websites not only to your personal advantage, but to also help the earth become more green and promote sustainability. Share these websites with your friends and family to get them on the green wave!