We live in a world of impulse purchasing, instant gratification, and excessive consumption, especially in the USA. This is not a novel statement, but rather a well agreed upon concept. Our capitalistic society encourages us to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. And this blind consumerism is contributing to the downfall of the environment as a whole.
Take me for example, a well-off white female living in America (so unique, right?). When there is a sale, I shop. When I am sad, I shop. When I’m bored and don’t have anything else to do, I shop. When I’m passing a store I haven’t visited in a while, I shop. I use shopping as a distraction, as retail therapy, as an activity to fill my day…etc. And when I do go shopping, whether in stores or online (two-day shipping makes it so much worse), I buy more than what I came for and usually spend more than I had intended. This leads to closets that are overflowing with clothes I don’t wear often enough, dusty trinkets just sitting on a shelf, junk drawers I can’t close without some forceful Tetris finagling, and things that get eaten by a black hole and end up at the corner of “Where the Hell Did I Put That” Street and “Mom, Have You Seen My” Avenue.
You are reading this and are probably thinking “that sounds like a ‘you’ problem. How could my individual shopping habits be negatively impacting more than just my own dwindling savings account? How can I possibly be destroying the world by impulsively purchasing a t-shirt which depicts an otter in space and the phrase ‘you’re otter this world’?”
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Well, first I’d like to say that t-shirt sounds adorable and you absolutely deserve to treat yourself to something nice every now and then. The problems arise when our needless purchases become unintended waste. This is especially a problem for clothing due to its temporary nature (or rather, our temporary attitude towards it). When we grow out of an item, or it goes “out of style,” or we haven’t worn it for a while, or a million other reasons, we simply throw it out. In 2015 alone, the EPA determined that 13.6 million tons of textiles were thrown away as municipal solid waste. Of that 13.6 million tons, 10.53 million tons ended up in a landfill where proper decomposition is hindered. As we rapidly bury our trash into the earth and bury our heads in the sand over the growing landfill problem, we continue to produce and purchase more needless products that contribute to this issue.
I’m not saying that you can never buy non-essential items ever again (Wow, it scares me even to think about how that prospect would affect the snuggie market). But making smarter, environmentally informed choices about your purchasing behaviors can help you to reduce your waste impact.
1. Before you go buy something new, shop through your closet
When is the last time you cleaned out your closet? Like, really cleaned it out? Before spending money on a new top, go through your closet and pick out the things that are no longer “in style.” There are so many ways to spruce up an old t-shirt, all of which can be found on Pinterest. With a few simple cuts, some bleach or tie-dye, or a bit of amateur sewing, you can turn a drab t-shirt into a cool new addition to your wardrobe. The same can be said for old Jeans, jackets, sweatshirts…etc. Think outside the shopping bag!
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2. Donate or recycle what you absolutely don’t need anymore.
As you’re going through your closet, figure out what doesn’t fit anymore. There are a few ways to fix these items so that they can fit, such as adding something like a lace, leather, or colored panel. But sometimes, that sh*t just doesn’t fit. In these cases, there are so many options for donating clothes.
- Professional clothing: Dress for Success helps women find work by providing them with professional attire.
- Bras: organizations like Free the Girls, the Bra Recyclers, and Donate Your Bra will distribute your gently used bras to women in developing countries, breast cancer survivors, women’s shelters, and more.
- Jeans: Blue Jeans Go Green will take your donated denim and turn it into insulation for underprivileged communities.
- Non-specific clothing Items: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Please Pick UP*, Green Drop*, Schoola, local places of worship, local shelters
- *Only available in certain states/locations
3. Purchase from brands that support an environmental cause
There is a new trend of environmentally conscious companies that donate a certain percentage of their proceeds toward an environmental cause, such as habitat protection, endangered animal protection…etc. These entrepreneurs have recognized a desire, especially among the millennial generation, for more environmentally conscious brands. Through the selling of quality goods and a partnership with an environmental organization, they are providing their customers with a great product and an even better feeling, as they are financially supporting a cause they believe in and are advertising that cause through the use of the product. Some of these “companies for a cause” are listed below.
- Ivory Ella: an online clothing store that donates 10% to Save the Elephants
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- Shelly Cove: an online clothing store that donates 10% to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center
- Happy Earth: an online clothing store that donates 50% to a number of causes, including Rainforest Alliance, Union of Concerned Scientists, Earthjustice, Oceana, Sierra Club, Ocean Conservancy, Rainforest Foundation, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, American Rivers, and VaquitaCPR.
- All clothing products are made with organic cotton
- At least one tree is planted with every purchase through Trees for the Future
- 4Ocean: The purchase of a 4Ocean bracelet funds their Ocean clean-up projects around the world. Each purchase of a 4Ocean bracelet ensures at least one pound of trash will be removed from the Ocean
- 4Ocean also partners with another cause every month, including SeaLegacy, Project Aware, Florida Atlantic University Marine Research Lab, and more
- Bracelets are made from 100% recycled materials.
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4. Only buy what you will actually use
This might be the most important step of all, because if you don’t buy the junk in the first place, then you won’t waste it. If you find yourself wanting to go shopping for any reason other than necessity, find something else to feed that desire. If you’re bored, call up a friend. If you want to get out of the house, go to the park. If you’re sad and want retail therapy, choose to meditate, or read a good book, or sit on the couch and binge watch your favorite TV show. If you don’t need anything at a store, don’t tempt yourself by going to the store.
And if you do go to the store, only buy what you came for. Avoid sections of the store you don’t need anything from. Go through your cart before you check out and ask yourself Do I truly need this item? How often will I use it? Will I still be using it a year or two from now? Adopting these habits will ensure that you are not purchasing your own eventual trash.
So, when you hit the shops or browse online, remember that your choices in the checkout line affect more than just your wallet, and that money isn’t the only “green” thing you should be considering. Happy shopping!