Thrift stores have become more popular than well known retail stores within the past year. There are many benefits to thrifting other than not paying full price for lightly used or vintage items. Here are five ecological benefits of visiting your local thrift store!
- Less Waste!
-
Buying clothes from thrift stores keeps clothing out of landfills. Americans alone produce 10.5 million tons of textile waste each year. The reason being that fashion industries are producing clothing at a faster, cheaper, and lower quality rate. This leads people to buy clothes more often and disposing of their “out of season” styles more frequently. Buying thrift clothing keeps clothes out of landfills and gives them another chance to be worn and taken care of by someone who needs it!
- Helping the Community
-
Donating your clothes that you no longer wear to your local thrift store will help other people who may be in need in your own backyard. Thrift stores offer a cheaper shopping option for those who may not be able to afford brand new, name label items. By donating to your local thrift store you also know where your items are going and know they are not being shipped halfway around the world.
- Save Water!
-
Producing a piece of clothing requires an astronomical amount of water to produce. 1,800 gallons of water are needed to produce a single pair of jeans and produce enough greenhouse gases to span 80 miles. Thrifting your next pair of jeans will preserve the hard work that went into making them.
- Ending Fast Fashion
-
Many name-brand companies hire workers to work extremely long and tiring shifts to produce the clothes you wear. These workers typically do not have access to education, reliable working conditions, or clean resources and are typically underpaid. Thrifting can help to put an end to the fast fashion industry and you will not be supporting these unsafe conditions.
- Endless Creativity!
-
Second-hand stores offer a new creative lens to shoppers! Take the thrift store by storm and experiment with vintage, funky, and unique styles that you can call your own. The thrift store is your opportunity to create a look that is completely original and trendy.
Say yes to thrifting and hold back on fast fashion. Thrifting can help save your wallet, your closet, your community, the environment, and the world! So get to it! Create your new style at your local thrift store today.