Thrifting is the practice of offering your unwanted clothing items for sale with the intention of keeping them in circulation and out of landfills as long as possible. While we produce tons of clothing waste every year, we recycle only a small fraction.
The remaining portion typically will find their way into landfills where they are incinerated, releasing hazardous compounds into the environment. In a nutshell, while we may have good intentions, fabrics and shoes are notoriously hard to recycle. Here is how thrifting can help our environment.
Thrifting Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The fashion industry is responsible for releasing tons of greenhouse gases annually into the atmosphere. That said, thrifting offers the best solution to the otherwise costly problem of clothing waste. By keeping clothes and shoes in circulation, less land in a bin which not only plows back a few dollars for you, it helps deal with the bigger problem of climate change and global warming.
Reducing Water Wastage.
Consider your favorite pair of jeans; how much water would you suppose it took to manufacture it? If you guessed 1,800 gallons, you are right on the money.
That is exactly how much water it takes to manufacture one pair of jeans. Simply put, the fashion industry is drinking up the world’s supply of clean water.
Clothing and textiles account for an enormous amount of our global wastewater (a number that we can reduce with thrifting). Thrifting bridges the demand gap while ensuring limited water resources are used to create new products.
Thrifting Helps Reduce Pollution
Most cotton that is grown for the textiles and fashion industry is genetically modified. This translates to a heavy reliance on pesticides which have negative effects on the soil and our water supply.
Dyes and pigments used are also highly toxic, where the production of synthetic fibers similarly creates harmful by-products. Exposure to the said compounds poses a serious risk to both human and animal health.
Thrifting is a fast-growing consumer trend that is taking the fashion industry by storm. We project the trend will continue to grow as more people commit to practicing sustainable consumption habits. This will be a huge win for the environment.
Start your journey by recycling a pair of your old shoes and contributing to the circular economy. GotSneakers has stopped over 60 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere while recycling over 2 million pairs. You can start your journey today by requesting your FREE clean out kit which will contain everything you need to be successful.