By Melica Mahmoudi
Thrift shopping is often overlooked as an essential part of sustainable fashion. Through second-hand shopping, you are quite literally giving an object a second life. This is a powerful contribution to helping an eco-friendly society.
By choosing to repurpose clothing and other objects such as household goods, you help reduce energy consumption, air pollution, and trash. Thrifting is a great way to take care of the earth as well as a way to unleash creativity through shopping for more unique finds.
Although many see thrifting in a negative light whether due to the association with a lower socioeconomic status or just seeing used items as dirty, in reality, it can change the planet.
Choosing to go thrifting can be a sustainable, cheap way to build a new closet. There are a plethora of items one may be fortunate enough to find at a local thrift store, from designer brands to vintage clothing.
The average American usually tends to throw away 60-80 pounds of used clothing in his or her lifetime, according to the Saturday Evening Post. Thus, choosing to go thrift shopping will reduce waste significantly as less clothing means fewer textiles and fabrics will end up in enormous piles in a landfill.
As of now, fashion trends are easily being renewed, coming and going quickly. These trends are happening at a quick rate. So, thrift shopping provides shoppers with an opportunity to recycle and reuse clothing for cheap, instead of letting objects go to waste. Plus, it is not hard to find clothes that are in style since we are recycling trends.
Some great places to start thrift shopping are your local thrift stores such as Hope of the Valley. Chain thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army are also a good place to start. However, if you prefer online thrift shopping, trustworthy websites such as ThredUp, Ebay, Poshmark, and even the online Goodwill store can help you to track items down and place bids.
No matter what choice you make, thrift shopping is an easy, affordable way to reuse clothing and accessories in order to make the earth a better place and a little more eco-friendly.
The Plaid Press 