Why Shop Second-Hand?
Author: Krishna Gokani |Theme: Sustainable Shopping |Week: 3
In this day and age, particularly during the pandemic, a lot of us have started using online shopping as a way to have things sent directly to our doorstep. I’m not an innocent participant in this. Until about a year ago, I would have happily bought clothes at high street stores and used Amazon to buy myself books because it’s just easier. Unfortunately, the convenience of it has led to some consequences to the world around us, from pollution during production and overflowing landfills. Every day, we see more and more brands encouraging sustainability as well as documentaries showing consumers the effects of unsustainability; it’s all around us and it’s becoming hard to pretend that the world around us isn’t getting hurt.
Consumers now, have decided that they want to reduce the impact they’re having on the planet and so are turning to second hand, the problem here is, more clothing companies are releasing items marked as “Sustainable”. The question is, how sustainable is sustainable when you’re buying brand new? The high street stores that have developed lines labelled as “sustainable”, like New Look and HM have started developing lines that are truly sustainable and eco-friendly, which is a step in the right direction, but not all of their lines are so. Online stores like Vinted and Depop are encouraging consumers to shop, sell and swap preowned items, and I’ve started using both of those websites a lot more recently. Reselling allows the lifespan of the clothes we buy to be extended, so instead of ending up in landfills, the clothes end up in the hands of someone else who can simply resell it when they’re done. One thing that some people believe is that buying second hand doesn’t make a difference because you’re not stopping the production of the item, it’s already been made and so you can’t prevent it. However, if you purchase an item that has already been made and used, you’re stopping it ending up in landfill. You’re giving old clothes a new life, whether you wear it as it is, or whether you repurpose it. Alden Wicker from Fashion Revolution states that “Globally 20% of textiles are recycled, meaning the other 80% are lost to landfill or incineration”, so buying second hand is so much better and more environmentally sustainable!
Print books are still dominating the book market with Amazon being the main corporation people are buying from. The problem with buying books straight from Amazon is that high street bookshops and independent bookshops are struggling to make ends meet. Not only this, but buying new books causes a lot of damage to the environment and in the long term is likely unsustainable. I started visiting charity shops to try and find the books I wanted and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of choice that there was and at how cheap the books were compared to Amazon and Waterstones! The positive behind buying books second hand is that the books are good for the environment because you’re essentially reusing something that has already been made, rather than creating something new. Additionally, by buying a book from a charity shop, you’re donating your money to a good cause.
None of this is to say that I am not guilty of still buying into fast fashion or using Amazon, because the truth is, its just easier and faster. The point I’m trying to make is that I’m trying to change my ways and shop second hand because in the long run, it’ll be better not only for my bank account, but for the environment. You’ll also be helping to sustain independent stores and charity shops. We have a choice to shop second hand, but we need to remember to be responsible about what we do with items we no longer want so that they don’t end up in landfill.
