the video includes my experience with thrifting and what i have learned in college about the positive environmental impacts of thrifting. i explain specific facts about textiles and clothes ending up in landfills, creating excess waste on our earth. i also explain my personal relationship with thrifting and how it has helped with my anxiety and friendships. i show my friends in their favorite thrifted outfits and conclude by saying that thrifting is not only good for the environment, but great for the soul.

music by goosetaf – bumblebee – https://thmatc.co/?l=d1299737

secondhand shopping is helping the economy 

while the traditional retail sector is expected to shrink 15% over a two-year period, the secondhand shopping sector is set to drastically increase. by 2021, the online secondhand shopping sector is set to grow 69%, according to thredup’s 2020 resale report. 

despite its negative impact on the economy, covid-19 has set up the perfect situation for secondhand shopping. thredup’s report states 50% of people are cleaning out their closets and homes – more than they were pre-covid-19, and 80% of consumers shared that they’re more open to secondhand shopping during economic certainty. 

the combination of free time, home cleanouts and less set aside in peoples’ budgets makes secondhand shopping the perfect solution. sellers now have a thriving customer base to sell to, and buyers on a budget now have more options.

unintended consequences

as with any sustainable solution, there are consequences to online secondhand. 

due to covid-19, traditional secondhand sellers are struggling to survive. the combination of stay-at-home orders and surge of secondhand sellers has traditional secondhand shops like thrift stores battling to survive. even used clothing store giants like crossroads and buffalo exchange shared the unexpected problems they’re encountering since the beginning of the pandemic. 

plus, online shopping – secondhand or not – isn’t for everyone. for clothing, some prefer to feel materials and try on items without solely relying on photos and descriptions. secondhand shopping complicates this further since both vintage and previously worn clothing can have untraditional sizing. for other goods, pictures don’t always successfully translate size, color, or material. 

and of course, there is an inherent risk with secondhand buying. while many buyers have positive experiences, there is always a possibility that the seller can scam you, provide false details, or unfairly price products. 

a more sustainable option 

traditional retailers have come under under fire for unsustainable and unethical practices, like paying workers low wages, contributing to 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and shedding microplastics into water and food supplies. 

but clothing retailers are not the only offender. the environmental protection agency’s product-specific data indicates that in 2017 alone, nearly 10,000 thousands of tons of furniture and furnishings ended up in landfills along with 2,500 thousands of tons of carpets and rugs. 

luckily, secondhand retailers are able to provide second homes for these items, which would otherwise end up in a landfill. forums like facebook marketplace – a platform any facebook user can utilize to buy and sell secondhand goods – have swept the nation as people refurnish home offices, college students decorate apartments and parents turn living rooms into classrooms. 

when i moved to d.c. in july, i spent weeks without a dresser. retailers like target, amazon, and wayfair were sold out of almost all affordable options. i didn’t want to pay the $50 shipping fee for ikea, but i also didn’t have a car to go in person. after not paying attention to facebook marketplace notifications throughout quarantine, i finally bit the bullet and started scrolling. 

i was shocked at the abundance of options i had to choose from, but i was even more shocked by how quickly items sold. i messaged dozens of sellers only to find out items had sold seconds after they were posted. and while i was upset about not being able to immediately get a dresser, i was happy to hear that i was just one of hundreds also looking for secondhand furniture. 

eventually, i got my hands on my dream dresser. with luck on my side, i was able to snag the exact ikea dresser i had been looking for from a facebook marketplace seller. plus, it was at a reduced price and already built. the hunt for a dresser was definitely tiring, but the environment – and my wallet – are definitely thanking me. 

i’d like to add that most plus size sustainable fashion is quite literally earth tone linen sacks, and not in a chic way https://t.co/t8lmvooh03

— ?????? ??? (@lek_9677) september 13, 2020

it’s no secret that apparel waste, fast fashion, and climate change are linked. research from the ellen macarthur foundation showed that the average consumer bought 60% more clothes in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment for half as long. the world resources institute estimates that it takes about 2700 liters (approximately 713 gallons) of water — nearly 9 bathtubs’ worth — to produce just one cotton shirt. in case it wasn’t concerning enough, the fashion industry is already responsible for 8% to 10% of annual global carbon emissions, according to the un environment programme. 

clearly, the adopted solution needs to be one that everyone can participate in. for plus size women, online thrift and vintage stores are innovative options. this trend operates heavily through instagram, where accounts like @luvsickplus and @shop.fatties run “story sales” and post secondhand and vintage finds, asking followers to “swipe up” to purchase. one key advantage is that plus size women can take control of sales and market clothing they know others might actually like because they’ve selected the stock themselves. online thrifting isn’t plus specific, but plus size women are slowly starting to embrace it as an affordable option.

online thrift platforms like depop and thredup, have also begun to accommodate plus size thrifting. these sites use a more formal approach where users can purchase from “shops” or pick from stock like any other online store. there are also filtering tools for searching these sites, which makes it easier to shop the size inclusive brands we know and trust. the long term possibilities are promising, economically speaking. by 2021, the online secondhand shopping sector is set to grow by 69% according to thredup’s 2020 resale report.

still, the online thrift and vintage option is imperfect. it can be challenging to find the right size or pay an affordable price. the clothing isn’t always on trend. mainstream fashion hasn’t included plus size women for very long, so there hasn’t been much time for a large stock of secondhand plus clothing to develop. i fall at the beginning of the plus range and still find it difficult. 

however, i would be remiss if i didn’t acknowledge that this development has its strengths. online thrift and vintage shopping are solutions that when they work, seem to work pretty well. the trend could definitely make sustainable fashion more accessible to plus size women. 

alternatively, so would normalizing the production of sustainable clothing in extended sizes. the growth potential for online thrifting is exciting, but in the same breath we must ask: why are women encountering this issue in the first place? as long as sustainable brands won’t provide for all women, some are going to continue to default to fast fashion even if they’d rather not. most people want to do their part, ideally without a crisis over whether or not they can squeeze into tighter pants for the sake of the environment.

1. prioritize post-consumer paper.

whether your teacher has a no-laptop rule or you just prefer the feeling of a pen in your hand, make your notes smarter by looking for post-consumer paper products. made from recycled materials, post-consumer paper is used in notebooks such as the cleverly named decomposition books. post-consumer paper can also be recycled into loose-leaf ruled and printer paper.

2. buy more bamboo.

many products traditionally made from plastic now have bamboo alternatives. unlike plastic, bamboo is natural and biodegradable. bamboo alternatives are available for everything from rulers to staplers to pencil sharpeners. you can also say farewell to plastic forks and knives in your lunchbox with a set of reusable bamboo utensils. 

3. check out chipboard.

chipboard, which is made from recycled paper scraps that are layered and glued together, is another great alternative to plastic. the material is used to make binders, tab dividers, and portfolios.

4. pass on plastic pencils.

it’s no surprise that that 24-pack of plastic mechanical pencils is going to create unnecessary waste. next time you need to stock up, challenge yourself to keep track of a couple of metal pencils rather than losing two dozen plastic ones. of course, you could always keep it old school with classic wooden pencils; you might even want to check out highlighter pencils in exchange for traditional plastic highlighters. 

5. less is best.

the most effective way to reduce waste is to simply buy and use less. that means making smart purchases, or no purchases at all if you have other supplies on hand. if it is necessary to make new purchases, look for things that can be reused again and again, without the need to repurchase a lot of replacements and refills. for example, look for refillable pens or zero-waste staplers. as always, remember to check out your local thrift store to see if any of the items you need are available second-hand!