Weighing Where We Shop
By Omia Haroon
Photo by Sharon George
There is no shortage of choices when it comes to purchasing clothes and accessories but is there a correct choice? Clothes are at their cheapest prices in history, and more clothing is being made than ever before. Weighing where we shop has become a prominent discussion, as both production and consumerism have massively evolved in the past decades.
Firstly, what happens when you get rid of clothing? According to the EPA, 16 million tons of textile waste is produced by the United States in a single year. While about 2.5 million tons are recycled and 700,000 tons are exported overseas, 10 million tons of used clothing gets sent to the landfill and 3 million tons are incinerated.
Even donating clothing does not guarantee that it will get rehomed.
Only about 10% of clothes donated to Goodwill are sold, while 5% gets sent directly to landfills. The remaining clothing that does not get sold in Goodwill outlets or Goodwill Auctions gets sent to textile recycling centers or sent overseas. When sent overseas, clothing is usually then thrown away, because the quality of clothing has diminished due to cheaper production. Local clothing industries are also impacted because the value of their work diminishes with the sheer availability of clothing. If we are to question where we shop, the afterlife of clothing must be considered.
After looking at such statistics, one might look to second hand shopping. Keeping thrift store clothing from being shuffled along the pipeline of disposal is better than purchasing brand new clothing, in theory. When done on a smaller, reasonable scale, it is. However, with thrifting becoming a trend of sorts, there is now a bigger effort than ever to buy out thrift stores. Whether it's for reselling at a ridiculous price on Depop or buying dozens of pieces at once for a haul, the nature of the problem is the same. Consuming more second hand items instead of from a store still results in more being donated anyway. It also results in less clothing being available to those who rely on the thrift store and their prices being raised.
Now what about overstock stores and outlets?
It sounds like a good deal. Items that did not get sold get sent to places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls or the outlet mall to be sold at a discounted price a couple seasons late. However, about 85% of their stock is new, current season items that were never sold anywhere else. Many brands, like Nike, H&M, and previously Burberry, incinerated their unsold clothing items to ensure that they were not sold in these stores. Creating false exclusivity and scarcity makes their items seem more in demand.
Lastly, out of readily available options for consumers, there is fast fashion.
Stores like Shein, Forever 21, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Zara could all be under this umbrella term. The stores are a gateway to affordable trendy items and allow many people to participate in fashion. They also typically have better sizing options as opposed to “sustainable” brands. However, their negative environmental and social impacts are immeasurable. The sheer amount of clothes produced is impossible to conceptualize, as well as the water and greenhouse gases needed to produce and ship them. The material used to make them is non-biodegradable and can sit in a landfill for about 200 years, releasing more greenhouse gases as it decomposes. Sourcing labor from countries like Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, and others, many women and children are put to work in horrible conditions for extremely small wages. The ease at which such companies provide mass amounts of clothing only encourages large hauls, which can be seen everywhere, especially on tiktok and youtube. But when looking at the other options, and knowing where clothes end up, what is the best option?
Consumers cannot be expected to consume ethically under the current system of clothing manufacturing, distribution, and disposal.
Overconsumption feeds a cycle of incentivization for companies to produce even more clothing. Microtrends and seasons foster such a culture to a further extent. If you have the budget to do so, try investing in less clothing that is of better quality, that you know you will still like down the road, and that you can repurpose instead of throwing it away. Beyond that, it is up to regulatory laws to change the growing problem.
TikTok Shein Haul Example: