This month is Secondhand September. For one whole month, Oxfam are encouraging us all to shop secondhand and ditch our quick-fix shopping habits for new clothing.
So-called fast fashion (the term used for cheap and trendy clothing lines that are inspired by ideas from the catwalk, then mass produced at breakneck speed for sale in high street stores), is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, water and air pollution.
The problem with fast fashion
This summer, in the UK alone, more than 50 billion throwaway outfits were purchased — to be worn just once — at total price tag of £2.7 billion.
The fast fashion industry is a leading contributor to pollution and produces problematic levels of waste, and often comes hand-in-hand with poor working conditions with regards to the mass manufacture of garments in other countries.
Oxfam states that the emissions from new clothes bought in the UK each month are greater than those from flying a plane around the world 900 times!
The solution
Changing our shopping habits to reduce our consumption of ‘single-use’ clothes and short-term fashion trends will help have a positive effect on the planet.
In terms of sustainability, secondhand is best — as it extends the life of clothes that have already been created.
Sometimes, simply having a look back through your own wardrobe and rediscovering or up-cycling long forgotten or under used items lurking out of sight can yield great results.
Or, if you’re anything like me, hunting out a bargain in charity shops and secondhand stores has become a bit of a passion.
Sustainably 2nd-hand Depop Shop
In fact, ‘Secondhand September’ has given me the excuse I need to finally clear out the wardrobe and face my own clothes hoarding habits. I’ve been wanting to do this for so long, but I finally set up my Sustainably 2nd-had initiative; including a Depop shop, to give my old clothes a new life.
Depop is an online marketplace, home to a global community of buyers and sellers of clothing and other interesting items.
If you want to be a part of #fashionrevolution, you can find my page here: @kateconservation.
Here are some examples of the items I have listed:
I’ll be adding new stuff every week, so please give my Sustainably 2nd-hand account a follow, and say no to single-use clothes and throwaway fashion!
HAVE YOU HEARD? The brand new e-book No Entry is available for FREE to all my Kate on Conservation readers until the 21st September 2019. Find out how to get your copy here: No Entry: book review and giveaway.
