Most of us love to clean out our closets. I've talked in previous articles about doing this. However, as I've said before (and will say again), it's really important when we do this to not carry and out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality.

The culture of fast fashion - through its prices and its accessibility - allows us to feel okay about buying a lot of stuff and then just donating it or getting rid of it when we're done with it. And somehow, we actually feel good about it because we think we're helping others by donating our old stuff. We imagine our five dollar H&M t-shirts ending up in the hands of someone less fortunate and then we just repeat the cycle.

Let me tell you: this is not how it works, nor is it how it should work. Clothing creates so much pollution every year, the people who make it are not treated fairly, and even when we donate it, it often ends up in either a landfill or in a community in the Global South to compete with local artisan entrepreneurs trying to sell their goods to lift themselves out of poverty.

None of these things are good. However, I'm not the type of person to present a problem without a solution, because that is not in any way helpful. Therefore, in today's article, I want to provide you with tips to divert your textile waste. Read on to find out more.

the problem

picture of shopping bags and womens’ legs

Still aren't convinced you shouldn't drop off your clothes to your nearest donation bin or secondhand store? Let me help with some handy facts from this article from Huffington Post by co-founders of WE, Craig and Mark Kielburger, and this article from Nylon by Taylor Bryant.

85%, or 10.5 million tonnes of clothing goes to landfills!
In 2015, the equivalent of $17.5 million USD was sent just to Kenya to be resold! This is so harmful for local economies, as I spoke about above.
These countries are so fed up that many of them are considering actually banning secondhand clothing imports.
Less than 20% of clothing you donate gets resold!

the solution

At the end of the day, going forward, we inherently know what the solution is: buying less. It's so obvious and although it's difficult in a society which constantly pressures us to be serial consumers, it's necessary if we want to see any change at all.

However, even when we make the decision to do this, there will still be items from our past that we have and don't know what to do with. In this case, I present a couple of solutions to you to get rid of them without contributing to the problem of textile waste.

sell your clothes online

There are a couple of ways to do this, and the benefit is that you directly ensure whose hands the item is ending up in. This is super important!

Facebook groups: chances are, your town, city, or university will have clothing swap/buy and sell groups that you can sell old clothes on.

Depop: this platform is incredible! Simply create an account, list your items for sale, and set a price for shipping. A bonus is that Depop has all kinds of gorgeous items for you to buy, too - check out my article here about how to use it effectively. Another tip: when you're setting shipping prices, your post company should have a price calculator online for you to use. Canada Post's (which I use) can be found here.

order a cleanout kit from thredUP

thredUP is self-acclaimed to be the largest online consignment shop, and it is amazing. If you're looking for designer items for cheap, it is the PLACE. They have a ton of sales and offer 20% off your first order. Trust me, if you haven't tried thredUP yet, you really need to.

Anyway, the way that thredUP gets what they sell is through donations from their customer community. If you have any items you think they'd want, order a Cleanout Kit from them here. They'll ship you a big bag with a return label with the promise that they'll return or responsibly recycle any items they can't sell. With part of the profits, you can choose to either earn the money or have it donated to charity.

Unfortunately, this service is only available in the states for now. :(

repurpose your items for something else

Old t-shirts can easily be cut up to make rags, and there are also all kinds of tutorials for other items - especially if you have a little bit of sewing knowledge.

Fabric Bowl Covers via Hearth and Vine - use instead of plastic wrap and reduce your waste!
This Hoodie Scarf made from an old sweater! This is so freakin cute! (via Instructables)
Beanies from recycled sweaters! (via Mother Earth Living)
Denim scraps? Try this Denim Clutch! (via Paper & Stitch)

As well, I use old t-shirts as reusable Swiffer pads (I just add water and Dr. Bronner's cleaner!) and I have been known to cut the toes out of socks to use as a mug cozy for mason jars of tea or coffee.

donate to a shelter/to someone directly

If you really want to give your items to someone in need (and actually ensure it goes to them), the best way is to pass from hand to hand. Reach out to your friends and family and see if they know of anyone or their children who could use what you have. Or, contact a local homeless or womens' shelter and ask them if they are in need of donations. Whatever you do, don't give it to them without their consent and present them with the problem of trying to get rid of it instead.

Another option is to hold a clothing swap with friends, or look and see if your university or community is having one. Usually this just means you have to bring a couple of your own items and then you get lots in return!

recycle!

And last, recycling is an option. There are some items, such as socks or underwear, which can't really be donated but still should not end up in the landfill! For these, search up local textile recycling centers near you. They will make sure your items get as much use out of them as possible.

conclusion

Thank you all for reading this extremely important article about getting rid of old clothes responsibly. It's something that I care very deeply about, yet something that not nearly enough people are aware of.

If you're looking for more information about this topic, I'd recommend watching The True Cost on Netflix, which is just all around a great documentary about the clothing industry that everyone needs to see.

With love and sustainability,

ethigirl

Yes, it’s difficult to argue that shopping sustainably and ethically isn’t better than doing otherwise. You would be hard-pressed to find a lot of people who think that (aside from maybe some economists who write on Forbes, and people who work for fast fashion corporations…). The problem, however, is that slow fashion is not that cheap. We have to pay a lot more than we’re used to paying. And for those of us on a budget, that can seem just about impossible.

But it doesn’t have to be! Even on a budget, in my opinion, you can make responsible choices that won’t break the bank. I recognize that I am speaking about this from a place of privilege because, although I’m a university student on a tight budget, I don’t struggle severely or have a lack of resources to obtain clothing, food, or shelter if in need. Therefore, I write this post as someone in that position and want to be clear that I realize not everyone is in it.

Everyone's story is different. In high school I worked a relatively well-paying part-time job, and I used large portions of my paychecks (looking back, much more than I should have…) to buy ethical clothes and products. Once I started university, however, that changed - and at first, my consumer habits didn’t change with it! I was spending far too much money. It was then that I realized I needed to be saving a lot more - which I did start doing! But I never stopped buying ethical clothing, and I never went back on my promise to not support the fast fashion industry even though I had less to spend on clothes. To do that, I’ve learned a few tricks to be able to do a bit of both: live comfortably on a budget but still make a difference.

Tip #1: Literally Buy Less Stuff.

Something I can’t state enough is that starting a slow fashion lifestyle does NOT mean getting rid of all your other clothes and buying all ethical, sustainable ones. Not only is that really expensive, in all honesty, it’s the opposite of what I think being an ethical consumer embodies! When I started switching to slow fashion I took my time, and now, about two years into the journey, I still have a great number of pre-slow fashion pieces that I love.

I think it’s really important to squeeze every last bit of life out of those pieces. We have to start appreciating the things we wear and thinking about where they may have been made. Understanding that they came from unethical conditions shouldn’t cause us to just throw them out, but instead to hold onto them and use them for all they are worth. Otherwise, not only are we not appreciating what the maker of that item went through to create it for us, but we are also encouraging the pollution of the earth, which the fashion industry is so very much to blame for.

Something that saves you even more money is just to stop buying clothing in general, like Project 333 suggests. My minimalist best friend, Daniela, told me about it, and added this:

“I’m realizing that consuming responsibly is just about consuming less in general! It’s about using what you have and making it last - getting it repaired and all! I’m still in the process [of “ethicalizing” my wardrobe] but I’ve realized it’s possible to live with 30 pieces of clothing and shoes and some people can even do it with less! I’m hoping to fit all of my belongings in a suitcase before the end of the summer.”

Therefore, starting a slow fashion lifestyle isn’t an enormous change that you prepare to create overnight. Instead, it’s a slow, lifelong journey. I promise you that it is less scary and expensive than you think!

Tip #2: Shop Secondhand

I LOVE secondhand and vintage shopping! They are two of my biggest hobbies, and two of my biggest money-savers. There are so many things I love about it, and so many ways to do it.

(Something I want to note about secondhand shopping is that it’s one of the best ways to reduce fashion’s impact on the environment. As much as I love supporting and promoting my favourite fair trade companies, making something new always will affect the environment, no matter how much we try to limit our footprint. We’ll still be using fossil fuels and a lot of water. Therefore, I think it’s important to try and limit this as much as possible. I’ll be exploring this concept in a later blog post, too!)

Depending on where I am living at a given time (the joys of university - moving around lots!), there are different ways I shop secondhand. When I’m at university in the big city, I have a few favourite vintage stores I love to visit! It’s such a unique way to find new items of clothing for fair prices. When I’m in a more rural area, like back at home, I shop from two online platforms: Depop and thredUP. I love them both! The only thing I’ll note is the shipping, which does have a carbon impact on the environment. Therefore, I try to buy bulk orders online if I need something.

Me wearing a fave pair of thrifted pants.

Depop is a global fashion marketplace run by its users. Anyone can create their own “shop” wherein they post photos of the item they want to sell, with a price, size, and description. I have found SO many amazing deals on Depop and the other sellers are so incredibly friendly. I love the community aspect. As well, many of the sellers are students or younger people who are simply selling their old clothing to make a bit of money. I love helping them avoid having those clothes go to the landfill or to a donation store where they likely won’t be sold.

thredUP is the self-proclaimed world’s largest consignment store. It’s based in the United States but does offer international shipping. There are literally hundreds of thousands of items available on the site, so it requires a lot of filtering, and even then you might catch yourself hunting for hours to find a gem! For the fashion-lover, however, this can actually be pretty fun. Again, the deals on here are pretty fantastic! I’m so happy with everything I’ve bought from them.

Tip #3: Sell on Depop/Consign to thredUP and Save the Money

Speaking of Depop, why not sell your clothes there?! It requires pretty minimal work: simply list a couple of items, follow some other people to build a network, and just make sure you get yourself to the post office to send them. This can give you some pocket cash to get out there and buy a new ethical item or two! Also, thredUP will send you a free donation bag, return shipping label included, to fill with your gently-used items to send back to them. In return, they’ll credit your account with a cut of the profits when they sell. Although I have heard it’s not the fastest way to make money, it’s certainly something to consider.

I also love these alternatives to donating your clothes because it’s a far more surefire way to ensure the lifespan of your clothes is extended. Donating clothes more often than not means they’ll end up in the landfill, impacting the environment, or being sold in a developing nation, stealing work from artisans trying to sell their own items.

Tip #4: Buy Investment Pieces, and Don’t Impulse Buy

When you do buy ethical clothing, however, the way to save money is to invest in staple pieces that you absolutely adore and know you’ll wear all the time. One item that for me comes to mind is this locally-made, delicately floral-printed tee shirt shift dress that I own. I just love that thing, and wear it probably more than anything else in my wardrobe! It’s versatile, it’s flattering, and it just speaks to my personality and what I want my style to portray about myself to others. FIND THAT ‘DRESS’, WHATEVER IT IS FOR YOU. And BUY IT!

Think hard about that piece of clothing before you buy it. Will you actually wear it? My rule of thumb is that it has to be wearable in at least two seasons and with more than one outfit for me to buy it. And you have to feel confident about it. I recently bought a pretty expensive bikini that I thought about for at least six months before I made the decision to hit “purchase”. I’m not saying do that every time, but I’m just saying I’m so glad I did, because I love it and have no regrets about spending my hard-earned money on it! These harder decisions have, I really think, caused me to spend less money in the long run.

These four tips have definitely helped me out lots in my pursuit to not spend all my money but to also still make ethical choices. I hope they can help you on yours. Please feel free to send me any questions you have about your own experiences and I guarantee I’ll do my very best to help out!

With love and sustainability,

Ethigirl