According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the fast fashion industry is the second largest user of water in the world and contributes to global carbon emissions.
FALMOUTH, Maine — With less than a month until school starts back up, many people are looking for ways to save on clothing.
While some shoppers are looking to save money by buying second-hand items at thrift stores, Morgan Sewall, retail marketing and communications specialist for Goodwill Northern New England, said shopping at thrift stores saves more than just money.
“The fast fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters contributing to global climate change right now,” Sewall said, “so any opportunity we have to take on this industry, fight it, and shine a light on secondhand and bring awareness to that, that’s a win for us and we’re really excited about it.”
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the fast fashion industry is the world’s second largest user of water and accounts for 2-8% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Other data suggests that 92 million tonnes of textile and clothing waste end up in landfills every year.
For Sophie Koutalakis, who frequently thrifts and is very conscious of the companies she buys from, joining the “fast fashion” trend is not an option.
“They use cheap labor and the prices may be low, but it comes at the expense of the workers,” Koutalakis said.
Koutalakis explained that fast fashion brands lack the ethics of mass production and often do not pay workers adequately.
In 2022, the Southern California office of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Administration investigated a number of garment industry contractors in the region.
The ministry’s investigation found that 80 percent of contractors in the region were actively violating minimum wage and overtime laws.
The investigation resulted in the recovery of approximately $900,000 in unpaid wages and damages.
The U.S. Department of Labor detailed that some contractors were paying employees $1.58 an hour, despite the state’s minimum wage being set at $15 an hour.
Koutalakis said she has no problem finding fashionable, unique items at Goodwill and other thrift stores.
“I like to try new styles and I wear a lot of different things, so secondhand clothes are useful,” she says. “I buy secondhand clothes all the time. I think half of my wardrobe is secondhand now.”
Koutalakis said buying second-hand allows people to buy more for less.
“On average, I leave with at least five or six items, ranging in price from $20 to $30 depending on the item,” Koutalakis said, “In a normal store, I’d probably only have two items. Sometimes it’s just one item, depending on where I shop and the quality of the clothes.”
In honor of National Thrift Store Day on Aug. 17, Sewall said he encourages everyone to research the brands they support.
“Go to their website and see if you can find out a little bit more about where they make their clothes, what their process is, how they treat their employees, what their whole supply chain looks like,” Sewall said. “If there’s not a lot of information about that, it makes you wonder, ‘Why? Why aren’t they being transparent about that?'”
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