Why Shopping Vintage Is the Solution to Sustainable Shopping

Do you think that a $12 pair of jeans is a steal? Think again. “Affordable” clothing has hidden costs that the planet, not just you, ends up paying for.

Fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion are wreaking havoc on the environment. However, cheap, disposable clothes aren’t the only option for the fashion-conscious and environmentally aware. Thrifting and shopping vintage are kinder to the environment and are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Learn more about the effects of the fashion industry on the environment, how you can do your part to reduce fashion waste, and why you should shop sustainable fashion in the article below.

The Dark Side of Fashion

Fast fashion brands are loved by many because the low cost of their products makes them accessible to more people. However, their production of cheap crop tops, jeans and other trendy pieces is drying up rivers, releasing record amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, and polluting waterways with microplastics and harmful chemicals.

It’s not just brands like Shein and Boohoo that are contributing to the problem. All new clothing requires excessive amounts of energy, water and other resources to produce.

Why Shop Sustainable Fashion

Truly sustainable fashion is clothing that’s designed, made, sold and distributed with the least possible impact on the environment. Sustainable fashion reduces the consumption of natural resources and energy. However, even new clothing marketed as sustainable may harm the environment.

Many consumers who want to learn how to shop sustainably are misled by brands that falsely claim their products are “conscious” and “eco-friendly.” According to a study by the European Union and national consumer protection authorities, 42 percent of sustainability claims made by brands online were false, deceptive or illegal.

So, due to the fact that it’s kinder to the environment and less resource-intensive, vintage clothing is a better option than fast fashion and brand-new “sustainable clothing.”

Why Is Thrift Shopping Sustainable?

If you’re wondering, “is thrift shopping sustainable,” the answer is yes. As the saying goes, the greenest products are the ones that already exist.

Shopping vintage means you’re not supporting the manufacture of new garments, which helps reduce the size of your carbon footprint. Here are some other great reasons why shopping vintage is a better option for the environment:

It Keeps Clothes Out of Landfills

Many people donate unwanted clothes to organizations that resell them, like the Salvation Army and Goodwill. However, only 5 percent are considered fit to be sold. The rest are either sold to rag yards, sent to landfills or burned. Every second, one truck full of textiles is either dumped in a landfill or incinerated.

When you buy vintage clothing, whether at consignment stores, thrift stores or rag yards, you help keep clothes out of landfills and prevent them from being burned and producing CO2 emissions.

It Creates Less Strain on Natural Resources While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. About 40 percent of these emissions come from the manufacture of virgin polyester, a popular fabric used to make everything from socks to dresses. 

What’s more, most of the clothes you can buy today contain massive amounts of microplastics. An average washload of clothing made from synthetic fabrics releases more than 700,000 fibers into the water supply that eventually ends up in the ocean.

In contrast, resources and energy were already used to create vintage clothing. When you buy vintage, you are not enabling the wasteful processes involved in manufacturing new garments. By purchasing vintage, you extend the life of existing clothes while consuming fewer resources than you would if you bought new ones.

Fashion You Can Feel Good About

Learning how to shop sustainably and purchasing vintage clothes helps fashion and eco-conscious consumers stay in style while doing their part to protect the environment.

At LA Vintage, we firmly believe in reducing, reusing and recycling. We source secondhand clothing and sort them to find high-quality, one-of-a-kind pieces that we resell. Our clients include online stores, wholesales, designers, stylists and upcyclers.

The remaining products are baled and shipped to developing countries, where they are sold at second hand markets by local microentrepreneurs.

Read our story to learn more about our commitment to sustainability in fashion, or message us to inquire about products.