My closet is filled to the brim with sweaters that push the door open. My t-shirt closet is so compact that the hangers no longer slide on the rack. Even with this, the ten items in my online shopping cart linger until I press check-out.
Teenagers and adults all over the world, including me, buy for the feeling of opening a new package or trying on new clothes. Companies like Shein and H&M work to achieve that thrill of cheap, trendy, and onetime use clothing known as “fast fashion.” According to Earth.Org, fast fashion makes up nearly 92 million tonnes of yearly textile waste worldwide.
Many people turn a blind eye to overconsumption and fast fashion because they value short-term joy over long-term consequences. The idea that more is better overrules people’s decision-making when buying more clothes. However, once the clothes have stretched out on the hangers, customers like me realize there’s a problem.
A person may finally decides it’s time to get rid of cheap, one-time use clothing that has taken up space in their closet. It’s common practice to donate old clothing to local thrift stores or throw them away. But what happens to the bad quality clothing that nobody wants? The large amount of clothing overwhelms the shelves of thrift stores when nobody buys them.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Americans alone produce 16 million tons of textile waste yearly. That’s 32 billion pounds of old clothing ending up in landfills.
Some people could argue that limiting the amount of clothing they purchase will not make a difference on a worldwide scale, but imagine the amount of clothing you own multiplied by the eight billion people in the world.
Instead of simply donating to overcrowded thrift stores, what can we do to improve the amount of textile waste?
Donate directly to organizations that give to people in need such as charities, women’s shelters, animal shelters, and homeless shelters. Repurpose clothing by taking pieces of old clothing and stitching them together to make new, unique pieces. Most of all, we need to stop supporting fast fashion. When we stop buying from these brands that purposefully produce cheap clothing that will end up as waste, the amount of clothing we personally contribute to landfills will decline.
Buy for quality over quantity. When buying clothes, look to find clothing that will last you for years rather than pieces that will wear down after a couple of washes.
Buying clothes and having a wide variety of options can feel great and bring a person joy. However, we need to look at something that seems minuscule on a worldwide scale. The overconsumption of clothing has a huge impact on the environment, not just on our daily outfits.
Next time you think about increasing the size of your wardrobe with the latest styles, imagine all the unworn clothes in your closet making up piles in a landfills. Take at least ten minutes to consider whether or not you really need the five items in your shopping cart.
