Build a Sustainable Wardrobe: Repair, Resell, Recycle
Sustainability in the fashion industry has seen significant changes in recent years, but the focus has largely been on the production and consumption of sustainable fashion items like an organic cotton T-shirt. But brands are also starting to offer circularity services such as repair, recycle, and resell to hopefully encourage consumers to find new ways to implement sustainable practices, which don’t require the purchase of new garments.
Throughout the last few weeks The Carbon Closet has run a blog series diving into each of these three circularity initiatives: repair, recycle, and resell. Last week we covered everything about recycling. And in this week’s blog the spotlight will be shined on reselling – breaking down all the nitty gritty details to allow you to buy and sell preloved like a pro.
Firstly, we’d like to attach a few numbers to highlight why opting for preloved items actually has an environmental impact. Don’t worry we won’t throw a bunch of numbers at you to try and convince you, but rather put it in terms that are easy to understand.
A new report from WRAP, a UK textiles charity, found the following about opting for preloved over buying new:
For every 5 preloved items bought, 3 displace a new purchase, roughly 64.6%
Buying a preloved pair of jeans online instead of buying a brand-new pair could save over 30kg CO2 emissions, equivalent to making 600 cups of tea
Buying a preloved pair of trainers online instead of buying a brand-new pair could save over 12kg CO2 emissions, equivalent to streaming on-demand TV for almost 10 days
After being presented with those numbers it’s pretty hard to ignore the positive impact of buying preloved over new. But we fully recognise the feeling of using peer-to-peer apps such as Vinted and Vestiaire Collective can be a bit daunting because there’s just an endless stream of products available. So, before you’ve even started the search for that perfect pair of straight-cut, blue-washed jeans, you’ve already given up! We’ve all been there!
Luckily, many brands have started offering preloved items directly on their own websites, making it a lot more convenient and easier to opt for preloved. You now have direct access to preloved items from your favourite brands and you can get them not only at a cheaper price but also help reduce your environmental impact.
We’ve compiled a short list of brands also available at TheCarbonCloset.com that offer preloved items directly on their own websites:
Arket Archive – Shop or sell your preloved Arket items
Albaray Re-Loved – Trade in your preloved Albaray items for credit towards your next purchase
If you’re curious whether your favourite brands offer preloved options just check out their websites. And some brands even offer preloved sections in select stores as well. If you need a little more convincing to start shopping preloved just think of those items that you had set your sight on from previous collection but didn’t manage to get your hands on. Who knows, maybe you’ll finally be able to find them preloved.
So now that we’ve shared all the insider knowledge on finding preloved from your favourite brands – you’re ready to shop preloved like a pro! This concludes our deep dive series on circularity initiatives. But if you missed the posts on repair and recycling make sure to check out them out now.
If you enjoyed this series on repair, recycle, and resell — don’t stop here! Share your favourite circular fashion find with us on social media using #TheCarbonCloset and inspire others to make sustainable style second nature. Sign up to our newsletter to stay on top of the latest sustainable news and visit our website for more products and information.