What thrifting taught me, and why I hope it catches on

As I begin writing this, the latest CO₂ reading stands at 429.49 ppm and about 50 wars are ongoing in the world. It feels easier today to sympathize with someone who is not "interested" in tackling climate change. So I write today, not as a climate scientist looking to clarify any technical aspects of the climate crisis, but as a climate-conscious citizen looking to share something that brings her hope.

I started thrifting about 7 years ago, when I moved to Montreal. A close friend introduced me to the practice and I cannot be thankful enough. Thrifting is essentially the practice of frequenting "thrift stores" or "used goods stores", knowing that you can find many useful things over time even though you can never be sure of what or whether you would find on a particular day. The practice seems to be quite common and widely accepted in many cities in North America and Europe. This is heartening because these are also the regions with high per capita emissions. I have not yet found comparable stores in India, though I should admit my search has been far from thorough.

There are some alarming facts relevant here: The fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Textile production contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined. I'm a big fan of flying less, so adding "buy fewer (new) clothes" seemed an easy next step.

[ All this is to do only with climate change (greenhouse gas emissions), there are myriad bad impacts in terms of pollution, microplastic generation, labour conditions -- which I won't go into here. Also, thrift stores offer much more than clothes, but I choose to focus on clothes/textiles/fashion for this post. ]

I also came across another startling "fact" -- We have already made enough clothes on Earth to clothe 6 generations (for example: here). A BBC podcast on this topic clarifies that this is not a well-established fact i.e. it lacks robust evidence and may or may not be true. But that is immaterial; whether we can currently clothe 2, 3, 6, 8 or more generations, it is clear that we have more than enough and that we produce clothes at a detrimental and unsustainable pace and in a detrimental and unsustainable manner.

A lot changed for me since I started to be mindful of my clothing consumption.

The first change was a shedding of the stigma around buying second-hand. I learnt to become patient with (well-meant, I'm sure) suspicions of "She seems to be going through hard times" and immune to (less kind) glances of "I would never wear something used, but maybe she doesn't mind that". I learnt to focus much more on my values than others' opinions. I learnt to disregard the really small fraction of people in my life who fixate on how I look and where I shop and instead focus on the vast majority who care about who I am and how I behave. I have learnt the joys of hand-me-downs that connect me to my loved ones. I learnt to focus much more on fitness and health, than on what I wear, when I want to improve my appearance. I learnt to ask "Do I need it?" rather than telling myself "I want it." I learnt to further confirm the answer by asking "Did I need it before I saw it?" I learnt to recognize what I'm actually feeling when I "feel like" shopping. I learnt to reward myself with other less carbon-intensive dopamine hits, and eventually, to need fewer dopamine hits.

I learnt to not believe too quickly the green or recycling claims of clothing companies. [ I recommend the Good On You newsletter. ] The greenest garment is the one you and I already own, or one that has already been owned and we can thrift -- and by a large margin too, contrary to what many clothing companies would like us to believe. There is no doubt that progress is being made on this front, and there is also no doubt that this progress is not enough to justify unnecessary consumption. Not just yet. The benefits of learning to not fall for greenwashing spill over generously from fashion into other consumption. The benefits of learning these things about clothing consumption spill over generously from the climate context, to broader environmental contexts, to broader societal contexts. One example I must highlight is that I now consciously avoid polyester clothing (especially new) -- this has to do with both climate concerns and microplastic concerns (not just for the environment, but for my own health too). 

I learnt to make structured, tracked changes to my habits, to be able to make real, sustainable changes to my consumption and carbon footprint. I digitise my wardrobe to keep track of how much I own, which serves as a powerful reminder of how little I further need, while also indicating what I don't really use and could give away. I am now beginning to keep track of, and limit, how many non-essential garments I buy in a year (new or thrifted). I have not yet bought a Ferrari with the money I'm saving, but it seems to be a good step nonetheless. The benefits of tracking progress on clear, quantifiable goals spills over generously into the rest of my life.

I have also learnt that I can see such choices of individual action not as "just a drop in the ocean" but instead as "slow, steady, sustainable solutions". This boosts my self-esteem and motivation. I have spent far too long agonizing over how little I mean in this big, wide world. I have now decided on a new perspective: I am required to do my bit in the larger scheme of things. And I am required to do just my bit in the larger scheme of things.

Much of what I share here continues to be work in progress. But I have no doubt that the general direction is friendlier to both the climate and my own self. What started as a thrifting spree has now led to a revamping of more than my wardrobe. I am eager to see what other impacts these choices will have on me, and patient enough to know that the impact of my choices on the world will be slow and small but sure, steady and sustainable. Forgive me, enough alliteration for today.

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