There you are in your favorite clothing store. You don't really need to buy anything, but everything is so cheap and stylish! Before you know it, you leave the store with bags and bags of new clothes.
On the surface, this doesn't seem so bad. However, there are a lot of hidden costs behind the cheap price tags (标牌). To put it plainly, the fashion industry is terrible for the planet. Not only does it use up a lot of resources, but it also heavily pollutes the environment with chemicals, microplastics and unwanted waste.
Fashion is one of the least sustainable industries on the planet, commented Michael Stanley-Jones. "We've all become our own waste managers, hoarding fashion waste in our houses,” he noted.
It doesn't just take up space in our cupboards, though. It also ends up in landfills(垃圾场), too. But, thankfully, the fashion trend tides are changing. People are increasingly examining their own consumption and what changes they can make to become sustainable, Jane Fellner, founder and CEO of sustainable fashion seller Loopster, told the Guardian.
In particular, with its typically lower prices and rare fashion finds, shopping secondhand has become an increasingly popular and eco-friendly option. According to online reseller ThredUp, the secondhand market is predicted to reach $80 billion by 2029. And, although fast fashion will continue to grow 20 percent over the next 10 years, secondhand fashion is expected to grow an unbelievable 185 percent in that same amount of time. Fellner continued: "Secondhand has become more socially acceptable. Thrifting ( 节约) is now massive on TikTok.”
The only true sustainable way to shop is to not shop at all, unless you're buying clothes that already exist.
