MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Seriously, What Are You Supposed to Do With Old Clothes?

Six takeaways:

1. The public appetite for new clothing has expanded over the past two decades, as clothes have become cheaper, more abundant, and easier than ever to buy. This is largely thanks to the spread of fast fashion and online shopping. So what is the best way to dispose of the old clothes lingering in your closet?
2. Mull notes quickly that there is no perfect, universally accepted solution to this problem, but there are a lot of options: re-sale, charitable donation, consignment stores, donation boxes, and more.
3. Earlier on in American history, the problem of clothing waste was virtually nonexistent. For much of American history, most clothing was made at home and the accumulation of excess material goods was considered tacky.
4. The rise of thrift stores has led to a creation of a secondary clothing market, which made donation/selling of clothing a more accepted and virtuous thing. However, thrift stores are now so popular that they cannot sell all of the clothes they receive, and approximately 80% of thrift store donations wind up in landfill.
5. While donation to charitable organizations also runs the risk of ending up in landfill, it does have the direct benefit of helping the needy.
6. Overall, it makes sense to consider disposal options when considering new clothing purchase. We must remember that “the garment industry has a vested interest in ensuring that the rest of us think of clothing as disposable,” and making sure fashion trends change.

From Amanda Mull at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

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