2021: The Year of Conscious Consumerism

By Sydney S.

Welcome to a new year! While we refresh our resolutions, dreams, and wonder what a new administration will bring to our country, lots of us are undergoing a full clean-out of closets and homes. COVID-19 has forced many Americans to work from home and consequently rethink what we keep, as our spaces have become classrooms, offices, and conference rooms. But while you purge your closet, it’s crucial to be conscious about where your clothing goes and who’s impacted by your donations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the U.S. generated 17,030,000 pounds of textiles in 2018. Yet only 2,510,000 pounds were recycled, and an astounding 11,300,000 pounds were thrown into our landfills. In total, 14% of our textiles were actually recycled, 20% were burned, and 66% were thrown away.¹ But if we donate clothing regularly, why is so much of it not being recycled?

There’s a variety of reasons for this, but the most pervasive seems to be the sheer amount of clothing we purchase and “consume.” In fact, clothing consumption has doubled since 2020, and each American throws away 80 pounds of textiles per year.¹ Because of our reliance on fast fashion – cheaply made garments meant to be worn only a few times – the quality of our clothing has plummeted and we rarely repair clothing and shoes to be re-worn. Instead, we tend to favor purchasing a replacement and donating or throwing out the original piece, rather than attempting to mend or repair it. This poor quality, in combination with the overwhelming volume of clothing we consume and donate, is likely the reason why only 10-20% of donated clothing and textiles are resold in the U.S.²

If you’re hesitant to consider yourself part of this problem, pull out photos of yourself from 2, 5, and 8 years ago. Do you still wear the clothing you’re wearing in the photos? Do you even own the items still, or did you donate them? Consider the number of items from the photos you’ve kept vs. those you no longer own, and the amount of items you’ve consumed throughout your lifetime. This exercise made me realize how quickly I was changing my wardrobe and consuming more clothing than I needed.

But this shouldn’t prevent you from completing a clean sweep of your space. Multiple studies have shown decluttering leads to lower levels of stress,³ and now more than ever are our spaces crucial to our well-being, considering how much time we spend in them. If you’re purging items you’re worried may not be resold or recycled properly, here are a few options to consider:

• Drop off worn-out running shoes (of any brand) to a Nike store, where they’ll be ground down and reused in playgrounds and sports centers through the Nike Grind program; there are NIKE stores in Oshkosh, Baraboo, Johnson Creek and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
• Send old t-shirts (of any brand) to Marine Layer, who recycle the shirts and makes them into new products through their Re-Spun program; Marine Layer will send you a mailer to ship them your shirts
• Drop off worn-out denim (of any brand) to Madewell, who work with Cotton’s Blue Jeans Go Green program to turn them into housing insulation; there are Madewell locations in Madison and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

If you have a mixture of items (e.g. workout gear, coats, jeans, shoes, etc.) and the financial means, try:

• Retold Recycling, a service for recycling your textiles – prices vary
• Terracycle, a service for recycling a multitude of household items, including clothing and shoes – prices vary

As part of your 2021 resolutions and plans, I encourage you to add “conscious consumption” to your list. Conscious consumption is the practice of consuming (i.e. purchasing) items with consciousness regarding their local and global impacts.⁴ This includes researching the ethical values and practices of the companies you support and making purchasing decisions with meaning. Conscious consumption doesn’t have to be a challenge, though – consider small changes such as shopping secondhand or pausing when considering impulse purchases. Together, our collective consciousness towards the number of items we consume, the companies we support, and the impact of the items on the world can make a massive positive impact towards climate change.

Actionable Tip: When considering a clothing purchase, ask yourself the following:

If I couldn’t donate or throw away this item, would I be happy owning it for years to come?

Resources:

1- https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specific-data

2- http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/images/clothing-life-cycle.png   

3-https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/housing/marie-kondo-konmari-tidying-up-research/ 

4-https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/smarter-living/sustainabile-shopping-conscious-consumer.html