We all have (at least) a handful of items we know we’re not likely to wear.
Selling or donating these items extends the life of the clothes and prevents carbon pollution. Let’s dive into some resources for you to better understand what this process is and why it’s important.
Why extend the life of clothes?
Selling or donating unused apparel is important for several reasons:
-It reduces the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills.
-Offers a lower impact alternative for others to buy new clothes. It takes a significant amount of energy and resources to produce new clothing.
-The textile industry is one of the leading polluters of freshwater globally.
-Three months of active use reduces the carbon footprint of an item by 5-10%.
Tips to simplify selling or donating clothes
But where to even start? Here are some simple steps if this feels overwhelming.
- Start with a quick review of your closet. Pull out anything you haven’t worn in a year. Sometimes it’s easy to justify keeping unworn items with thoughts like “well I’ll miss this too much”. If you don’t expect you will wear it in the coming year, remind yourself getting this item into rotation in someone else’s closet reduces the carbon footprint of the item and makes it easier for you to find the clothes you want to wear.
- Gather all unused clothes in one place so you can easily sort through them.
- Create a sell and donate pile. Consider the condition of each item and whether it’s something someone else would want to buy or wear.
Strapped for time?
If you are someone without much time, here are the easiest ways to sell or donate.
- Drop donation off at a local thrift shop.
- Stop by a local consignment shop or sell through ThredUP to manage the sales of your items. You have less control over the price per item, but it’s a low-effort process to get some return on your unused clothes.
Eager for max value?
Want to create a little more value for yourself? These take a bit more time but give you a bigger bang for your buck.
- Post your items as a gift in a local buy-nothing group. It’s a great way to feel more connected to your neighbors while extending the life of unused items.
- Sell on Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Mercari, or eBay. It takes a bit more legwork to take pictures, arrange a time for pick up, or ship, but you have more control over how much money you will get back for your unused clothes.
Resource Links
Just looking for useful links to donate or sell your clothes? Here it is!
Donation Options
There are likely many more second-hand donation options! Ask friends on social media or in-person for their favorite donation spots, and you’ll likely double your list of options.
Second-Hand Market Options
Just like with donation options, you are likely to unearth many more local consignment options. Just ask your friends for recommendations to grow your list of places to check out!
Next step
Looking for more tiny steps to reduce your carbon footprint? Check out The Climate Deck – the perfect way to make Earth Day every day!