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The Conscious Consumer: Is Thrifting Actually Ethical?

Why we should be careful about buying second-hand

—By Alex Andersen

The rich turquoise-green of the sweatpants caught my eye immediately in the aisle of jumbled up donated clothing that stretched nearly ten yards to the back wall of the thrift store. I walked briskly over to the piece, located in the men’s section, snatching the hanger off the rack to admire the pants to reveal a salient black and white stripe down the side. Straight-cut and oversized, they extended a few inches past my ankles when pressed against my legs to preview their fit. With a little bit of tailoring, they could easily be transformed into the perfect pair of joggers, one nobody owned but me. 

The appeal of finding unique and affordable clothing drives many young people towards thrift stores. Thrifting has significantly risen in popularity in the last year or two, particularly among younger generations; nearly half of Gen Z-ers, or people born between 1995 and 2014, purchased second-hand in 2019. The total secondhand market is predicted to surpass fast fashion by 2029.

Not only is thrifting cheaper, but it’s more sustainable than buying clothes firsthand. It contrasts with fast fashion, one of the largest contributors to waste, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Events like the deadly garment factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 have led to more widespread criticism of fast fashion, spurring a shift towards more ethical consumption. The rise in popularity among younger consumers specifically can perhaps be attributed to generational differences in political views. According to McKinsey’s “The State of Fashion 2019” report, Gen Z-ers express more concern about climate change than older generations. 

While thrifting promotes sustainability, its recent uptake is concentrated among higher-income individuals, particularly entrepreneurs who spark controversy by reselling thrifted items for a profit.

Some argue that higher-income individuals who thrift but could easily afford other sustainable options are “stealing from the poor.” Rising prices among thrift stores due to increased interest has created a so-called gentrification of thrifting, making the previously accessible secondhand items less affordable for lower-income individuals who may rely on thrifting. 

This argument generates the questions: Who should thrift? Is thrifting really as ethical as it seems? The simple answer: it’s complicated. 

The Secondhand Advantage

There is already an excess of firsthand clothing being produced, the majority ending up in landfills. The current fast fashion industry is anything but cyclical: apparel is made, purchased, then discarded when trends fade. Much of the production is unethical, with sweatshops and fast fashion companies like H&M taking advantage of workers by not providing adequate pay nor safe and clean working conditions. Thrifting, on the other hand, keeps clothing in a cycle where it’s consumed, donated back, or repurposed. 

“It’s natural for humans to want to recycle. We recycle money, we recycle our houses, and all these other things, and that translates into clothing,” says Jacob Ward, a senior studying in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at University of Michigan.

Ward is also the founder of SCARBO, a digital arts community dedicated to collaboration and inclusivity. In addition, Ward is the Creative Director for SHEI Magazine, University of Michigan’s official student-run arts, fashion, and culture publication that uses nearly all secondhand fashion for photoshoots.

For digital issues that SHEI releases each month, fashion members utilize garments thrifted from Ann Arbor stores like Salvation Army and Ragstock, as well as pieces they pull from their own wardrobes.

Thrift stores allow individuals and organizations like SHEI Magazine to discover unique apparel and accessories at discounted prices and in a sustainable way. “The whole ritual of entering the store and having no idea what you’ll come out with is a fun aspect of thrifting,” notes Natalie Guisinger, a recent graduate from the University of Michigan. 

For her, the eco-conscious aspect of thrifting came second, originally having thrifted with friends in high school out of boredom and as it began to rise in popularity. 

Now, Guisinger buys nearly all second hand clothing. She’s drawn to the cyclical nature of thrifting, knowing that she will also donate unused clothing back.
Sophie Smith, who plans on attending University of Michigan as a business major in Fall 2021, shares a similar passion for thrifting. Sophie runs an Instagram account where she resells thrifted clothing. 

“The fact that you get to extend the life of a piece of clothing that already has a story behind it is super cool,” Sophie remarked about thrifting. She tapped into a newly emerging market of young girls in her more affluent neighborhood interested in vintage clothing. This style ranges from old rock band graphic tees to boxy Levis to silk slip dresses.

While thrift stores are rising in popularity among higher-income individuals, they still keep affordable clothing accessible to lower-income communities. 

Ward spoke about the importance of thrift stores for lower-income communities, allowing lower-income individuals to purchase items such as formal wear, winter coats, and other basic necessities: “It’s one of those essential resources for lower-income communities that should never go away.”

Potential Pitfalls

While thrifting is known for its discounted prices, secondhand items have risen in cost over the past decade, according to Goodwill’s 2020 report. This uptick in prices is perhaps attributed to thrifting’s increasing popularity, which thrift stores may also be taking advantage of, raising their prices to match a higher demand. 

Because increasing popularity is concentrated among middle- and upper-class individuals, the rising prices may disproportionately affect lower-income communities; this gentrification of thrifting makes clothing less affordable and accessible.

Another concern is that affluent individuals will monopolize thrift stores and buy up all of the clothing; consequently, fewer items of clothing will be left for lower-income individuals. 

Whether or not the gentrification of thrifting leaves a shortage of clothing for those in need, particularly essential items like winter coats, is still heavily debated. Thrift stores only sell a very small fraction of the clothing they receive through donations. They send the remaining (and large) unsold portion to landfills or overseas to developing countries, a practice that could harm jobs for local textile workers, according to BBC.

Ward, who thrifts out of necessity, reflects on his experience: “I started thrifting the most when I got to college. And it was out of financial necessity. It started when I had concerts, but they had a strict dress code… at U-M you need to have a tuxedo.” Ward ended up getting a suit jacket from the Salvation Army, which was much more affordable than buying firsthand. 

“What economic bracket does it stop where you shouldn’t shop at thrift stores anymore?” Ward asks. “I think it’s a necessity for everyone. And the thing is, there’s so much fabric waste that we are not going to run out of clothes.” 

Regardless of whether or not the gentrification argument is supported, it’s important to note the social and cultural implications of thrifting. The trend reflects a glorification of secondhand clothing by affluent individuals, something that has historically been stigmatized for the poor. Social acceptance of thrifting does not necessarily imply reduced class prejudice. 

Taking Action

With both the advantages and drawbacks considered, there are a few things we can do as consumers.  

First and foremost, check your closet. Examine what you already have and what you need. Consider repurposing old clothing for other things or exchange clothing with friends and family.  Donating back to thrift stores what you don’t plan on wearing, rather than discarding it. 

If you need more clothing, buy secondhand when possible. Look for items that are durable and timeless, unlike most fast fashion.

Most importantly, thrift consciously. “Know where you are, and just be respectful. It’s all about respect,” says Ward. Set yourself thrifting guidelines. “There are some rules that I now abide by,” which Guisinger also refers to as “commandments” for herself. “It’s important to not purchase coats and winter items to allow lower income people to purchase the items, along with oversized items, and especially business attire.”

The Big Picture

Changing the way we consume is critical to dealing with the climate crisis. While thrifting is much more sustainable than fast fashion, it’s still a form of consumption. Materialist values are deeply embedded in American culture, which will take greater time and effort to change.

“We have been indoctrinated into thinking that constant consumption is so necessary when it really isn’t,” explains Guisinger. “That’s just something we all have to slowly unlearn as Americans.”

Published by ALTR Magazine in Issue 1: Fruit

Sources Cited

1.  Dobrosielski, Chuck. "Gen Z Questions the Ethics of Thrifting and Resale." Sourcing Journal (Online) (Mar 01, 2021). 

2.  "UN Alliance Aims to Put Fashion on Path to Sustainability." UNECE Sustainable Development Goals, July 12, 2018.

3. Yardley, Jim. "Report on Deadly Factory Collapse in Bangladesh Finds Widespread Blame." The New York Times, May 22, 2013.

4. "The State of Fashion 2019." McKinsey & Company, 2019.

5. BER Staff. "Rise of Thrifting: Solution to Fast Fashion or Stealing from the Poor?" Berkeley Economic Review. November 19, 2019.

6. Porter, Beth. "What Really Happens to Unwanted Clothes?" Green America.

7. Adams, Margaret. "Fast Fashion, Thrifting, and Sustainability'>." UWIRE Text, February 10, 2021, 1. Gale Academic OneFile

8. "Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors." Goodwill Industries International. March 2020.

9. Rosenberg, Cory. "The Clothes You Donate Don't Always End Up on People's Backs." Treehugger. September 23, 2019.

10. Rodgers, Lucy. "Where Do Your Old Clothes Go?" BBC News. February 11, 2015.

11. Finxerunt: Across the Spectrum of Socioeconomics. Finxerunt Movement.

Digital Fashion Takeover: a Sustainability Red Flag

—By Alex Andersen and Audrey Shen

The recent emergence of digital fashion has caused a major disruption in the fashion industry, bringing up more questions about the industry’s future and sustainability challenges than solutions. 

New brands, such as The Fabricant, have taken to the digital space in the last few years to create virtual garments that exist only online. They had their first digital fashion NFT sale in 2019 (Business Insider), called the “Iridescence Dress;” it sold for nearly ten grand. Now, digital garments from popular artists and luxury brands sell for hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are unique digital assets that exist on the blockchain. Unlike currency, which can be traded for something of equivalent value (ex: five dimes and one quarter are interchangeable), NFTs are one-of-a-kind, and cannot be replaced by something else. NFTs can be drawings, music, 3D rendered clothing, a domain name, or a ticket that provides access to an event, to name a few examples.

The blockchain, where NFTs exist, is a decentralized record of transactions, or public ledger that exists across a network. NFTs are bought and sold using cryptocurrency, a virtual currency or asset also based in the blockchain. Cryptocurrency is not regulated by the government, and one of the biggest implications of this decentralization is increased security with transactions.

The world of digital fashion is highly expansive and difficult to comprehend all at once, and the implications for the fashion industry are still unknown. However, it has the potential to create a whole new digital market for fashion, one that does not face the same ethical and sustainability issues with the physical supply chain of much of today’s fashion production. There are no landfills of fabric waste, dyes polluting the water, unethical factory working conditions, animal cruelty, the list goes on. 

One of the main appeals of NFTs, specifically in the fashion realm, is that they can be used to elevate people’s digital experiences. For example, video game players have greater ability to customize their avatars. It allows more freedom to experiment and explore one’s identity without real-world physical changes. 

Some digital fashion companies, such as DRESSX, will render digital garments onto photos of customers, allowing for personalized photos for individuals to share with their network on social media. This share-ability comes with greater visibility: more people will likely see your outfit online than your outfit in person. Digital fashion has the potential to become a very powerful tool for self-expression for any social media user. 

Other brands like RTFKT are paving the way in the industry. Pronounced “artifact,” the brand began by creating “cyber sneakers” for video game players to wear in the metaverse, and they are now affiliated with the Nike brand.

The metaverse is essentially a digital world that is a simulation using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain. People can purchase digital clothing that they then apply to their avatars in video games in the metaverse. Many brands see potential in this new digital space beyond the typical 2D e-commerce presentation of clothing.

“The Metaverse Era allows for a new way for fashion brands to create not only fashion but a full living ecosystem. Being able to create fashion pieces, and characters to wear them, and used as your identity in the metaverse, is a big new step for fashion brands of the future. We aren’t restricted by our legacy, and therefore are free to build our brand to go beyond fashion, to world-building,” explains Cathy Hackl for Forbes.

Luxury fashion designers have also hopped on the bandwagon. Brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Balenciaga have crossed genres to develop digital looks in games like Blankos, Riot Games, and Fortnite. Many brands see digital fashion as a way to build new communities and connect to consumers in new ways, and they’re eager to jump into a new space before it takes off. 

The digital fashion realm is not just appealing to companies, but to individual artists as well. Many artists feel empowered by the digital marketplace; many people would agree that it is more democratized than the physical fashion industry, as it is decentralized and secure.

Digital creators can push the boundaries of fashion, designing garments that are impossible to physically make. For example, Krista Kim, a digital fashion artist, designed a hyper-realistic, fluid digital fabric that resembles water for a collaboration with The Fabricant.

But NFTs present a major red flag. While people see huge opportunities for creating new communities for brands, empowering artists, and shaking up consumer culture, the digital fashion world is grounded in a system that only degrades the environment even more. 

When cryptocurrency is “mined,” or released into circulation and used to buy and sell NFTs, they emit a shocking amount of greenhouse gases. Due to decentralization, computers validate and record any transaction to maintain the security of the blockchain; in order to do so, they must solve complex algorithms and complete them faster than other computers attempting to mine the same crypto coin, as there is a limited supply.

And because cryptocurrency, along with NFTs and digital fashion, are becoming more popular, more computers are competing to mine what’s left, meaning the algorithms become more complex and more energy-consuming to solve. It’s estimated that Bitcoin alone, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, uses more energy in Terawatt-hours than Poland, as well as more than Ukraine, Norway, or United Arab Emirates. Currently, only 39% of cryptocurrency uses renewable energy.

Aaron Jablonski, a digital artist, explains an important distinction between NFTs and the cryptocurrency system on which they operate for a Dazed article: “The problem lies in the blockchain itself, not in crypto-art (which takes place on the blockchain). The two biggest chains, Bitcoin and Ethereum, are both very unsustainable and consume an insane amount of energy because their mechanism of verifying transactions is actually based on complex calculations that need lots of processing power.” While NFTs themselves aren’t necessarily the direct issue, they are feeding a broader system that threatens the environment. 

There's no denying that the non-digital fashion industry has a ways to go in terms of sustainability. However, consumer interest in sustainable fashion has been increasing, peaking in the pandemic. Additionally, many organizations like The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, Fashion Revolution, and The Sustainable Fashion Forum are educating consumers, promoting more sustainable behaviors, and helping the industry reduce its impact by working toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  

NFTs do have some potential to become more sustainable in the future. The current system of transaction verification used by the cryptocurrencies with which most NFTs are traded is called “Proof-of-Work,” which is very energy-intensive. However, some cryptocurrencies are shifting to a system called “Proof-of-Stake” that reduces energy use. An increasing number of cryptocurrencies are focusing on using renewable energy, as well. 

However, the shift to lower-energy systems is still slow, and we really need to address this sustainability issue before we can proceed with NFTs and further fuel the flames of climate change. 

Additionally, the consequences of climate change, caused by both digital and physical fashion, disproportionately affect marginalized communities, creating further social inequities and injustice. 

So, will digital fashion replace physical fashion? It’s unrealistic to believe people will stop wanting and buying physical clothes, but maybe some physical clothing purchases will be replaced by digital ones. 

Likely, digital and physical spaces will exist in tandem. Muchaneta Kapfunde, a fashion tech writer, explains, “NFT fashion isn’t about replacing a physical garment with a digital one; instead, it is an opportunity for fashion brands to represent themselves in the digital space and tap into a new commodity market.” There will likely be crossover between the physical and the digital world, and companies will have two supply chains, one physical and one digital. 

Whether our purchases are digital or physical, though, we still exist in a Western materialist culture that values possessions over experiences. Our belongings are part of our identity, whether those belongings are tangible or virtual; NFTs still feed our consumerist culture, along with other issues unrelated to sustainability like inclusivity.

Eva Papamargariti, a digital artist, explains the nuances of NFTs and the change that needs to occur: “I think that these decentralized platforms can bring a new sense of communing and understanding to the world of art and this can only be positive and utterly desirable. But we shouldn't ignore the fact that the promise of an actual change needs to take into consideration many aspects like economic pyramid structures, money circulation, environmental impact, inclusivity to name a few. Art is not in need of a model that looks novel but repeats the mistakes of the older system and structures. I believe we should aim towards a diverse model of thinking and action instead.”

Consumerism and social inequity cannot be fixed by technological advancements alone; it takes inner work and relearning. While NFTs are exciting because of their potential, it is absolutely necessary that we pump the brakes; in order for NFTs to be successful and even feasible long-term, we must eliminate their environmental impact and really create a more inclusive foundation before moving forward.

Published by ALTR Magazine in Issue 2: Rebirth

Sources Cited

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6. RTFKT. (n.d.). https://rtfkt.com/ 

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