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We want fast fashion to slow down.
A few months ago I was house sitting a little away from home. The morning after my first night, with nothing else to do (I was on uni holidays, after all!) I walked to the main street. After grabbing a much-needed iced latte, I decided to check out the local op shops, which I do whenever I’m staying elsewhere.
There was a large Salvation Army (called Salvos) and two smaller thrift stores with church affiliations, and I decided to start with Salvos. As I started glancing through the racks, I realized that, like my body, a large percentage of women’s clothing was fast fashion.
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As an avid and casual shopper, I know what I’m used to seeing – there’s usually a fair bit of Zara and H&M, with a sprinkling of Shein, Fashion Nova and Boohoo. But this was different – every second outfit was from a fast fashion brand, and I found this strange.
I kept browsing and finally found a long sleeved bolero. What drew me in was the brightly colored swirl pattern – it gave me that puccini vibe that I love. Curious to see how it would look on me, I took it to the changing room. I thought it was cute when I tried it on, but I knew right away that I would wear it once. It sits in my closet until a themed event or costume party comes along, then it gets tossed back and forgotten.
Plus, it was cheaply made and had a weird plastic feel to it, as a lot of fast fashion items require. As I put it back on the shelf, the thought occurred to me, ‘I don’t think anyone will buy it.’ The second realization immediately followed: ‘What happens to this and all the other crappy fast fashion stuff when no one buys it?’
Given the way we consume fast fashion (including my former self), donating our clothes is no way to replace how quickly we throw things away. In search of some answers, I asked Salvos Australia what happens to discarded and unwanted fast fashion.
First salvos, what does fast fashion classify?
[We classify fast fashion as] Excessive fashion production volumes that exceed customer demand, where long-term “wearability” is not foreseen. This means that often these items – due to deterioration in quality – end up in storage after a few wears.
Salvos are part. Fashion Revolution… We are encouraging brands to be as transparent as possible about their identity. He’s doing it to promote sustainability and fight the damage being done by the fashion industry.
What percentage of the donations received by Salvos is fast fashion, approximately?
We don’t have an exact figure for how many donations the fast fashion brand has made due to the large amount of donations that go to the national network of 358 stores. We recognize that fast fashion brands are part of the donation mix and that we receive from our community and corporate donors.
As pioneers of the circular economy, enabling recycling in the community for over 100 years, Salvos Stores is an advocate for environmental change. We want to reduce fast fashion. By donating… you extend the life cycle of clothing and avoid waste. In addition, the purchase of these items will help support vital Salvation Army programs to support the most vulnerable in Australian communities. He won – he won.
How does throwaway culture contribute to resale?
We are seeing a drastic shift away from the throwaway culture. People are more aware of their buying behavior than ever before. Covid-19 has given many people a moment to reassess how they use it and, conversely, to think about what they ‘want’. [what they] As a result of ‘wanting’, we’re seeing more people buying secondhand, buying and buying quality goods. [look into] Things like maintenance to extend the life of those items.
What happens to unsold clothes?
If an item has been unsold in one of our stores for a month, it will be rotated to another Salvos store or listed in our online store. We will mix and send. [items] Giving more opportunities to find a new home for more customers at stores in different locations.
We send donations to support The Salvation Army’s charitable programs, such as Crossroads, Door and many other local initiatives. It’s always our first choice to give donations that we receive new life in our store and community.
While most of the items we stock are bought by our customers, there are donations that don’t sell – whether they come to us in poor condition or left in the rain for hours. However, this does not mean that they all end up in the landfill. We have various processes in place to recycle or recycle what we cannot sell immediately.
Some unsalable textiles are processed into industrial textiles, while others unsuitable for the Australian consumer market find their way into the global secondhand market. We are committed to working with governments, universities and industry to develop offshore circular economy solutions.
Is it important for consumers to donate fast fashion items?
The quality can vary between brands but mostly [pieces] They are still good to donate [after a couple of wears] And someone else might like them! Size ranges have become more inclusive, which is great… and the ever-changing trend pieces are coming at us faster than ever before.
Our product range can be very wide, which is great for special buyers. We do not have a way to repair for resale, so we encourage our backers to repair a ‘fix-up’ product before donating it.
Finally, what are we as consumers doing to shop and donate more sustainably?
Think in circles. A circular economy is one in which ‘bin’ does not enter into the product-life equation and a product is recycled, repaired, renewed and made into new products each time. Completely round [means] Completely sustainable by reducing the impact on the planet.
Before the Club’s dream becomes a reality, we encourage our supporters to consider their purchasing power by purchasing pre-loved items, buying quality new products and donating responsibly.
Go here for tips on how to shop more sustainably online.
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