The two, now 35-year-old mothers, found it too easy for parents to buy cheap clothes for their fast-growing children. They turned that perception into a mission and founded Hand Me Up, an online business that sells children’s clothing capsules. The site accepts hand-me-down donations, and the blog offers tips on how families can live more sustainably, including how to host a clothing exchange.
The fashion industry has a significant impact on the environment, and in recent years this issue has attracted attention. According to a report in nature review earth and environment, the industry produces 8-10% of global CO2 emissions. Technology cannot reliably turn unwanted apparel into fibers that can be used to make new goods.
“We wanted to teach kids why they shouldn’t treat their clothes like they can be worn twice and thrown away,” Boynton said. “Our dream at Hand Me Up is to be part of circular fashion, leaving little to no fabric waste for the next generation,” he added Livingston.
Dianna Kapp said her green children inspired her to write her book. Girls who make the world green: 34 rebellious women to save the planetShe wanted her children and others to be inspired by female environmental changers working to save the planet., Kapp asked Annie Leonard, head of Greenpeace USA, what she should tell young people. Leonard’s quick advice: Keep sharing cool. “On average he gets dressed in six months, less than it takes us to go through a bottle of ketchup,” he said.
The impact of discarded clothing is immeasurable. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year. The EPA estimates that of her 17 million tons of textiles produced in 2018, only 2.5 tons were recycled. As a result, for every five garments produced each year, the equivalent of three garments are landfilled or incinerated. Synthetic fibers like polyester made from petroleum are not biodegradable and release tiny plastic particles. The world’s largest floating island of plastic, three times the size of her in France, consists of 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, some of which contain these fibers, which are We kill thousands of marine animals every year.
“Dropping all your clothes on Goodwill isn’t as virtuous as you might think,” Cupp said. I’m here. “We ship a lot overseas, but more and more countries are saying no because they are ruining their economies by sending cheap clothes that are cheaply made locally.”
The mantra followed by many environmental activists is repair, reclaim, reuse and organize. Experts say this is a great way to reduce clothing waste, especially for children. When clothing gets too big or wears out, parents can gift it, trade it, sell it, or repair it.
When thredUP, one of the largest online resale platforms, launched in 2009, one of its goals was to remove the stigma around used clothing and encourage a new generation of consumers to think second-hand clothing first. did. Now, after processing more than 137 million items, the company’s resale report predicts that the US second-hand market will more than double to $82 billion by 2026.
Trading apps like Kidizen, a marketplace for buying and selling children’s clothing, can also help parents live more sustainable lives. Hand Me Up (sizes 0-6) and Upchoose (sizes 0-3) charge a monthly subscription fee to exchange clothes that have grown in size to the next size. Jackalo focuses on producing durable children’s clothing and offers discounts on used clothing returned through the “TradeUp” program that other clothing manufacturers use. And traditional over-the-counter retailers like Kid-2-Kid buy back top-notch second-hand goods and resell them.
Environmental activist Verena Polowy has a YouTube channel, blog, and community to promote a capsule wardrobe, a replaceable clothing essential that helps consumers avoid impulse purchases and change buying habits. I created My Green Closet. “The family doesn’t wear more than 80 percent of her clothes,” she says Polowy. She offers tips on her own website, citing her family’s capsule as an example.
Faith Roberson, founder of Organize By Faith, believes the best way to live green is to consume less. She instructs her clients not to overlook their children’s closets in particular. “If we want to change behavior around the amount of purchases, it’s important for parents to get into the habit of organizing before they buy,” Roberson said. We buy things for them, so it’s very important that we clean out our closets at that time of year.”
Polowy suggests more conversations with parents about how restoration can be fun and fulfilling. “Upcycling is difficult because of the availability of cheap alternatives. But she added, “I love seeing cute or stylish mending and upcycling tutorials on social media. The more accessible the ideas, the more people will pick up needle and thread.” You will be prompted to
The idea of recycling clothes may be trending. Online groups such as the Buy Nothing Project and Freecycle have millions of members who exchange items such as children’s clothing with people in their communities for free.
Livingston and Boynton get excited when they talk about reducing clothing waste. “We’ve learned that if our family can make these changes, the entire planet can change,” said Boynton.
