A Guide for Customers: 5 Earth-Friendly Perks of Secondhand Shopping

As Earth Day approaches, it's time to reflect on the small changes we can make in our daily lives to positively impact our planet. One simple yet effective way to contribute to environmental sustainability is by shopping. Specifically, choosing to shop resale, secondhand, or at consignment stores will benefit not only your wallet but also the world around you. 

We encourage you to pass this along as a resource to your own customers, where they can utilize this blog as a valuable resource to eco-friendly shopping practices and empower them to make environmentally conscious choices while also supporting local businesses. 

How to Utilize our Earth Day Resource:

1. Share the Benefits: Use our pre-written blog as a resource to communicate the advantages of secondhand shopping to your customers. Whether through email newsletters, social media posts, or in-store signage, highlight the environmental, ethical, and economic benefits of choosing resale.
2. Engage on Social Media: Leverage our suggested social media post ideas to spark conversations and raise awareness among your followers. 
3. Educate Your Customers: Use our resource to educate your customers about the environmental impact of fast fashion and the importance of making conscious shopping decisions.

Social Posts to Share to Spread Awareness
We know that your time is valuable, that’s why we created some templated social posts for your store to share to help spread awareness. Feel free to use as is, or edit to more accurately reflect your brand's voice! 

🌍♻️ As Earth Day nears, let's take a moment to consider the impact of our shopping habits on our planet. Opting for resale, secondhand, or consignment stores isn't just trendy—it's a powerful way to reduce waste and support sustainability. #EarthDay #ShopSustainable

Looking to make a positive change this Earth Day? Start by rethinking your shopping routine! Embrace resale and secondhand shopping to reduce your environmental footprint while discovering unique treasures. 🛍️💚 #SustainableLiving #EarthDay2024

Sustainable shopping isn't just a trend—it's a responsibility we all share. As Earth Day approaches, consider the impact of your purchases on the environment. Choose resale and secondhand options to support a healthier planet and a thriving community. 🌎💚 #ConsciousConsumer

Now let’s jump into it! 

5 Benefits of Shopping Secondhand

1. Reduces Waste and Landfill Impact

Millions of tons of clothing end up in landfills each year, contributing to environmental pollution and waste. Did you know that an estimated 11.3 million tons of textile waste end up in U.S. landfills yearly? This equates to an alarming 81.5 pounds of textile waste per person per year.

When you shop secondhand, you're giving a second life to items that might otherwise be discarded. This reduces the amount of waste piling up in our landfills and decreases the demand for new products. By extending the life cycle of clothing and goods, we can significantly reduce the resources needed to create new items, including water, energy, and raw materials.

2. More Ethical and Sustainable 

The production of new clothing and goods requires a substantial amount of resources and energy. For instance, did you know it takes 1,800 gallons of water on average to make a pair of jeans? Shopping secondhand eliminates the need for these resources, conserving energy and water.

Shopping secondhand and donating unwanted clothes to charity/thrift shops helps reduce the level of waste ending up in landfills and increases the lifespan of an item. The consumption rate, fast fashion growth, and customer demand for trendy but cheaply made clothes imply the use of low-quality materials with higher environmental damage. However, if you choose to shop vintage clothing, they often tend to be made with higher quality materials and construction techniques. From a socio-economic perspective, the fast fashion business has a history of unfairly paying its workers. Shopping more ethically ensures you contribute to workers receiving pay above the national minimum wage.

3. Encourage Unique Styles

Shopping at consignment stores, thrift shops, antique malls, and other successful resale businesses, offers the opportunity to find unique, vintage, and high-quality items that aren't available in mainstream retail stores. This allows for personal expression through one-of-a-kind pieces and promotes a culture of sustainability. By choosing quality over quantity and opting for timeless pieces over fast fashion, we can minimize our environmental impact while still enjoying fashion and decor. It’s a creative way to be both stylish and eco-friendly.

4. Supports Local Small Businesses & Charities 

Secondhand stores, including consignment shops, often source their inventory from local communities. This supports local economies by keeping money within the community and helping to sustain local jobs. Supporting local, independent-owned businesses is really important to keeping a healthy cycle in our global economy. Particularly when buying from a charity shop, not only are you helping reduce the growth of immense profit for big corporations, which tend to pay unfairly, but you’re also supporting an amazing cause and multiple individuals in the process.

5. Promotes a Culture of Reuse & Saves You Money

In a world where disposable items and fast fashion have become the norm, buying secondhand is a statement against throwaway culture. It encourages us to reconsider our consumption habits, value the items we own, and find beauty in reused and recycled goods. This shift in mindset is crucial for moving towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

One of the most prominent and well-known benefits of buying secondhand is the cost savings. You can often find secondhand goods up to 50% cheaper than you could if you were buying new. Whether you’re shopping for clothes, furniture, musical instruments, or almost anything, you’ll be able to find quality items at lower prices than if you bought them brand new. You can also find name-brand clothing, shoes, purses, and more for a fraction of the cost. Who doesn’t want to get designer items at a discount?

Celebrating Earth Day

As we celebrate Earth Day, remember that shopping secondhand is a simple yet impactful way to reduce our environmental footprint. By shopping at consignment stores in our communities, we can enjoy a wide range of benefits—from reducing waste and saving resources to supporting local economies and promoting a culture of reuse. Together, we can make a difference for the environment, one reused item at a time!