I talk with people who both buy and sell used clothes a lot and often discuss the role of preloved clothing in conscious and ethical consumerism. Quite often people tell me that they feel used clothes are ethical & sustainable by their nature. Here is why I think this is both true and false.
First, let’s deal with ethics and sustainability issues separately because there are a couple of differing factors at play.
Buying Used Clothing is on Balance more Sustainable than New Clothing