Second-hand clothes and reducing your fashion footprint – Quiz

1.  Read the text and answer the questions. 

1. Is buying second-hand the only solution to reducing our fashion footprint?
No, other possible solutions are: buying less, buying clothes that have been more sustainably made, hiring clothes, and repairing and revamping clothes.

2. True or False?  By 2030, fast fashion will be half the size of the second-hand clothing market.
True. By 2030, the second-hand clothing market is projected to be twice the size of fast fashion.

3. Before buying online, where did consumers go to buy second-hand clothes?
Charity shops and jumble sales.

4. True or False?  People now only buy second-hand if they can’t afford anything else.
False. The perception of second-hand clothing has changed and it’s become trendy.

5. Who is causing the change in shopping habits – the consumer or the fashion industry?
The consumer. Consumers want to consume less and make more environmentally friendly choices when they buy, so the fashion industry is having to change.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. In my family we grow our own fruit and vegetables to live more sustainably .

2. It’s going to snow tomorrow, according to the weather forecast.

3. It is true that women make up less than forty per cent of people working in science?

4. Toby has his own style. He doesn’t care what’s trendy at the moment. 

5. My mother wasn’t convinced when I told her I had finished my homework.   

Second-hand clothes and reducing your fashion footprint

The destructive impact of fast fashion on the environment is widely documented. So how can we, as consumers, reduce our fashion footprint? One obvious answer is to buy less. Another is to buy clothes that have been more sustainably made, using organic and recycled materials. Hiring clothes is another way to get new pieces for our wardrobe. But buying second-hand may be the simplest solution and a trend that is growing fast.

According to the Boston Consulting Group, second-hand clothes are projected to make up 27 per cent of customers’ wardrobes by 2023. By 2030, the second-hand clothing market is projected to be twice the size of fast fashion, according to a global report by Thredup and GlobalData. So, it seems, the next ten years will see the resale market grow fast, and this is in part because we now have more options than simply buying from charity shops and jumble sales. Online sites are making it easier to both buy and sell pre-loved items.

It also helps that the perception of pre-loved clothing has changed. Dr Amna Khan, senior lecturer in consumer behaviours and retail at Manchester Metropolitan University, said ‘it’s now become trendy to wear second-hand’ and it’s no longer ‘a case of only buying it if you can’t afford anything else’. The changing values of shoppers is even being seen in celebrity culture, with television personalities, such as contestants on the popular UK TV show Love Island, promoting second-hand clothing.

Not everyone is convinced that these changes in shopping habits will do enough to reduce our fashion footprint. The charity Wrap tells people to repair and revamp clothes they already have in their wardrobe before buying new ones, even if they are second-hand. But it’s clear that some consumers now want to consume less and make more environmentally friendly choices when they do buy. The fashion industry is therefore having to change, and the second-hand market is the star of the show.