Take The 90 Day No-New-Clothes Challenge

Hello!

I'm Marisa Lyn Bone, an activist and supporter of sustainable fashion and better ethical practices in the industry. I am here to tell you why it’s time to press pause on purchasing new clothing and take the no new clothes 90 day challenge with Remake ,a global advocacy organization fighting for fair pay and climate justice in the clothing industry.

For ninety days, instead of buying new clothes...

I want you to thrift, mend, borrow, trade, and swap, to truly challenge yourself and your spending habits, and reset your relationship with fashion.

According to Remakes research, on average Americans purchase about 16 new pieces of clothing every 3 months which rounds to 470 USD. Not only that, but those 16 articles of clothing accumulates to

9,705 liters of blue water waste

207kl of CO2 and 9.1 KG of waste.

But really, why should you care about these statistics? How could buying what's already been made instead of buying something new have an effect on the planet?

Well, the fashion industry is the 3rd largest carbon polluting industry in the world. The kind of carbon pollution that is raising the planet's temperature manifesting in the forest fires in Canada, and the rising coasts in San Francisco. And your shopping methods are feeding the flame.

By buying new and participating in the mass production of goods, you are a part of the supply of a market for these big name brands where they know the morals and ethics of where the clothes come from doesn't matter. They've been getting away with it for decades.

Large corporations in the industry exploit and engulf generations of people into a cycle of poverty.

According to research by a Global Workers’ Rights Director Mark Anner, when Covid hit and sales dropped countless fashion companies refused to pay an estimated $40 billion to their garment workers that had spent countless hours creating these garments, and still haven't paid them to this day.

Unknowingly, when many of us purchased from H&M, Zara, JC Penny, Target, Walmart, and Urban during covid, we were supporting modern day slavery and taking advantage of those who don't have the wiggle room to stand up for their rights in the industry.

This is merely one example as to why buying new is taking a big risk in supporting causes that need to be seriously challenged right now.

And that challenge starts with us. Switching one's shopping habits to thrifting helps us to focus on what we already have, and be more involved in the manufacturer to buyer process. It forces us to become more capitalistic conscious and ask ourselves how much we really need to hop on a trend and purchase a $2 shirt from shein that you saw on tik tok.

Thrifting puts a never ending cycle on what you purchase, and ends the overproduction of goods, and exploitation of workers around the world.

So start slow. For 90 days, you will reduce your carbon footprint, limit the waste you send to landfills, and keep your hard-earned money out of the pockets of companies that hurt people and the planet.

Start right now and take the no new clothes 90 day challenge today, because our future's worth it.

Persuasive Essay Written Spring 2023