Eco-friendly Clothes Shopping at Vintage Stores and Thrift Stores

Thrift Stores Offer Money-Saving Green Shopping Opportunities

Mavyn McDaniels
When most folks think of eco-friendly clothing and green clothes shopping, images of expensive bamboo bathrobes, hemp t-shirts and organic cotton dresses tend to come to mind. All of these items are excellent choices for eco-friendly clothes that limit pesticides and allow for increased consumption of renewable resources like fast growing hemp and bamboo. And, while there are still some questions about the chemical-heavy process of transforming eco-friendly bamboo into fabric, overall purchasing organic cotton, hemp, bamboo and other eco-friendly clothes options significantly lowers impact on the environment.

However, not everyone can afford to run out and purchase a $150 bamboo robe, or even a $25 organic cotton t-shirt. This can leave some eco-friendly folks in a quandary as they struggle to determine the best way to fulfill their clothing needs in an eco-friendly manner while living on a limited budget. Fortunately, folks can save money and the environment with a greener shopping option that has been around for years.

Long before most folks ever heard of a carbon footprint, people in the know were scouring vintage shops and thrift stores for clothing bargains on a never-ending quest for stylish treasures that wouldn't break the bank. Little did these money-saving shoppers know that they were also lowering their environmental impact by limiting the demand for the production and transportation of new clothing items.

Shopping for secondhand clothing limits your consumerism, which in turn lowers your impact on the environment by limiting the resources necessary to fulfill your clothing needs. So, while the cotton dress you pick up at the thrift store may not be organic, it is still an eco-friendly clothing option by way of your efforts to keep already made items in circulation (and out of landfills) while limiting your demand for newly created items.

This allows eco-friendly clothes shoppers the opportunity to participate in the green movement and to partake in green shopping even if they have a very limited budget with which to work. And, as an added bonus, vintage and thrift store shoppers can purchase fashionable, functional clothes for much less than the same clothes would cost at a retail clothing store. This allows eco-friendly shoppers to save money and the environment, all while selecting stylish pieces to add to their wardrobe.

Vintage shops and thrift stores offer gently used, eco-friendly clothing options that cover all your clothing needs. From office attire and eveningwear, to play clothes and winter coats, secondhand clothes are an eco-friendly clothes option that allows for green shopping on a budget.

Even folks who can afford popular eco-friendly clothing options like the aforementioned bamboo, hemp or organic cotton, can partake in hunting for bargains at thrift stores and will enjoy this fun, money-saving way to build a fabulous wardrobe without increasing your demand for the production of new clothes.

Sources:

Personal experience

Published by Mavyn McDaniels

Mavyn is a freelance writer and holistic wellness practitioner living in Washington.  View profile

8 Comments

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  • Stacey12/30/2010

    Great article! I didn't know vintage clothing shops help save the environment--

  • Teresa Mahieu6/3/2009

    You msade some excellent points here. I too love shopping at Thrift Stores and Vintage Shops. Better quality too!

  • Andrea Coventry4/10/2009

    This is great! Thank you!

  • Kristie Leong M.D.3/27/2009

    I love thrift store shopping.

  • samaira3/24/2009

    Very good work done here.

  • Bethany Marsh3/23/2009

    I love shopping at thrift stores -- decent clothes at great prices!

  • Nancy Tracy3/23/2009

    I have found the main difference between vintage and thrift stores is price : ). Great piece... and I like how you have broadened the definition of eco-friendly shopping.

  • Matt A. Maxx3/23/2009

    Totally Wonderful!!!

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