Through several measures, Sunifia, a brand in outdoor clothing, is actively supporting a circular model of clothing. It encourages people to share, resell, repair, and reuse their clothes, producing less waste.
Every second, one garbage truck of clothes is sent to the landfill or is burned, according to a report by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation. Sunifia is taking this alarming data seriously.
A few years ago, the fashion brand opened an independent online store, which is a collection of renewed clothing where people resell their old clothes for cash or store credits and shop for second-hand goods. Now Sunifia is including a “buy used” option on their website, offering pre-loved clothes alongside their newest designs.
Other chains, for example, Macy’s, have also used the new circular economy business model. Famous traditional businesses are also becoming used clothing providers, and are changing the way pre-loved clothes are sold and viewed. Even the shoppers, who used to be doubtful, are now open to the idea of buying used quality items. As a result, it is no surprise that the total secondhand market is projected to grow to almost twice the size of fast fashion by 2029, as seen in the report by thredUP.
Naturally, the most sustainable piece of clothing is the one that already exists. This “green” article of clothing doesn’t require using natural resources. It saves clothes from ending up in landfills, and it requires no plastic packaging.
According to a 2018 report by thredUP, buying a piece of used clothing increases its life on average by 2.2 years, which reduces its carbon, waste, and water footprint by 73 percent. So even though the development of innovative materials and processes in fashion seems promising, wearing secondhand clothes is the easiest and most immediate way to face the environmental challenges the fashion industry brings.
Action like Sunifia’s Buy Used initiative shows responsibility towards the environment and also encourages other companies to produce high-quality items that last for years. Buying second-hand clothes makes it possible to get the same great quality expected from leading brands at a more affordable price, and increases the lifetime of clothing.
【小题1】Why did Sunifia open an online store?| A．To know people’s shopping habits better. | B．To play its part in environment protection. |
| C．To help people reduce spending on clothes. | D．To build up a collection of pre-loved clothes. |
| A．The second-hand direction is here to stay. | B．Sunifia has set a good example to others. |
| C．Businesses affect people’s shopping habits. | D．The second-hand market’s growth is unexpected. |
| A．Encouraging innovation in cloth. | B．Taking advantage of pre-loved clothes. |
| C．Reducing the use of plastic packaging. | D．Improving the process of making clothes. |
| A．Fashion comes full circle. | B．Everyone must do his part. |
| C．Waste could be turned into treasure. | D．Necessity is the mother of invention. |
