Make shopping lists, follow the resale — and a few more eco-friendly tips

Do you want to become a more responsible consumer, but you don’t know where to start? We have made a plan of action. One day is one task that will help to comprehend the relationship with things in the new world of conscious consumption

Task 1. Make a list of really necessary purchases for six months

To quote Vivienne Westwood, the motto of conscious consumption is: «Buy less. Choose better.» A scrupulously compiled shopping list not only systematizes the wardrobe, but also protects from spontaneous purchases. Do you know that you are going to the mountains for the May holidays, but there is no hiking backpack? Add it to the list. Time to update your coat for spring? Too. Do you want to find comfortable shoes that will last for many years? We bring it in. Be meticulous: take the time to find sample items, for example, on Pinterest, and think through everything to accessories and jewelry: this way there will be less temptation to buy another hat or earrings.

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Task 2. Disassemble the wardrobe

In 2019, many people discussed how to clean properly: books were written about cleaning, they talked in podcasts, and Netflix released a reality show by Marie Kondo. In the case of the wardrobe, two important rules can be distinguished. First, move not by zones, but by categories: that is, instead of randomly sorting through the entire wardrobe, first deal only with outerwear, then only with shoes, only with suits, and so on. Secondly, feel free to say goodbye to things: if you haven’t worn a thing in good condition for more than a year, you’re unlikely to wear it again. Unnecessary clothes and shoes can be resold, given for recycling or to those in need — for example, the charity organization «Nochlezhka», which helps the homeless, needs warm winter clothes and shoes.

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GABRIELA HEARST

Task 3. Collect the things that need to be repaired

We believe that the repair of things is an inevitable stage of conscious consumption. Instead of buying a new thing, try to restore the old one: clothes — to sew and reshape, knitwear — to mend, shoes — to take to the workshop, a battered leather bag — to restore. You can patch up jeans according to the old Japanese technique, or in the atelier you can change your mother’s or grandmother’s cloth coat. Japanese culture teaches us that old renovated things have their own special charm. The Japanese restore the dishes using the kintsugi technique, which does not hide, but, on the contrary, accentuates the place of the crack, and boro (patches) and sashiko (small stitches) techniques are used to repair things.

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Task 4. Unsubscribe from store accounts in social networks

This advice will be given to you not only by adherents of responsible consumption, but also by financial literacy specialists. Brand and store accounts are, of course, infinitely beautiful, but they encroach on our attention, time, wallet, and most often their task boils down to one thing — to force us to buy things that are not always necessary.

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Task 5. Read the book Fashionopolis

A new book by journalist Dana Thomas reminds that the fashion industry accounts for ten percent of all carbon emissions into the atmosphere, that the garment industry produces 80 billion garments a year and every sixth inhabitant of the planet works in it. But everything is not so pessimistic: while working on the book, the author traveled half the world in search of ethical productions to collect for Fashionopolis the stories of designers and companies that recycle fabrics, make materials from ocean debris and promote traditional crafts.

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Task 6. Study resale platforms

There is an opinion that the resale market can overtake the fast fashion market in ten years. This is because a conscious approach implies an attentive attitude to every good thing. What is hanging idle in the closet can be sold on special platforms. There is also no shame to buy a used thing from the previous owners. In our archive material, you can learn about reliable resale platforms. Among them there is, for example, the Rebag project, which deals only with bags, or the Vestiaire Collective website, which recently added Russia to the delivery zone.

Galkina Alyona

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