I stumbled across a bunch of articles saying fast fashion is an ecological nightmare, so I started buying on Vinted and Depop. But now I'm wondering if it's actually a good solution or if it's just greenwashing. Does it really make a difference in the end?
Making a new garment consumes thousands of liters of water and tons of chemicals, so yeah, buying secondhand is objectively better than keeping that cycle going. That said, it's not magic either - if you're just buying on Vinted to pile up clothes you're gonna end up with the same problem, but if you're actually replacing your new purchases with secondhand stuff, then you're making a real difference.
Personally, I've noticed the real difference is mostly about not buying just because it's cheap - secondhand is still a purchase, so if you end up accumulating as much stuff as before it's not really a win. What actually makes a difference is buying less but better quality, and yeah that's way more eco-friendly than feeding the production machine.
The thing nobody really mentions is checking the transport too - if you're ordering from the other side of the world it can cancel out some of the benefit. Local Vinted or actual thrift stores are honestly the best option if you can 🚴
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