What is #SECONDHANDSEPTEMBER by OXFAM?
Since we are already a few days in September, it is a great opportunity to talk about #SecondHandSeptember, a campaign brought to life by Oxfam.
This initiative is going into its second round this year, and is about pleading to only buy second-hand clothes for 30 days.
Who is OXFAM?
Oxfam is a confederation of 10 independent charitable organizations founded in 1942 as Oxfam International. The organisation aims to create a world where everyone can speak up to power, claim their human rights and have the opportunity to create a better future for themselves. While Oxfam sets good intentions, it has also faced reasonable criticism in the last few years. However, the #SecondHandSeptember campaign launched together with Michaela Coel is a good initiative to reevaluate one’s buying behaviour and its environmental impact.
So what exactly is #SecondHandSeptember about?
For the whole of September, consumers are encouraged to only shop second-hand clothes, to act against the amount of newly produced clothes that are bought, used and mainly sent to landfill afterwards. People can do their pledge on social media and share their experiences with the same Hashtag. For that, you can not only shop at Oxfam’s second-hand online shop but also at various retailers that have teamed up for this cause, such as Selfridges with an Oxfam pop-up shop or eBay and Depop. Of course, you can also just visit the second-hand shop around your corner!
This initiative is a great opportunity to evaluate your buying behaviour, shed light on the enormous amount of clothes destroyed annually, as well as explore the alternative of buying second-hand clothes.
While some still think buying second-hand means buying ‘garbage’ clothes, this is not the case. In fact, many shops offer unique second-hand pieces from designers!
Why is consuming pre-owned fashion important?
The general situation of consuming clothes is based on a “buy and throw-away” mentality. In the UK, 13 million items of clothing are sent to landfill every week! However, in Europe, only 10% of fashion waste is used for second-hand and only 8% is recycled or reused. But still around 57,1% of fashion waste ends up in the landfill. With these enormous numbers, change is needed!
Second-hand shopping can be one way of reducing fashion waste and giving clothes a longer life. Of course, this should not mean to go off and buy as many second-hand clothes as possible. This is why some people don't view #SecondHandSeptember as the most radical option and encourage the adoption of zero-consumption.
So how can you get involved?
If you are looking to join #SecondHandSeptember, we have some steps for you before you look for your local charity shop.
Check your wardrobe and see what clothes you already own, what you like and whether there are certain items you need.
Make a list with the clothes you need and set aside a day for your second-hand shopping.
Afterwards, calculate the money you spent. Many second-hand clothes have a reasonable price and can be a motive for future purchases.
Another alternative to this which we can highly recommend is swapping your clothes with friends and family. It is a fun event, does not cost you anything and makes it possible for you to find new clothes.
How does Kleiderly take action?
Kleiderly aims to reduce the fashion industry footprint by saving clothing waste from landfill and incinerators. The reuse of garments is extremely important for our environment. Only by extending the life of a garment by an extra nine months of active use would reduce the carbon, water and waste footprint by around 20% to 30% each. Therefore, we can only support any kind of actions taken to strengthen and lengthen the life of garments.
Sources:
https://metro.co.uk/2020/08/29/why-trying-second-hand-september-13194814/
https://oxfamapps.org.uk/shop-blog/sustainable-fashion/second-hand-september-2020/?_gl=1*ox8908*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE1OTk3MzI4MDMuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1Jc01pUmlxemU2d0lWajdkM0NoMWhnQU9DRUFBWUFTQUFFZ0pTOHZEX0J3RQ..*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE1OTk3MzI4MDMuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1Jc01pUmlxemU2d0lWajdkM0NoMWhnQU9DRUFBWUFTQUFFZ0pTOHZEX0J3RQ
https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/social-media/2019/09/why-second-hand-september-oxfam-instagram-isnt-radical-climate-change-challenge-it-seems