Clothing Sustainability: Fast Fashion vs. Second Hand

The fast fashion model, while enabling rapid and affordable clothing production, raises concerns due to its environmental impact and labor practices. In response, the second-hand clothing market constitutes a more sustainable solution, aimed to promote a circular economy, highlight experts. 

The so-called fast fashion model allows for companies to design and produce clothes rapidly and inexpensively to respond to the latest trends. However, this approach often comes with a cost to the environment, labor practices and overall sustainability. According to the UN, the fashion sector contributes to 20% of global wastewater and 10% of CO2 emissions, as reported by MBN.  

"Balancing the economic, social and environmental aspects is challenging for the production and marketing of textile products. Laboring conditions for factory workers can be deplorable and misinformation complicates the consumer's task of identifying their best choices. Furthermore, manufacturing processes are often highly polluting, which affects the environment and our health," said David Monachon, Sustainable Consumption Manager at the University’s Sustainability Department (COUS), UNAM.  

Alternatively, second-hand clothes can be part of a more sustainable and budget friendly solution for the overproduction of textile products, given that approximately 73% of all annually produced garments end up being incinerated or in landfills, contributing to soil and air pollution, as reported by Greenpeace.  

The second-hand movement aims to give a second life to garments that someone else has already used, promoting a circular economy. "Consumers can generate a positive impact by using clothes for twice the amount of time we currently do. UN data has shown that this would help avoid 25% of the CO2 emissions emitted by the fashion industry," noted Ana Isabel Orvañanos, Country Manager, Go Trendier Mexico, a digital platform for the sale and purchasing of pre-owned fashion items. 

Orvaños pointed out that consumers are shifting toward pre-owned fashion due to affordable prices, accessibility and sustainable commitment. According to the GoTrendier 2022 report “Firsthand and Secondhand,” the second-hand clothing market accounted for savings that surpassed MX$60 billion (US$3.5 billion) in 2022, with the most benefited regions being the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Jalisco, Veracruz, Guanajuato and Nuevo Leon, in that order. At a global scale, the second-hand fashion market is expected to double its sales by 2027, reaching a value of US$350 billion, according to ThredUp 2023.