Instead of emphasizing the emissions generated by a person’s current habits, the new quiz focuses more on the positive impact of each potential action, a spokesperson explained. And rather than telling the user how dirty their closet might be, the intro page acknowledges the complexities of navigating greenwashing—helping the user to understand which habits have the biggest impact.
The calculator tool draws on new Life Cycle Assessments conducted in partnership with sustainability tech platform Green Story Inc. that compares the environmental impact of buying new clothing with buying secondhand. The tone shift reflects study findings from Pew Research and others showing that shame-inducing messaging, rather than spurring action, can lead people to hopelessness and inaction.
“While value continues to be a key driver that motivates consumers to think secondhand first, global climate issues have increased awareness of resale’s potential to reduce fashion’s impact on the environment,” Reinhart said in the report. “We are still in the earliest days of inventing how resale can reduce the ongoing production excess in the apparel industry, and I don’t see a world where we’re going back to the way it used to be.”
Fashion industry watchdog and research firm Remake said it welcomed the Fashion Footprint Calculator’s relaunch, highlighting the importance of consumer education around the climate impact of fashion and the benefits of opting for secondhand over new. But there’s still work to be done, noted Katrina Caspelich, the nonprofit’s CMO.
“Over 100 billion garments are produced annually worldwide,” Caspelich said. “With the clothing industry’s annual volume growth rate at 2.7%, total resource consumption will continue to outstrip any sustainability efforts the industry makes, including secondhand shopping, unless large-scale, urgent efforts are made by the companies that profit from garment production.”
Difficulties in purchasing used
While thredUP’s growing list of partners means more options for secondhand shoppers, resale must be more than a side project for brands if it’s going to reduce the climate impact and waste created by the industry.
“Consumers have a role to play in growing the resale market, but ultimately the responsibility is on brands to build their resale systems for long-term business transformation,” Matthew Hawthorne, sustainability consultant at environmental consultancy Quantis, told Adweek. That means moving beyond pilot programs and into core sales channels, he continued.
