Think your returns end up back in the store? Think again.
Once upon a time I was chronic returner. I would return things that I bought on a whim, things that I wanted to try on at home instead of in-store, and things I had worn once or twice and didn’t like anymore. Buying at retailers that had liberal return policies perpetuated this habit.
Fast forward from September 2021 (when I quit fast fashion), and I rarely return anything. Part of this is because I limit my new clothing purchases to 5 per year. The other part?
I know too much.
It’s understandable to assume that our returns get re-submitted into inventory and given another chance to be sold. If the item is still in sellable condition, why wouldn’t it?
The truth is, most of the items returned to retailers end up in landfill. This is mainly because it costs more to the company to put returns back in circulation than to just throw them away (source: Earth.org). Further, some brands fear they will cheapen their brand identity by marking items down or donating them, so they get “damaged out” and trashed. According to the BBC, 5 billion pounds of waste is generated through returns each year.
Returns not only create a giant carbon footprint (think about the shipping to and from retailers to customers and back again), but are a real logistical headache for companies. Many companies simply don’t have the technology in place to handle these nuances in returned goods, so it is often most profitable for them to simply truck them to the dump (source: BBCEarth.com).
Globally, landfills are one of the leading human causes of methane emissions (right behind agriculture and fossil fuels), contributing to global warming. Greenhouse gases form a blanket of heat around the earth, making rising temperatures unavoidable (imagine being completely under a blanket—it gets hot fast, and does not allow much air to escape).
The less we dump in landfills, the better.
Overconsumption, primarily of fast fashion, has catapulted return culture into a destructive and pervasively unethical pracitice. Sure, if you order something that doesn’t fit (extra credit if you know your measurements!) or is defective, it’s understandable to need to return it.
But so many of us are ordering things unnecessarily, without truly considering how it will serve us. We make fast purchases (social media has made this dangerously easy), impulse buys that we regret, and buy-to-return (I used to be guilty of this). And I believe that it comes at a cost to our mental and environmental health.
So the next time you are shopping, both in-store and online, ask yourself:
How many times will I realistically use/wear this?
Do I have something similar already in my closet?
Do I like it because I like the PERSON promoting/wearing it? If so, will it really fit MY body/lifestyle?
Am I shopping because I am feeling sad/happy/bored? If so, can I wait until these emotions pass before I buy this?
While we may think returning a purchase is harmless, it is likely that instead of being re-sold, it will end up in the trash. By shopping more intentionally, we can help divert our potential returns from contributing to the textile waste crisis.
Until next week,
Emily