Sukhawati Store in Samakhusi, Kathmandu, which sells second-hand stuff at nominal prices, has recycled 40,000 kg of clothes since its 2014 launch. These clothes would have otherwise ended up in the Sisdol landfill that is already inundated with the valley’s trash. There are quite a few other second-hand stores in the valley and many more online accounts, especially on Facebook and Instagram, selling all kinds of pre-owned items, from clothes and accessories to gadgets and furniture. Thrifting—once a social taboo of sorts—is now considered a sustainable, eco-friendly option for shopping.
Samita Rana, program officer at Sukhawati, says when they started their main objective was to make good clothes accessible to low-income families. People who didn’t fall in that category hesitated to enter the store as the items there were all second-hand. But there has been a shift in that mindset in the past couple of years. Now their customers aren’t only those who can’t afford to shell out thousands of rupees for a dress or a sweater. Many youngsters also shop second-hand because they know it has a low impact on the environment and it has become trendy, too. Rana says the new generation, those between the ages of 20 to 35, seem to be especially keen on thrifting.
“People have a lot of stuff that they are looking to get rid of in an eco-friendly way. Social media has made it easier to sell those things by just posting a few pictures online,” says Rana. Hiroshi Khanal, who is soon launching the Instagram store Thrift Capital Nepal, testifies to that. He says he and his sister want to sell things they don’t need anymore. The money from it, Khanal says, will be donated to an orphanage they support. “Thrifting is a great way to make cash from your trash. We have finished collecting things we want to sell. Now, we will do a quick photoshoot and start uploading them,” he adds.
Rana believes buying things second hand is the only way to reduce consumption and eventually decrease production, putting a cap on fast fashion’s devastating carbon footprint: the fashion industry contributes an estimated 10 percent of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions. According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by 2030, emissions from textile manufacturing are projected to go up by 60 percent. Fast fashion is also labor- and resource-intensive. It takes 10,000 liters of water to produce a kilogram of cotton or approximately 3,000 liters of water for a single cotton shirt. There have also been numerous reports of forced and child labor in the fashion industry in Bangladesh, China, India, Philippines, Vietnam, and Brazil, among others—countries that make the clothes available in our market today.
In 2013, an eight-floor commercial building in Dhaka, Bangladesh named Rana Plaza collapsed, killing 1,134 workers and injuring more than 2,500. The building housed garment factories of American and European brands. A 2015 documentary, ‘The True Cost’, shows the events leading up to the incident. Apparently, right before the collapse of the Rana Plaza, the laborers had been forced into the factory despite a crack being seen in the walls. The documentary reveals more horrors of exploitation in what is a labor-dependent industry. According to director Andrew Morgan, employees are subjected to humiliation and live on low salaries besides working in toxic environments in unsafe buildings.
Buying previously-owned stuff keeps products in circulation for longer and that can eventually curb excess production and wastage. Manish Jung Thapa, founder of Antidote, says you extend an item’s life when you buy second-hand and with more and more people doing it, it can have a huge environmental and social impact. These days, in Nepal, it definitely isn’t just those without the financial means who are opting for second-hand items. Women who work in the development sector, well aware of the implications of their actions, seem to be more inclined to thrift. Then there are also those who want to save money. “When you can get something for Rs 500, nobody wants to spend four or five times that amount,” says Thapa, explaining the current allure of thrifting.
However, there needs to be strict quality control to ensure second-hand doesn’t literally mean rubbish. Else, people will quickly lose faith and hesitate to shop at thrift stores. Aavas Rajkarnikar, who deals in second-hand vintage electronics, says customers often ask many questions before making a purchase. This, he says, is because products don’t come with warranties. It’s not uncommon for thrift stores to have a no-return or exchange policy as well. Thapa of Antidote says they have a 100 percent money back guarantee if an item they sell isn’t as specified on their page. “This kind of approach to thrifting can make it risk-free and help popularize it even more,” he says.
Sunaina Shrestha, founder of Thriftmandu, says many thrift stores in Nepal sell quality stuff, including branded items and people really shouldn’t hesitate to make second-hand purchases. She thinks the problem is that many of these stores are limited to online platforms, and having physical outlets would make things easier. That way, she says, people can check an item before buying it and be assured of its good condition. Thapa, on the other hand, feels the media should talk more about thrifting and familiarize more people with the idea and its importance. Social media influencers and celebrities could also play a pivotal role in promoting this sustainable behavior, he says.
Thrifting has long been a popular culture in western countries with the likes of Oxfam, Goodwill, and Salvation Army running charity shops where people can buy a variety of things at affordable prices. In Nepal, books and furniture have always had good second-hand markets. Narayan Sapkota has been selling used books at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, for over 30 years. There are more like him in the area. Used-furniture stores are a dime a dozen in the valley.
Yet people are still skeptical about pre-owned clothes and other personal items like shoes and accessories. But reusing clothes can contribute to a circular economy like no other: the fashion industry, according to The World Economic Forum, produces 150 billion garments a year globally, nearly three fifths of which end up in the landfill within a few years. “People are slowly starting to realize that reusing and recycling clothes is kinder on the planet and starting to donate or sell their clothes instead of tossing them in the trash. But there are still far too many who don’t care,” says Rana.
