Buy new or reuse old

Ardnazela

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Oct 6, 2019
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Age
35
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Colorado USA
Lifestyle
  1. Vegetarian
Hello, I am working to change my life to vegan. I wanted to start making my own clothing so that I am not buying as much from the big manufactures. However I buy from thrift stores and have no idea what the fabric is made of, I can guess but the chances that it is on the original spool with the breakdown is maybe 1 in 50. I have looked online and found a lot of stores that sell vegan fabrics but none are in my area and will have to be shipped. So my question is should I buy the used fabric or buy the new vegan fabric?
 
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Used clothing usually still has tags...but if you can't tell what it's made of I say go ahead and buy used.

I used to sew my own outdoor gear and clothing and it was surprisingly expensive. I doubt I saved much money, but it was more about having the exact design I wanted.
 
Hello, I am working to change my life to vegan. I wanted to start making my own clothing so that I am not buying as much from the big manufactures. However I buy from thrift stores and have no idea what the fabric is made of, I can guess but the chances that it is on the original spool with the breakdown is maybe 1 in 50. I have looked online and found a lot of stores that sell vegan fabrics but none are in my area and will have to be shipped. So my question is should I buy the used fabric or buy the new vegan fabric?


I think this is one of those vegan gray areas. And whatever you decide to do is probably the right decision.

It is also now always about animal exploitation. Sometimes its about resources and energy.

I remember reading a long article years ago that defended the use of buying your Starbucks coffee in their paper cups vs buying your own reusable coffee cup. Somehow they calculated the energy that goes into producing a ceramic coffee cup. and they figured out that it would take years of use before that amount of energy got recouped.

Anyway, I'm proud that I beat that number. I bought a plastic coffee cup that was made up of 70% recycled plastic and have had it for 20 years. I only go to Starbucks about once a week but I mostly remember to bring it and I'm pretty sure that by not it has paid for itself both in investment and energy consumption.

IMHO buying used is always a more environmentally friendly thing to do. And if you are buying used - well the animal exploitation is on the guy who bought it new. I don't think it transfers over.

But wait... they sell used fabric? how does that work?
 
I don't think it matters a huge amount.

If you are going to be doing activism I would go new and vegan. Otherwise if doesn't matter.
 
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As someone who has done activism and been on college campuses recently, I suggest that the bulk of your clothing come from used sources like free piles, clothing swaps or thrift stores for environmental reasons. Also if you hike keep your old boots or shoes, don't just throw them away.

But do buy a couple of tee shirts with vegan messages if you want, and be mindful of your shoes at protests. Someone actually voiced to me in San Francisco, how do these people come to protests in new looking leather shoes? So don't do that. Some organizations actually have rules about attire at protests, marches or other events.

But yeah old leather hiking boots don't kill new cows. If you want to throw them out give them to a homeless person.
 
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I think this is one of those vegan gray areas. And whatever you decide to do is probably the right decision.

It is also now always about animal exploitation. Sometimes its about resources and energy.

I remember reading a long article years ago that defended the use of buying your Starbucks coffee in their paper cups vs buying your own reusable coffee cup. Somehow they calculated the energy that goes into producing a ceramic coffee cup. and they figured out that it would take years of use before that amount of energy got recouped.

Anyway, I'm proud that I beat that number. I bought a plastic coffee cup that was made up of 70% recycled plastic and have had it for 20 years. I only go to Starbucks about once a week but I mostly remember to bring it and I'm pretty sure that by not it has paid for itself both in investment and energy consumption.

IMHO buying used is always a more environmentally friendly thing to do. And if you are buying used - well the animal exploitation is on the guy who bought it new. I don't think it transfers over.

But wait... they sell used fabric? how does that work?

In some thrift stores they have sections with yarn and sewing supplies. Most of the time they call it a craft area. They are not common to find but you can come across some fabric that someone donated from a project that they never finished or if luck is on your side you may even fine whole reels of fabric. The best I ever found was almost 10 yards of upholstering fabric for $40 but that was about 7 years ago now. I also look at the table coverings and bed sheets as some are really nice quality and can be used as garments or home items. (the bed and table coverings have tags most of the time)
 
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