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    Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

    My jeans are starting to get worn in the seat (common cyclist problem) and I'll have to replace them within the next couple of months (pants with holes in the butt aren't really wearable haha). Generally, I try to buy sustainable products because I think our culture and its consumption patterns exploits people and taxes the environment to a dangerous extent. I don't want to be part of the problem, so I try to buy products that do less harm. I realize that at the end of the day, it's not really possible to live a 100% harm-free, sustainable lifestyle. Sometimes, I have to buy things that don't fit my "ideal" because I can't afford the alternatives and sometimes, better alternatives don't really exist. However, that doesn't stop me from at least trying.

    Now, I find jeans problematic for a few reasons. For one, cotton is pretty resource intensive and taxes the environment. Synthetic blue dye is also pretty harmful. On the labour end, even higher end denim companies tend to rely on low-wage labour overseas. I figure my options are generally buying from a eco/fair trade brand (I found a few of them kicking around) or buying a pair of second hand jeans. So far, my general feelings and research lean towards the following:

    Eco/fair trade:
    -Sustainably sourced and produced
    -Workers paid a fair wage
    -May still have issues somewhere in the supply chain. The supply chain for fashion is fairly long and complicated and there is lots of room for abuse there.
    -I can try them on and see them in person (I'd go for a store here that sells sustainable clothing over an online shop, I think)

    Second hand:
    -Cheaper
    -Does not involve any new resources
    -Reduces waste
    -Still involved unsustainable practices on their initial production
    -Can't try them on - I am smaller than average and the selection in second hand stores is really limited here...I'll look, but I think I'm limited to eBay
    -Involves shipping an individual item through the post (ie car), unless I can find a pair that fits at a thrift store.

    I know that a lot of people here are into sustainable living, so I thought I'd ask for some additional input!

    #2
    Re: Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

    Personally, in this particular case I lean more towards fair trade. Simply because at least you know that you are supporting a company that supports it's low-wage foreign workers better than the average. Second hand is always a good choice, especially via a local op-shop/thrift store. But I would be wary of buying a untried second hand product off ebay.

    Of course, you could scrap the idea of jeans altogether and look at alternatives. Is there a reason you HAVE to have jeans (other than fashion)?

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      #3
      Re: Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

      I generally find them easier to wear on an everyday basis. I don't wear them much in the summer (except for now...we're experiencing a cool period), but in the winter, they're pretty warm and comfortable. Keep in mind that it can be as cold as -15 here! Jeans with wool tights underneath are good winter wear. I also have a couple of pairs of wool trousers, but I find them a bit impractical for riding my bike around the city (they will wear through the seat much faster!) and doing yardwork and housework.

      Chords are also an option, but I think we run into the same problems there

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        #4
        Re: Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

        Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
        I generally find them easier to wear on an everyday basis. I don't wear them much in the summer (except for now...we're experiencing a cool period), but in the winter, they're pretty warm and comfortable. Keep in mind that it can be as cold as -15 here! Jeans with wool tights underneath are good winter wear. I also have a couple of pairs of wool trousers, but I find them a bit impractical for riding my bike around the city (they will wear through the seat much faster!) and doing yardwork and housework.

        Chords are also an option, but I think we run into the same problems there
        Fair enough. I was just throwing it out there. Personally I love my jeans and I don't actually own any other trousers (that feels weird... we call them pants here, but I know that means something else in certain parts of Europe) aside from my work ones. Just wanted to make sure you'd actually thought about it and hadn't just assumed that there was no alternative

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          #5
          Re: Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

          A big problem for people of modest means is you must buy what is cheap,and most times really have no choice as to where they come from. Walmart is big here in the states for mainly one reason,Prices. A lot of their stuff is manufactured in poor country's and workers are paid very little. Our low wage workers are almost forced to buy in the same way,what is cheap.
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            #6
            Re: Sustainable Shopping Conundrum: Eco/Fair Trade vs. Second Hand

            Originally posted by Rae'ya View Post
            Fair enough. I was just throwing it out there. Personally I love my jeans and I don't actually own any other trousers (that feels weird... we call them pants here, but I know that means something else in certain parts of Europe) aside from my work ones. Just wanted to make sure you'd actually thought about it and hadn't just assumed that there was no alternative
            Haha I'm surprised I automatically used the word "trousers" myself. I grew up in Canada and Canadians say "pants" as well. I've been here too long....

            - - - Updated - - -

            Originally posted by anunitu View Post
            A big problem for people of modest means is you must buy what is cheap,and most times really have no choice as to where they come from. Walmart is big here in the states for mainly one reason,Prices. A lot of their stuff is manufactured in poor country's and workers are paid very little. Our low wage workers are almost forced to buy in the same way,what is cheap.
            Yep. I certainly don't judge anyone for buying what's cheap when they have nothing themselves. In a lot of cases, they're also victims of the same kind of exploitation I was talking about.

            I just really want to find my own way to make more conscious purchases. Usually I don't really buy anything at all (Buy Nothing Day? Unless you count food, I have Buy Nothing Months and Buy Nothing Seasons!) and even though I love fashion, I usually only buy new stuff when something else breaks. Otherwise, I express myself by making things, upcycling things, and revamping things. Jeans are hard to make though and it's almost harder to find sustainable fabrics than it is to find sustainable clothing!

            I think I'll end up looking in the charity shops here to see if I can find anything in my size. A pair of eco/fair trade jeans costs between 70-100 Euros, which is a lot of money for me. If I can't find anything in my size, I'll ask for a pair for my birthday.

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