Thrifting and Circular Living
In our previous posts, we’ve established how thrifting is a wonderful and rewarding way of purchasing items: you can discover a high quality and valuable item, get it for a bargain, and contribute to saving the planet by giving these products a second home.
Essentially, thrifting breaks the traditional model of consumption we’ve long been used to: produce, use, and dispose. For the longest time, this model has dominated the way we, as a society, consume everything from clothes, food to non-essentials. Big corporations and manufacturers collect raw materials and transform these into products for us to purchase and use. Eventually, these items are outgrown or become damaged, becoming obsolete, signaling the end of its lifespan and are discarded as waste. This is called the linear economy, also appropriately dubbed the “take-make-waste” economy.
However, in recent years, we’re collectively coming to the not-so-shocking realization that our planet’s resources are finite and this linear economy we’ve grown accustomed to is no longer going to cut it.
This is where circular living comes in to revamp consumption as we know it.
What is circular living?
Circular living is related to the pursuit of a circular economy that aims to reduce waste and consumption of our planet’s limited resources such as raw materials, energy, and water. In addition, the circular economy emphasizes prolonging the use of goods.
In contrast to the linear way of living that is anchored on the goal of endless economic and financial growth at the expense of our planet and all its inhabitants, circular living takes a restorative approach to life and the environment. Circularity asks questions such as, “How can we extend or recover value from the materials and objects we already have?”
Ultimately, the goal of a circular economy is to be self-sustaining wherein “waste” is no longer considered as such. Instead, it’s rerouted into something that is still of value, reusing the materials, and integrating it into a wasteless cycle.
We understand that pursuing a circular lifestyle can seem intimidating for it challenges the norm when it comes to producing, buying, and using goods. However, your journey towards circularity doesn’t have to begin with a big, grand leap such as avoiding plastics like the plague or swapping all of your belongings for second-hand or sustainably-sourced items. Our circumstances, lifestyles, and budgets don’t always make it easy.
Breaking the mold of linear living can begin with small changes in your consumption habits. And if you’re looking for a way to start contributing towards a circular Philippines, we now ask: have you considered thrifting?
What is thrifting?
Did you know that creating a single cotton shirt uses up 2,700 liters of water? Or that annually, nearly 7 billion trees are cut down globally without being replaced, in order to supply wood to the furniture sector? Not to mention that factories are one of the most notorious producers of air pollutants.
The production of brand new goods takes up a significant amount of resources and energy, leading to a series of negative impacts on our fragile planet. This environmental impact is what the act of thrifting aims to curb.
Thrifting is the act of buying pre-loved, gently used items usually at discounted prices. It's not uncommon, however, to score goods that are completely brand new, tags attached and all, at thrift stores.
Thrifting is a wonderful way to start your journey into circular living, especially with the exciting and growing thrifting scene in the Philippines. Opting to purchase from your local thrift store in contrast to big shopping malls reduces waste since you’re purchasing items that have already been manufactured. More importantly, instead of letting perfectly functional goods ending up in a landfill, you’re giving them a second home.
A common misconception held about thrifting is that it’s an activity only worth doing if you’re looking to purchase apparel and accessories. While clothing is the most common category of items you’ll find in thrift stores, there are other physical and online thrift shops offering a wide selection of items apart from fashion. Furniture and home decor, office supplies, electronics, vintage collectibles, pre-loved books, you name it, a thrift store has most likely got it!
So, if you need a couple of wardrobe staples, maybe a new appliance, or a little home decor to spruce your space up, consider heading to your local thrift store and checking it out in person. However, if you’re looking for a thrifting experience without having to leave your home, then you need to meet Thrift by Humble.
Meet Thrift by Humble
Thrift by Humble is a digital thrift shop where you can buy high-quality, sustainably sourced products from the best brands at the lowest prices. We divert items from landfills, preventing more waste and reducing demand for new products.
Thrift carries mostly brand new items and a small percentage of gently used ones. Regardless, you can be sure of your items’ excellent condition whenever you shop from Thrift; all the items we carry go through our quality checking process, are guaranteed authentic and are covered by our unique return and refund policies for your risk-free shopping.
How does Thrift help you pursue circular living? Well, we source our items from our network of partners who are looking to divert their excess inventory and returns from landfills. We bring these items back into circularity through our eCommerce channels (Lazada, Shopee, and our own website) because we dream of a world where circular living is the norm.
Making an impact through your online purchases is now easier than ever, made possible by Thrift by Humble! If you’re serious about living circular, join us on our mission and shop sustainably at Thrift today!
