On March 20, a thrifting convention, aptly named ThriftCon, will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. ThriftCon, which advertises itself as “the nation’s premier clothing and vintage sale,” was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 2019 and now travels around the country annually. 

Tickets to enter the venue range up to $30 and ThriftCon’s online shop boasts many goods, the most notable being a T-shirt emblazoned with “Thank You For Thrifting” that retails for $25 – the poster child for irony.

In recent years, thrifting has soared in popularity. This rise may be accredited to younger populations participating in social media trends such as extravagant “thrift hauls.” ThredUP, an online thrift store, reported that the resale market hit $36 billion in 2021 and is projected to hit $77 billion in 2025.

The fashion industry is notorious for the amount of pollution it generates. Textile production produces upwards of 1.2 million tons in CO2 emissions a year and accounts for 5% of total global emissions. Consequently, buying secondhand clothing is a great way to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint since it allows clothes to recirculate and prevents further energy consumption. 

Like many good things, however, thrifting is only helpful in moderation.

Overconsumption in the clothing industry has grown in conjunction with the popularity of trends that encourage people to purchase more than they need. As a result, textile waste is piling up around the world – Chile receives up to 59,000 tons of clothing every year – and thrifting excessively adds to this rising trend.

All too often, people find themselves going to thrift stores for fun and impulsively buying items that they might not wear often. This invalidates the merit of thrifting and the item usually ends up rotting in the back of a closet.

Younger generations also see thrifting as an ethical alternative to fast fashion, which is infamous for exploiting workers around the world and flooding the market with cheap and trendy clothing that only lasts a few wears. 

This mindset around thrifting being more “sustainable,” however, helps shoppers absolve themselves from guilt when they over-thrift, and therefore, overconsume.

Thrifting is also typically more economically accessible, so audiences that view thrifting merely as a fun activity or hobby tend to overindulge. These same people are usually the ones that could have afforded to buy their clothes elsewhere.

Thrifting has always been essential for economically disadvantaged populations that depend on finding their everyday wardrobe at affordable prices. Depop resellers that scour Goodwills for trendy clothes to upsell online hinder thrift stores from helping individuals that need the support.

While the practice of thrifting can have environmental benefits, trying to capitalize on it through events like ThriftCon or practices like reselling can have the opposite effect. Furthermore, on an individual level, thrifting in excess also contributes to overconsumption.

Being mindful of the impact every single piece of clothing has on the environment is a good first step to reducing one’s footprint. Thrifting is a preferable alternative to fast fashion, but ultimately the most sustainable course of action is to stop expanding your closet.

Aparna is a freshman in LAS.

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