2020 is officially in full swing, which means your resolutions are likely still fresh in your mind. If one of them happened to be focused on helping combat climate change, thredUP’s Fashion Footprint Calculator is here to help. The new tool from the online thrifting retailer breaks down how your habits could be contributing to your carbon footprint and outlines the steps you can take to reduce fashion waste and be more sustainable in 2020.
According to thredUP, the calculator is a result of its Fashion Waste Awareness study which polled 1,000 women across the United States regarding their perspective on how much impact the fashion industry has on the environment. The study found 92% of women polled wanted to lower their carbon footprint (the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by an individual) in the fashion space. However, two in three women didn’t know where to begin when it come to doing so.
ThredUP Brand Director Erin Wallace spoke with Bustle regarding the findings and the new tool and explained that the results made education a key element of thredUP’s mission in 2020. “We found that there was a lot of education that needed to take place to help consumers do better.” she says. “Not just when it comes to buying, but also how you care for your clothing, dispose of your clothing, the world around your wardrobe. That’s where the calculator came in.”
To create the calculator, thredUP paired with independent environmental research firm Green Story Inc. The firm aggregated peer-reviewed research, analyzed data regarding clothing chain supply cycles, and conducted an independent lifecycle analysis to quantify the carbon footprint of customers everyday actions.
For users, the new tool works like a quiz, asking questions about their everyday habits when it comes to clothing. From the frequency at which they buy used clothes to how they do laundry to clothing disposal, the calculator tallies care and shopping habits then give you a measure of your carbon footprint. Once done, thredUP transitions into providing users with an entire range of ways to decrease their own fashion waste.Among these suggestions are actions like air drying your clothing instead of using a traditional dryer, sticking to mostly standard shipping for online purchases, and renting for special occasions.
