Why Mending Matters
At a recent networking event, I was talking to a man about Mendit. As I was explaining what our app does, I said, “Suppose your shirt had a tear at the seam. You could download our app and have it quickly repaired by a local small business.” He then kind of chuckled and pragmatically asked, “Why wouldn’t I just go buy another shirt?”.
Honestly, it’s a fair question. It was an expected question. Humans are busy these days and convenience and instant gratification run our lives. I am guilty of participating in fast fashion, buying cheap clothes that last one or two washes, trashing clothes that I wore once, etc. I replied, “Well, we are asking consumers to make the more sustainable choice. Sure, it is more convenient to run down to Target and grab a new shirt off the rack, but what happens to the shirt in your closet? Do you think about it once you’ve tossed it out? Where does it go from there?”
Why Opt to Mend It?
It’s the Sustainable Choice: Fast Fashion is devastating our planet. It is a huge pollution contributor and has direct impacts on climate change, due to the industry’s significant carbon footprint. Shockingly, the equivalent of 1 dumpster truck load of clothing is incinerated or buried in a landfill every second of the day. There are 3,600 seconds in an hour and 86,400 seconds in a day. That is A LOT of waste.
As a consumer, you can help affect change by choosing to mend and repair the clothing that you already own. When you need to purchase new clothing, consider choosing brands that demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by creating clothing pieces that are well made and intended to last longer than one ‘season’.
It Supports Local Businesses: By investing in repairing your clothing instead of buying new, you are also able to support local businesses. When you use Mend It, small businesses and nonprofits receive revenue. When you support small businesses, you support families, with ripples of positive impact to your local economy. Shopping and supporting local businesses may not seem like a big deal to you, but to the business, you are making a difference with every purchase.
What if an item is beyond repair or I just don’t like it anymore?
Not every piece of clothing is able to be repaired. Here are a few ideas that you can consider:
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Repurpose it: Growing up, my grandmother would repurpose our worn out t-shirts by cutting them up and using them as cleaning rags. We have been using the same t-shirt rags in our house for decades, and they go to the trash only when they are really unusable.
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Donate it: If your clothing is still in good condition, but it’s just not your style anymore, consider donating it to give it new life. You can submit a bag of clothes for donation with any MendIt order, and we’ll take care of them!
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Recycle it: Textile recycling is the option if your clothing cannot be repurposed or used again. Recycling is the preferred method for disposing textile waste because it is the circular economy choice that allows for the materials to be reused over and over again. Our donation/recycle partner will recycle textiles that are not usable.
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Other fun facts about Textile Recycling:
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Decreases landfill space requirements (synthetic fiber products do not decompose; natural fibers may release greenhouse gases)
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Avoids use of virgin fibers
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Reduces consumption of energy and water
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Avoids pollution
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Decreases demand for dyes
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My challenge to you is to go take a look at your closet. Is there anything in there with a hole, a tear? Is there anything preventing you from wearing some of your most-loved items again? I’d be willing to bet that there is. Once you find it, click here to download our app and place your first mending order today. The Earth –and our local businesses and nonprofits – will thank you!
Mendit is here to make sustainable consumption convenient and fun.
Our pilot is currently operating in Houston, Texas with a drop-off point in Braeswood.
If we are not in your area, please click here and let us know where we are needed!
Article Sources: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-basics-of-recycling-clothing-and-other-textiles-2877780 https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/fashion/overview