Brands from Zara to Shein have made headlines recently for their resale programs. But are fast fashion's resale platforms a true step in the right direction towards circularity? Or is it just more greenwashing?
In this Conscious Question episode, Stella and I dive into if fast fashion resale programs are really circular or just greenwashing (and why we think so), how can we tell if a fashion brand's resale program is a genuinely sustainable effort, and what some red flags are to look out for.
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ELIZABETH
Brands from Zara to Shein have made headlines recently for getting into the secondhand market with their resale programs.
But are fast fashion resale programs a step in the right direction towards circularity or is it just more greenwashing?
And how can we tell if a fashion brand’s resale program is a genuinely sustainable effort? What are some of the red flags to look out for?
We’re exploring all of this and more in this week's episode.
ELIZABETH
Hey there, and welcome back to our special short series of the conscious style podcast, conscious questions, where Stella and I delve into some of the most asked questions in the conscious fashion and sustainable fashion space.
So in the first episode, we talked about if fast fashion brands can ever be sustainable. And we also covered things like, how can I tell if a brand is greenwashing and are sustainability ambassadors and conscious collections really improving fast fashion?
So we delved into so much with that one, so definitely go back to that episode. If you're curious to get a little bit more on that topic. I think that in today's conversation, it might be helpful to have some of the context that we talked about in episode one.
However, if you sort of already feel like you get the greenwashing of fast fashion, then feel free to keep listening to this episode. Because we're talking about fast fashion resale programs.
So this is kind of like a specific initiative of fast fashion’s, so-called sustainability efforts, but we felt like it deserved its own episode, because there's a lot to unpack here with fashion and secondhand, and fast fashion circularity and all that stuff. So another big question this week.
Stella, what's your take?
STELLA
Another big question, another complex answer, I would say. I mean I think that, all of these questions have complex answers. But this one is particularly interesting, because we've seen a big rise in the secondhand movement in general, right? And we know it's growing from reports such as the thredUP resale report that comes out every year.
And according to them, right, the global secondhand apparel market is set to grow three times faster than the overall apparel market, which is quite, quite a statement. And a lot of the time when you hear about secondhand, we speak about it in a good way, right?
And it is a good thing. We love to see people embracing secondhand, thrifting more, just extending the lifespan of clothing so that it doesn't have to go to landfill as much.
And so it is something to celebrate. It's a big circular fashion win. And it's been interesting to see that not just people and not just platforms such as Poshmark and Depop have been hopping onto this, but it's also been a rise in fast fashion brands creating their own in-house resale platforms.
I think it's a bit ironic, right? Because we all speak about these brands being one of the biggest causes of fashion's waste crisis, we just see these piles, and you've just done an episode with… I can't remember the name of the people on the episode, but about the Desert in Chile where all of the clothing then dumped.
ELIZABETH
Ahhh, yes.
STELLA
So we see piles of clothing in the Chilean deserts. And we see it in countries all over Africa. And I know India has this problem, too. We have such a big waste crisis. And yet, fast fashion is one fueling it and they want to create resale platforms. The irony is strong.
So my take on whether it can make them sustainable, fast fashion brands is I don't think so. But let's unpack a bit more. Yeah, what is your take on it? Do you want to start with yours?
ELIZABETH
Yeah. I mean, yeah, I feel like as you said, this is a complex question. And it's a gray area. And it's so new in terms of the fast fashion resale programs.
Going back to episode one of our Conscious Questions series - can resale be enough to make fast fashion sustainable… and that's like, 100% no. Like, that's like a solid no.
STELLA
A hundred percent.
ELIZABETH
But are these resale programs in of themselves like a circular solution or like a sustainable fashion win? That I feel like is, I guess, a bit more complicated? I mean, I think again, we have to look at the intentions. We talked a lot about intentions in the first episode.
Their intention — is it to genuinely increase the secondhand fashion movement? Or is it to get basically the money that they see themselves losing from people selling garments on Poshmark and Depop, and whatever other platform. Do they sort of just want to kind of reclaim that money that they see that they're losing?
That's also like a concern that I have is their intention. And maybe even if that is their intention, they might still expand the sort of market for secondhand clothing in the process. But I don't necessarily think that's like their goal.
STELLA
No, I think for me, the intention became clear, when I was reading that statistic earlier around the fact that the global secondhand apparel market is set to grow three times faster than the overall apparel market. I was like, if I was a fast fashion millionaire: One I'd be hearing trend, like this is something that a lot of people are into, and a lot of businesses are hopping on to as well.
But two, I'd be hearing growth. And trend and growth are two buzzwords in probably the offices of fast fashion billionaires. And so yeah, I think they're their eyes probably lit up. And this is probably why we're seeing a huge growth in resale in the fast fashion space.
But I think what stands out to me is that it's not the spacing, any of that new production, right?
ELIZABETH
Exactly.
STELLA
They are still continuing to create way more clothing than we will ever be able to wear, ever be able to use. Most of it goes to waste. And they're continuing to exploit garment workers; they're continuing to extract resources from the earth. But they're just adding a resale program on top of all of that.
So I think we spoke a lot about this in like you said, the previous episode around cherry-picking and and what are they not focusing on? And what are they choosing to focus on to convince us that they are green or eco friendly or circular? And that's really what highlights it for me.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, absolutely. And I think Emily Stochl, the host of Pre-Loved Podcast, and when she also works for Remake, I think that she explains it so well.
And she says that the environmental benefit of secondhand is, of course, you're diverting it, maybe from the waste stream, but also you're decreasing the need for new production. Because that's carbon emissions, the water pollution, all that sort of, long laundry list of impacts of fashion come from the production.
So ideally, buying secondhand would sort of reduce that. But to your point, the fast fashion brands aren't reducing their production, they're just adding the secondhand arm without any — they're probably even planning on continuing to increase production. So where's the environmental benefit, then?
STELLA
No, exactly. And there was another Remake report that read saying that for 2021 Remake Fashion Accountability Report, and said, None of the analyzed big fashion brands with retail initiatives could demonstrate that their circular efforts are actually displacing their core business of selling new products from virgin materials.
And I think that's a really important point. Because when we think about circularity, what we really are trying to do is displace the use of new resources or virgin resources. So it's not really aiding circular fashion if you're continuing to do that. While you're still trying to resale. I think that it's just another revenue stream. Right?
ELIZABETH
I mean, that report says it all.
STELLA
Exactly, a hundred percent.
ELIZABETH
That report literally says everything.
STELLA
Yeah, exactly.
ELIZABETH
And I feel like another element of the fast fashion resale programs that we should talk about is how tiny these are. You know, we were talking about the conscious collections, the eco collections, whatever, in episode one. And the resale site is very similar.
In your article that you wrote, you wrote about H&M's rewear platform. And you know, they have like 14,000 results, which is does sound like a lot.
But then you look at they produce 3 billion garments per year. So like, that's not even 1%. I mean, that's not even half a percent. It's like, .0005%.
STELLA
I know. It's unbelievable. When you look at it in perspective, it really shows you how little of a difference their resale programs are making. If they're not actually going to change anything about the rest of their production, right?
Because we're trying to tackle their waste and doing so by creating another avenue to sell their goods.
ELIZABETH
Right. Such a good point. They're creating the problem like…
STELLA
It just doesn't make sense. And I think another interesting point is that often, if you're going to buy something that's under $10, what is the resale value that that item has?
And I think, especially with T-shirts or basics, or things that do you have that kind of price range? How many times can it be resold? One because of the cost? And two because of the quality? And if it can't be resolved many times, is it really circular?
Because I think one thing that we don't talk about as much in this conversation around resale is that circularity actually begins at the design stage. It's about how you're designing for end-of-life durability, repairability, to really ensure that that garment is going to be lasting across the years through the test of time.
It's not just about okay, now we have this garment, how do we resell and circulate it right at the end of the whole lifespan?
ELIZABETH
Right, right. You're just sort of delaying how long it'll take for that garment to basically end up in a landfill or burned. And that's okay, yes, we're making progress, we're taking a step.
But like, in terms of, if you own a resale business, or you're shopping secondhand, I think, yeah, we're taking great steps. But when you think about the fast fashion brands, as you were saying, they're creating so much waste in the first place. That to me, from a brand point of view is not progress, really significantly towards circularity.
Because to your point where those garments designed to last in the first place? And that brand actually has control over that, right? They have control over how high quality and how circular and how long their garment is going to last, and then they're kind of choosing to not, to not make it quality.
So that’s just the resale program and of itself is not enough. What would be, to me really, like great, genuinely, a genuine step towards progress would be if a fashion brand, took responsibility for every garment that they produced.
And said, hey, everybody who ever bought a garment from us, like, we're going to take back every single item that we've produced, and we are going to figure out a way to responsibly upcycle it, repair it, resell it, and not dump any of it on anyone else. And like we're gonna take full responsibility like now that — that is progress.
STELLA
That would be amazing. Oh, my goodness, and then, you know what then they realize how impossible of a task it is? And perhaps something would have to shift because it seems it's almost impossible for that to happen. They produce millions of garments.
ELIZABETH
Oh yeah. There’s no way.
STELLA
They could finally see what we're talking about. And understand why we're constantly asking for change. And yeah, I think that one thing that they also never speak about is what happens to the garments or their resale programs that don't sell?
Of which I'm sure there are many, many, many, and weird… and who has to carry that burden? And I think we probably know the answer, but they don't speak about it.
So yeah, there's a lack of transparency on that. I have no doubt that it feeds into waste colonialism and ends up in countries in the Global South. But there are no clear answers to that question.
ELIZABETH
Right, right. And, yeah, I think that if a brand were to actually take true responsibility, and I'm not talking about Zara's take-back programs where there's no transparency on where those clothes are actually going.
But as we were talking about like a really true responsibility, as you said that then they'll realize they have to degrow their production to achieve circularity. They like to advertise circularity, recycling this and recycling that and…
But if they actually had to really manage the full lifecycle of every product that they produce, they would realize that it's completely insufficient, this whatever recycling technology. Like, it's just impossible unless you decrease your production. It's just not, not feasible to continue those garments to be in circulation. Secondly, if those garments were to actually stay in the loop, in circulation, we would need less new clothes.
STELLA
Right, exactly.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, there's just so many levels to that.
STELLA
There really are. I wish they could see it from our perspective, I wish that they could be the ones having to deal with the problem, instead of the ones just kind of choosing which little greenwash solutions to try and tackle one at a time. But yeah,
ELIZABETH
Yeah. And you wrote a great article on extended producer responsibility legislation that I'm gonna link in the show notes, because that is a fantastic deep dive that we can't get into in this episode, but definitely go read that. That was a powerful article.
STELLA
Yeah, it's a really interesting take on whose responsibility it should be, to take responsibility for fashion's waste crisis. And legislation that's probably going to be coming more mainstream in upcoming years, which is extended producer responsibility.
Which in theory makes sense, right? You're putting the responsibility of solutions to waste on the brand or organization that produces it. But there's a lot of complexity around power dynamics and waste colonialism that are often a bit more hidden. So I would suggest checking that out, if you have some time.
ELIZABETH
Totally, totally.
I think we also have to talk about, with these secondhand platforms, that a lot of them operate, not in a way that you sell a garment and you get money, like on Poshmark or something. But you sell a garment, and you get store credit to buy more stuff.
STELLA
It's actually, it sounds like a joke, but it's not, it's not. It's the truth. And that's how you know, for sure it's greenwashing because they're just using it as a way to get you to spend more money on their clothing, right?
And I know H&M does this, you can swap back for cash. But if you don't swap that for cash, you get more value from vouchers. And that's not the only example. There are others out there.
And it just kind of continues to feed that consumer machine of buying more than you need, and getting rid of things when you don't necessarily need to get rid of them.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, absolutely. And in an ideal world, it would be maybe like a swap. Like I can see some people arguing that it could be like, well, this doesn't fit you anymore, or you don't like the color anymore, and so you're kind of swapping it.
Like I maybe could see that. But I do think that there should… I think that there should be that you have the option of like money or credit, like if you at least, but like you shouldn't only be able to get credit.
STELLA
No, yeah. It just seems like you're giving away clothing just to buy more clothing. And that has value. I mean, you paid money for it. So it makes sense you should get money in return.
ELIZABETH
Right. And also where the money is going? Someone had to buy that piece that you're selling, that you're reselling in a peer-to-peer case.
So I guess to back up a little bit in terms of brand-led resale, some brands are doing peer-to-peer where basically, they're just like kind of providing the platform, but still, it's operating like a Poshmark where the individual person is taking a picture, uploading it, and sending the garment to another person. And the brand is just sort of like the middle person.
And then there's the brand in-house resale where a brand is literally taking back the garment. They're taking the photos, and they're gonna ship it out to whoever buys it. So there are sort of like two main styles, I would say of resale programs.
So what I'm talking about is like the peer-to-peer, where you're selling leggings, and you're maybe…it’s for $40. And then someone else buys them on this like brand facilitated platform. They buy those leggings, and you get credit, but you don't get any of the money that that person spent.
So, the money is still going to let's say, you know, in this case, the fast fashion brand, I mean, there are also slow fashion, conscious fashion brands with resale programs. And that's sort of a different story. I mean, you know, still to think about some of these considerations.
But I do feel differently about those. So like, the money is still going to the fast fashion brand, which like kind of sucks.
STELLA
Oh, for sure. And also a lot of I mean, I know there are examples of resale marketplaces where you don't even have to resell garments that are from that specific brand.
So they're actually profiting off garments that are not even from their brand, right? They're accepting anything. And so I think that's an even more interesting nuances.
They're making money off clothing that wasn't theirs in the first place, and off their own while still profiting off new and doesn't change anything in the rest of their supply chain. It doesn't have to do with any of their ethics, or any other sustainability considerations in their new production. So yeah, it really feels like a token cherry on top.
ELIZABETH
Right, right. And like one little thing with the credit, too, that was brought up as you were talking, for me, was an episode that I did with Shakaila Forbes-Bell, who's a fashion psychologist.
And talking about some of this psychology behind the marketing tactics of brands, and she was talking about how when we receive store credit — you know, and they have, like, get $20 off, if you spend 100 dollars — we feel like we've been given a gift.
And so we kind of feel like we need to give back. And we feel like we need to spend and give that money more as sort of like a to pay them back in a way.
STELLA
That’s so interesting. So we spend more.
ELIZABETH
So it sort of incentivizes us to, and maybe, obviously, this might depend on a person's personality.
I'm sure, there's somebody listening out there and be like, I wouldn't do that. I just take the credit. And like, all the more power to you, that's amazing. I resonated with that, like that happened to me. And like, oh this store gave me credit. But I don't want to just be one of those people, who only gets exactly how much I need to get the credit, I should buy more than that.
STELLA
No I can resonate with that, too. And you feel like you've won for real, because now you have something for free. And maybe you're better spend money anyway, and now you can buy something that's even more, you can buy even more, because you're still spending the same amount as you would have in the first place just getting extra for free. So.
ELIZABETH
Exactly, right. Yeah, the brand kind of knows this and knows that you're going to probably spend more than the store credit once you're there, especially if you like you have to get to a certain amount for free shipping.
STELLA
Exactly. It's very sneaky. Very sneaky indeed.
And I think it's also to say that we're not talking about all resale programs here. We're specifically speaking about those linked to fast fashion brands.
Because there are a number of examples of smaller brands or slow fashion brands that have resale marketplaces that are genuinely trying to extend the lifespan of their items, whether it's accessories or clothing, and also allow people to invest in them if they maybe couldn't afford the full price new because it's often a little bit cheaper.
And, you know, that's a genuine effort at circularity, because they're already trying, as a slow fashion brand, to minimize impact and be aware of their environmental and social, yeah just the impacts they have. So just making clear, we're not demonizing resale overall, it's specifically related to fast fashion.
ELIZABETH
Yes. Right, right. And I also think about how thrift stores are getting so frustrated how thrift stores are just like inundated with fast fashion. The quality is going down.
And I think it just shows to your point before some of these fast fashion resale programs, they're not even reselling their own clothes, because it's like, are their clothes even resellable, right?
I mean, are they…
STELLA
Exactly, exactly.
ELIZABETH
…when they have micro trends that went out of style in a week? As you said before, if someone's spent so little on it, are they going to be motivated to resell it?
They’re only going to get like… maybe they spent $5 on a t-shirt and they're going to get like $1 if they resell it? Is the resale platform itself motivated to resell it? If they're gonna make like 10 cents on the garment in their margins.
STELLA
It just influences the whole system really?
ELIZABETH
Yeah, yeah, totally. And another point is that I fear that as fast fashion gets more and more into the secondhand game, they're gonna make it more and more like fast fashion. Because we're already seeing that.
We're already seeing thrift shopping becoming a bit like… following some of the habits, I guess, of fast fashion. What are your thoughts on that?
STELLA
I think I heard somebody say it, I'm not sure if it was on the podcast or where, but it's the fast fashion-ification of this entire system, right?
As one thing gets faster and when the fast fashion brands start producing more faster, cheaper, it infiltrates everything else. It infiltrates like thrift stores, other resell programs, even the way we think about consuming and buying changes.
And I think that's an interesting point also around, can you overconsume secondhand? Which I think we can. And it's sometimes become so easy to fall into that mindset because of how fast fashion is moving now, right?
We're just so used to the speed. We see new things coming into online spaces on secondhand sites into local thrift stores, it changes all the time. And it's easy to overconsume secondhand, and to buy more than we need or more than we even want at any given time just because of the speed of things.
And yeah, I've definitely seen SHEIN things in my local charity stores already. So I can tell very easily that the trend cycles are moving more rapidly. Not just in fast fashion stores and on their sites, but also in other parts of the fashion system too. Which is kind of scary to think about, yeah.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, totally. And it's also the mindset and the approach. And how is a fast fashion brand going to market their resale program?
Are they going to tell people to be intentional and buy things that they're gonna get a lot of use out of and love? Or are they going to tell people to like, this is 100%, guilt free purchase, so buy as much as you want. Buy all day long.
STELLA
Right. Exactly.
ELIZABETH
What is your messaging gonna be around this?
STELLA
Exactly. And also, it's just a way to get rid of clothing that you don't no longer love. But in their mind, it's a way to clear up space in your closet. It's not just about responsibly rehoming, or making sure things stay out of landfall.
It feels like it's just, you need more space, so you can have more things. So here's an avenue for that. I will frame it as responsible.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, yeah.
ELIZABETH
And so something that I thought about with our like first episode about, fast fashion and greenwashing, how do I tell if a brand is greenwashing? Something that I thought of, but we were like running out of time, but I think it fits into this, is there's also greenwashing of secondhand.
And I've been seeing this a lot on Poshmark lately, and it's been kind of frustrating. But there's a lot of people selling things that they're not really you like, they say new with tags, but they're not totally clarifying if it's actually new, or if it was bought before and not worn, or was maybe part of a waste stream. And you're not really sure if it's secondhand or not.
STELLA
That's really interesting.
ELIZABETH
And my also concern with fast fashion getting into resale is like, how might they be able to like, greenwash that and they, for instance, might have some things that were overproduced, that were never sold, and they're like calling a secondhand, which might be true.
But also they could have just been more intentional about how much they were producing in the first place.
STELLA
That's a really interesting thought, because I can actually see that happening. I mean, I don't know if it does, but I can fully believe that it would. Because it would be so difficult to tell I mean, as a person just wanting to go thrifting or looking to buy secondhand.
It's just very difficult to tell, especially because you're relying on the seller's information. And what they are telling you about it, there aren't many ways to verify it from your end, because you're looking at it over a screen, you can't actually feel the piece, or understand what it's made from or look at the tag. So there's a lot of room for being misled and for greenwashing. So I hope it doesn't get to that.
ELIZABETH
Right, right. And I do feel like this is another gray area, because of course we don't want brands slashing and burning their garments. So I'm not saying it's necessarily bad if they decide to sell the unsold items at a discount. But it's just like…
STELLA
… to be transparent about that, I guess.
ELIZABETH
Yeah. And also making genuine efforts to reduce that overproduction. Which is going to be very difficult for our fast fashion brand. Because our order quantities are so huge.
I mean, how do you possibly estimate when you're churning through 3 billion garments in a year? How do you possibly, like accurately estimate how every single style is going to sell, right?
If you're SHEIN and you're releasing what is it like 2000 new styles a day? How do you like accurately predict if something's gonna sell?
And they said they produced small quantities, blah, blah, blah. But I don't know if I totally believe that. Just when you’re producing that fast how can you be producing intentionally like, I think it's kind of impossible with that business model.
STELLA
Exactly, it goes back to the business model, as we spoke about in the first conscious question of just it has to change, otherwise, nothing else will. And it's difficult. It's difficult because it's become a beast of its own.
And to go back to stop producing as much as they do, is going to cause profit loss. And I don't think they want to admit or accept that. But it's really the only way. I mean, in some ways, the solutions are simple, you just need to slow down. And in other ways, it's entirely complex, because that will ruin their entire business model. But it's the only way.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, I mean, there's an article in Vogue Business, that basically, just like with the start of the pandemic, and brands were canceling orders, that's starting to happen again, because it's slowing down and their inventory is piling up, and brands are starting to cancel orders again.
And it's just again, like the second that they slow down, everything falls apart. Like they have to keep up this really obviously unsustainable, literally, is rapid pace of production and people buying like, they have to keep doing that to like, keep their business afloat. Like literally, they need to produce and get people to buy more than they need in order to exist. So…
ELIZABETH
And I feel like yeah, as we sort of wrap up, round out this conversation, this conscious question, I think it's important to acknowledge that, just as with the first episode, this is not demonizing anybody who purchases from a fast fashion brand or fast fashion resale program.
But I think it just more were saying like, are these resale programs going to fix fast fashion? Are they going to make it circular or sustainable? No, it's just not enough.
STELLA
Yeah. 100% It's definitely not enough. And I think we also have a list on the website of good places to shop online secondhand if you're looking for an introduction to that world into, online thrifting. And if you want a few pointers in terms of figuring out whether a brand's resale program is greenwashing or not, which is as we have discussed quite complicated sometimes.
Just keep an eye out for if they're only giving out trade-in credit so I allowing you to resell clothes only in exchange for credit to spend in their store. That is an immediate red flag.
And also, are they trying to produce less because if they aren't, then this resale program is not going to save them. It's not going to make them circular, unless they're actually having plans in place to reduce their production and setting targets to ensure that they are not overproducing and creating more than is necessary.
And look at the rest of the brand, right? Because these programs, these resale programs don't exist in isolation, look at their ethics and their sustainability initiatives broader than just their resale program.
Does it reflect their values? Does it reflect what we need to be seeing in the fashion system? And are they taking clear steps towards being better?
Because we can't solve this sustainability crisis and ethics crisis in the fashion industry by just targeting one specific because we really have to look at it holistically. And the same goes for resale. So I think that's my points.
ELIZABETH
Yes. Brilliantly said, and there's just so many amazing resale platforms out there that I don't think that we have to rely on these fast fashion resale programs.
I mean, there's just so many really genuinely incredible options. And I think that buying secondhand is a really great way to be able to afford higher quality clothing when we might be able to afford new. And that's like, honestly, my favorite part about secondhand.
So there's a lot of great platforms where you can do that. And yeah, I think fast fashion resale is not the best option for this future of secondhand, broadly speaking. I just yeah. It's not necessary, We just need you to cease to exist, to be honest.
STELLA
Exactly, exactly. 100%. And in the meantime, let's keep buying secondhand from other places and like, just loving thrifting and embracing the pre-loved movement because that is still such an important part of secularity, but we can do it without the fast fashion part of it, 100%,
ELIZABETH
Yes, yes. Let's divest from fast fashion.
STELLA
[Laugh] Let’s divest.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, like to me, I think of it like, would I buy solar panels from Shell?
STELLA
Oh, that’s a great example.
ELIZABETH
No, I would not. Not in a million years. Like I want them to just I just want them to go away.
STELLA
Yes, exactly. A great example. It's exactly the same.
We don't need to buy solar panels from Shell because they don't care about the, about creating solutions to the climate crisis anyway. So what is the point?
ELIZABETH
And they're probably going to bring in their terrible ethics practices to that industry, too, right? Like, will fast fashion brands make secondhand..
We know there's like some sort of like, ethical concern sometimes with secondhand in terms of just like the whole, as you were saying, like, what happens to the garments that don't get sold in the secondhand market?
Like, we know, there's like some iffy things when it comes to fast fashion. And like, are they the best people to sort of run the secondhand economy, you know?
Just like we probably wouldn't trust fossil fuel companies to lead us into a clean energy future. I don't trust fast fashion to lead us into a slow fashion or circular fashion future.
STELLA
Exactly. That is the perfect analogy to end on, because it just illustrates this point through and through. [Laugh] I love it.
ELIZABETH
Well, we will wrap this up and tie it with a bow.
STELLA
Perfect. I hope that yeah, you've learned something from this episode, or out around resale, and that you'll have a bit more clarity if your next shopping on H&M and see a resale program and want to know if it is greenwashing or not.
Just know that it is and there are tons of great secondhand options out there for you if you are keen to get involved in the pre-loved movement, which we both hope that you will, because it's really fun, and sustainable!
ELIZABETH
And yeah, share your thoughts. Let us know what you thought. Was there a follow-up question? Is there something that you don't agree with? Do you have a totally different question?
DM @consciousstyle on Instagram or email podcast@consciouslifeandstyle.com. And we will… yeah, maybe be able to address your questions in a future episode.
Stella, can you tell listeners what they can expect in next week's episode of the Conscious Question series?
STELLA
Yes.
So, next week, we're going to shift gears a little bit away from greenwashing and move towards how can we speak to our friends about slow fashion, which is something that's pretty close to my heart.
It's something I've had to navigate over the next over the past few years and just, you know, initiating these conversations and sharing my views in a way that hopefully encourages others to give slow fashion a try.
But in a very gentle like welcoming and accommodating way, because you'd never want to guilt people or make people feel excluded from this movement.
And so I think Elizabeth and I both have experience with this, and we compiled a few tips that have helped us navigate those conversations that we wanted to share with you. So we'll be getting into that in the next episode. And we'll see you there.
ELIZABETH
Yes, see you all soon. See you next Tuesday.
And in the meantime, if you want to stay in touch, you can sign up to our weekly newsletter, The Conscious Edit at consciouslifeandstyle.com/edit.
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