“Tis the season and one thing that the pandemic has caused is increased online purchases. Rather than head to stores to browse and shop, many consumers have opted to scroll through countless sites to find merchandise, including clothing.
If you know the brand well, know your size and taste, then purchasing for yourself is safe. Some consumers order multiple sizes to ensure the correct fit and then return the others. If you are purchasing a gift for another person, there might be problems in likeability or sizing. This is especially true for holiday clothing sales.
Overall E-commerce sales are expected to increase by 35.8% for the holiday season ($50 billion more than in 2019), reaching $190 billion for November and December combined. The value of returned items is projected to be $47 to $57 billion. What is returned varies by category, but online returns are about triple the physical store returns (25-30% vs. 8-10%). (Forbes, Oct. 28, 2020)
So, what happens to clothing after it is returned? Unfortunately, many retailers do not choose to resell it as it is often easier, cheaper and quicker to take other measures such as export to developing countries, send to landfills, donate to different geographic regions and finally, destruction.
Fortunately, public pressure often brings awareness and shame for wasteful retail practices. In 2018 when it was exposed that Burberry was burning their returned goods, they were forced to transition to donating and repurposing methods. France has taken a global lead by banning the practice of sending damaged or unused products to landfill.
How can you purchase clothing online more ethically? (Brightly.eco, Jan. 17, 2020)
Here are 4 tips:
- Avoid “bracketing,” or buying multiple sizes of clothing online so that you can try them all on at home and return what does not fit.
- Second guess making returns – try gifting, selling, or donating instead.
- Purchase second-hand goods to eliminate waste and stop more items from ending up in landfills.
- Buy from brands that are focused on sustainability.