The Problem With Second - Hand Clothes
by Tansy E Hoskins
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-problem-with-second-hand-clothes-2013-11
Macklemore’s hugely popular anthem “Thrift Shop,” which has been viewed over 450 milliontimes on YouTube, is a cheeky tribute to the joys of shopping on the cheap,featuring mountains of second-hand coats, sweaters, jackets, jeans, jumpsuits,dresses, shoes and shirts.
Onthe surface, the recycling of used clothes, often charitably donated, means oldgarments don’t go to waste, while new owners get a bargain. It seems like a“win-win” situation that couldn’t be more ethically sound. And as the Christmasseason approaches, millions of Westerners will soon flock to charity shops todonate their second-hand clothes.
Buton closer inspection, the reselling of clothes is more complex than one mightthink, posing difficult questions for those hoping to do good by donating theirold clothes.
Contraryto its homespun image, the second-hand clothing industry is dominated by whatDr Andrew Brooks and Prof David Simon at the University of London have called“hidden professionalism.” The majority of donated clothing is sold tosecond-hand clothing merchants, who sort garments, then bundle them in balesfor resale, usually outside the country in which the clothing was originallydonated.
Onekey market is sub-Saharan Africa, where a third of all globally donated clothesare sold. In a paper entitled “Unravelling the Relationships betweenUsed-Clothing Imports and the Decline of African Clothing Industries,” Brooksand Simon quote a representative of UK-based anti-poverty organisation OxfamWastesaver, who states that 300 bales of second-hand clothing can be sold inAfrica for around £25,000 (about $40,000 at current exchange rates), whiletransport costs are just £2,000. Even taking into account the costs of thingslike collection and processing, these numbers suggest that the selling ofsecond-hand clothing can be a lucrative affair, especially as the clothingbeing sold has often been charitably donated for free. While exact figures arescarce, in 2009, used clothing exports from OECD countries were worth $1.9billion, according to the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database.
Butit’s not just the “hidden professionalism” of the used clothing business — andthe resulting gap between costs and resale prices — that hurts markets likesub-Saharan Africa. The flood of castoffs collected via second-hand clothingschemes (along with the rise of cheap Chinese apparel imports) have also helpedto undermine Africa’s own fledgling textiles and clothing manufacturingindustry, says Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang.
Thesecond-hand clothing market has a negative impact in donor markets, as well.Consumers in the global North throw away vast quantities of clothing everyyear. In the UK, for example, people dump 1.4 million tonnes of clothing intolandfills, annually. To combat dumping, charities and local governments haveincreasingly instituted clothing recycling programmes. But, ultimately,recycling tackles the symptom not the cause — and gives consumers a false senseof security that the rate at which they are consuming and disposing of clothingis at all sustainable.
Thetruth is, “fast fashion” is a deeply unsustainable model. And by emphasisingrecycling rather than tackling the root cause of why people continue to buy anddispose of larger and larger quantities of lighter, thinner and less well-madeclothing, consumers are reassured that they can continue shopping as normal.
“There is now this notion that fashion is just acommodity, and that we are just consumers,” laments Dilys Williams, director ofthe Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion. “Itdoesn’t do justice to us or to fashion. Fashion should be about cherishingclothes and creating an identity, [but today it's] based on constant adrenalinand the excitement of purchasing. There is no anticipation or dreaming. Nothinglasts or is looked after. We each have a mini-landfill in our closets.”
Butwhy stop and think when the charity shop or recycling bank is there to takecare of the mess?
附：写作范文
In the essay titled “The Trouble with Second-hand Clothes”, Tansy Hoskins unveils the harms lurking in the clothing industry when it comes to donating used clothes. To make her point more convincing, the author has employed a number of tactics such as a clear reasoning, sufficient exemplification and a colloquial language style.
To start with, the logic of this essay is manifest enough. By depicting how people normally view the industry of donating second-hand clothes, the essay easily wins the readers’ support at the beginning. Yet, after the first glance at the industry is cast, the author goes on to explore the topic at a considerable depth. The seemingly win-win situation is, as a matter of fact, a much more complicated issue than what people have taken for granted. And closely follows that claim, Tansy points out that the donation of used clothes does much more harm than good. It has become an easy means to make profits for those insiders who have exploited “hidden professionalism” as it is extremely lucrative when the clothing is exported and sold in less developed regions like sub-Saharan Africa. The cheaply imported apparel also threatens the development of local textile industries. It even does harm to the home markets where such clothes are donated as it encourages people to continue shopping new clothes, which is highly unsustainable.
In other words, as Tansy sees it, nobody but the professional merchants involved in second-hand clothing industry is the true winner.
It is by no means easy to set people’s misconception right, and the author provides a good number of examples. Concrete numbers from reliable sources is provided when it comes to the volume of the second-hand clothing trade in Africa. 300 bales of used clothing can be sold for about 25,000 pounds and the shipping cost is around 2,000 pounds, which suggests that the profit margin is considerable as such clothes are donated by kind-hearted people in hopes of helping the needy. And as the UN database shows, “used clothing exports from OECD countries were worth $1.9 billion” in 2009. Such strong evidences are powerful enough to convince readers of her points. Quotations from other experts such as Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang, Dilys Williams, director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion have also been cited to help reset people’s notion of the industry.
Another persuasive element involved is the writer’s colloquialism, making the essay easy to follow and adding readability. The author approaches the topic with a reference to a hugely popular song called “Thrift Shop” which has been viewed by millions of people, which is a “cheeky tribute to the joys of shopping on the cheap. Word-picture such as “mountains of second-hand coats, sweaters, jackets, jeans, jumpsuits, dresses, shoes and shirts” are serving as a hint foreshadowing the later argument of money-making industry. The second paragraph continues with the easy-flow style of the language, narrating the seemingly innocent industry as a “win-win” situation as recycling second-hand clothes means “old garments don’t go to waste, while new owners get a bargain”. Yet, later, readers will realize that people’s good intentions have been made to the interest of second-hand clothing merchants as well as clothing factories, and people continue buying fashion as normal without realizing what problems their act has caused. Also, the last sentence of the essay, which is a rhetorical question in form, helps reiterate what has been proposed, inviting people to think twice before buying more clothes. By asking “But why stop and think when the charity shop or recycling bank is there to take care of the mess?”, the author suggests that people should clean their messy closets and buy less than they are doing.
To sum up, Tansy has researched deeply into this issue and made her point with the help of a clear reasoning, sufficient exemplification and a vividly colloquialism.