Synaptic Snaps, Crackles & Pops

Fashion Waste [Journalistic Intentions Rd 8]

I don't shop for stuff online from stores known to almost anyone with an internet connection. In fact, every item I've ordered in the last few years has been shipped from that well-known (but secretly located) warehouse somewhere near Lehigh Valley, PA. Yeah, I'm talking about the WdC Shop available 24/7 from the left side of your logged-in screen. If platforms like Etsy, Home Shopping Network and the like depended on me for their business's survival, they'd soon find themselves on streetcorners with signs like "Will knit for food".

I do recognize, though, that online shopping is a very attractive option for many, and pretty much a requirement for those who are unable to get out to a brick-and-mortar store. I would imagine that most folks order things they actually need, but social pressures and "Ooh, that looks so cool!" moments contribute plenty to the glut of packages swirling around the world. As the journalist mentioned early in the referenced video—and as applies to most anything—"If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." Shoddy workmanship, whether intentional or not, condemns a lot of items right out of the box. Sadly, if the product return process is more complicated than stuffing the item(s) into a prepaid, pre-labeled container that came along for the ride, the item's most likely temporary home is the trash can, followed by a trip to a landfill or dump somewhere on the planet.

If you think about the life cycle of the Recently Discarded, from its initial assembly to its final resting place, it's not hard to visualize the unavoidable carbon footprint turning into a Size 13 bootprint by the time all's said and done.