When we toss a shirt into a donation bin, what are we really hoping for? A second chance, a fresh start or just a little relief from the guilt of letting go.
In that moment, the person dropping these shirts might feel a small wave of relief.
Any guilt now washed away. By the thought of second chances and fresh starts, but what really happens next?
I'm Asher.
I am Maddie
and I'm Arlette. And today you're tuning into thread count.
Dr. Gli directs Stanford's innovative supply of chain initiatives
and has spent years tracing the intricate web of global manufacturing. She knows firsthand that even the best intentions.
By giving away our clothing don't necessarily result in the second chances we envision.
So, um, linear supply chain is what we are all familiar with. It's the. Um, maybe take, make waste model where we take resources, we make some products out of them, we use them, and then we throw them away, uh, to the garbage. They probably end up in some landfill. So this is the, the model we are all familiar with.
The problem with it is that it can. It's very wasteful. Uh, it creates a lot of, uh, environmental issues, um, pollution and all of that.
But what if we could change that? What if our garments didn't go in a straight line to the dump, but on a different journey, a circular journey where each item of material had a second, third, or even fourth life?
But why does this matter at stake is our planet and millions of workers, fast fashion, pollutes, waste, and exploits. Creating carbon emissions, landfill, overflow, and unsafe labor conditions. Often for women and children. Fast fashion itself is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.
So today. We're following one shirt, tracing its path from a straight line to the landfill, or a circular journey where it gets a second chance. One shirt, two stories and decisions we make shaping their destinations.
Six months ago, Asher, a Stanford Junior, was on campus between classes, phone and hand lost in a TikTok scroll,
I saw influencers styling this palm leaf aloha shirt. It was everywhere. Beach vibes, pop colors, exactly what I needed for my next. OOTD Post.
from the moment it arrived on his doorstep, he fell in love. The shirt didn't disappear on Aloha Friday. A Stanford varsity gymnastics team tradition mandating every member to wear an Aloha shirt to Friday practices. Otherwise they're banished to the rope climbs.
At one point I wore that aloha shirt everywhere to class to get coffee or even when I was just being a couch potato. But the high fades fast, the Loha shirt. And I started to feel distant, like our relationship wasn't the same, and I started to question whether I had made a mistake.
In fact, people spend around $754 a year on impulse buy. We chase validation, not value, and that $20 purchase it often costs the planet far more.
I get compliments. Sure. Like, where'd you get that?
That's a cool shirt. But soon I hung it up in my closet along with some other shirts I had worn less frequently. Not even a month later, it landed in the donation bin.
I threw it in another gentle thud in the plastic bin, heaped with lifeless clothing. It felt good for a second. Like I had done something good, like the shirt would find a new life,
but the truth couldn't be farther from that. A study shows that as low as 20 to 30% of donated clothes find its way right back onto the resale racks.
And that's just the beginning.
Now the shirt is sent to a sorting warehouse. It's fate unknown. Will it end up on a rack, be shipped overseas or be thrown in the garbage?
US companies sell those, um, apparel in bulk by weight to those places in Africa. And so there is really no incentive for them to do any initial sorting to see, okay, how much of it is really usable versus not.
And so that's why they just ship everything to this. Other place. And then this other place needs to then figure out, do all the sorting and figure out what to do with the, all the unusable clothes.
That was Dr. Gli reflecting on her experience with supply chain management and the tough reality. Instead of making sure clothes are reusable, they're just shipped off in bulk, leaving communities in other countries to deal with. What's left behind making it someone else's problem.
In fact, according to research, the world consumes around 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, 400% more than the consumption. 20 years ago, the average American now generates. 82 pounds of textile waste each year. That's an overwhelming amount of clothing that could end up in landfills or overseas.
Bundles of mixed up clothes end up at Kenyan, Ghana, and other ports overwhelming local markets. The synthetic fibers used to make cheap clothes will now ensure. That it will remain there for decades.
Slowly depositing microplastics into the soil and waterways.
And not all the t-shirts are destined for this place because there's another option, a second life, an alternate destiny beyond the landfill.
Take the second outcome instead of the landfill as its resting place. It's back in the US draped on the clinking racks of a thrift store rescued from the bin of donations. Maybe it's rediscovered picked up by someone with an eye that sees its value, its potential for a second life.
But as Dr. Gla mentioned earlier. Not all garments make it past the bins. So what other options does that leave us with?
The bins don't have to be our only choice. There are other ways to keep our clothes in circulation. Ways that extend their life without sending them down the uncertain path of donation. This got us wondering, who else would be actively seeking solutions to this unsustainable, linear model?
And that brought us to Lila, a fellow Stanford student and a member of the fashion club on campus called Fashion X.
Yeah, so Fashion X is like the student fashion club on Stanford's campus.
I think that sustainability is like something that's obviously very prevalent in fashion, especially right now with fast fashion being such like a big climate issue.
we've worked with Depop and Poshmark.
Which are both like platforms where you sell used clothing. And so we do a lot of work with that. We've had like upcycling workshops where people bring in old clothes that they like, don't like anymore, and then they'll like swap them around and then we like will do a sewing workshop and show them how to turn it into something cooler.
That is so cool. Lila, you got the wheels turning in my head. Now I'm thinking I could even turn an old tee into a tilt bag, stitch patches onto my favorite jeans, or even swap clothes with friends. A new piece for you and a fresh start for them.
So we've traced the journey of two outcomes, one linear, one circular. And while it may seem like the problem is just too big, remember that every small, everyday actions. Can add up to systemic change.
Yeah, so I think that consumers definitely have power. Uh, you know, eventually all companies want to be profitable. They want to sell. And so if, if there is sufficient demand for, um, products that, for example, are made with circularity in mind, uh, then more companies may move in this direction. Um. Also consumers may be, say, more mindful of, uh, how much they buy.
If, if we all buy only what we need, avoid impulse buying, uh, try to buy more secondhand, then new, uh, items. Then eventually it can have an impact on total demand. And then, um. It will likely lead companies to, uh, produce less because there is less demand. So the consumers definitely have, uh, the power to impact.
It's probably not enough. Uh, it has to, um, there are the, like the technological, uh, constraints like we talked before. I mean, if companies, even if they do want to make more. Sustainable products, they need to have the solutions in place that they can implement. There also probably needs to be some legislation to, um, you know, force companies to move in this direction if they, even if they're not that interested in it.
That was Dr. Gli reminding us that our choices matter. But we also need to keep pushing for bigger changes. It's not just what we buy, but how we hold brands accountable.
And that's the tricky part, right? Balancing the push from consumers. With the pull from legislation, we can vote with our dollars. But real change needs systemic shifts too.
It's a culture war and one that we fight with every small decision we make. Changing the culture isn't just about shifting the market. It's about changing our mindset. So what can we do? Buy less but buy better repair instead of replace, share, swap, and upcycle, and choose brands that prioritize sustainability.
Take brands like the North Face and Patagonia. For example, which have launched recycling programs
and as Lila mentioned, only platforms like Depop and thread up. Have made thrifting more accessible than ever. And on top of that, community spaces like the textile maker space on campus are helping people repair and upcycle their clothes, giving them a second life.
But in the end, the most sustainable piece of clothing is the one that you already own. And if we can stretch the life of our garments, we're already changing the system. One piece, one choice at a time.
Thanks for tuning into thread count. I'm Asher with Maddie and Arlette. Keep questioning, keep reusing and stay tuned for our next unraveling.
In that moment, the person dropping these shirts might feel a small wave of relief.
Any guilt now washed away. By the thought of second chances and fresh starts, but what really happens next?
I'm Asher.
I am Maddie
and I'm Arlette. And today you're tuning into thread count.
Dr. Gli directs Stanford's innovative supply of chain initiatives
and has spent years tracing the intricate web of global manufacturing. She knows firsthand that even the best intentions.
By giving away our clothing don't necessarily result in the second chances we envision.
So, um, linear supply chain is what we are all familiar with. It's the. Um, maybe take, make waste model where we take resources, we make some products out of them, we use them, and then we throw them away, uh, to the garbage. They probably end up in some landfill. So this is the, the model we are all familiar with.
The problem with it is that it can. It's very wasteful. Uh, it creates a lot of, uh, environmental issues, um, pollution and all of that.
But what if we could change that? What if our garments didn't go in a straight line to the dump, but on a different journey, a circular journey where each item of material had a second, third, or even fourth life?
But why does this matter at stake is our planet and millions of workers, fast fashion, pollutes, waste, and exploits. Creating carbon emissions, landfill, overflow, and unsafe labor conditions. Often for women and children. Fast fashion itself is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions.
So today. We're following one shirt, tracing its path from a straight line to the landfill, or a circular journey where it gets a second chance. One shirt, two stories and decisions we make shaping their destinations.
Six months ago, Asher, a Stanford Junior, was on campus between classes, phone and hand lost in a TikTok scroll,
I saw influencers styling this palm leaf aloha shirt. It was everywhere. Beach vibes, pop colors, exactly what I needed for my next. OOTD Post.
from the moment it arrived on his doorstep, he fell in love. The shirt didn't disappear on Aloha Friday. A Stanford varsity gymnastics team tradition mandating every member to wear an Aloha shirt to Friday practices. Otherwise they're banished to the rope climbs.
At one point I wore that aloha shirt everywhere to class to get coffee or even when I was just being a couch potato. But the high fades fast, the Loha shirt. And I started to feel distant, like our relationship wasn't the same, and I started to question whether I had made a mistake.
In fact, people spend around $754 a year on impulse buy. We chase validation, not value, and that $20 purchase it often costs the planet far more.
I get compliments. Sure. Like, where'd you get that?
That's a cool shirt. But soon I hung it up in my closet along with some other shirts I had worn less frequently. Not even a month later, it landed in the donation bin.
I threw it in another gentle thud in the plastic bin, heaped with lifeless clothing. It felt good for a second. Like I had done something good, like the shirt would find a new life,
but the truth couldn't be farther from that. A study shows that as low as 20 to 30% of donated clothes find its way right back onto the resale racks.
And that's just the beginning.
Now the shirt is sent to a sorting warehouse. It's fate unknown. Will it end up on a rack, be shipped overseas or be thrown in the garbage?
US companies sell those, um, apparel in bulk by weight to those places in Africa. And so there is really no incentive for them to do any initial sorting to see, okay, how much of it is really usable versus not.
And so that's why they just ship everything to this. Other place. And then this other place needs to then figure out, do all the sorting and figure out what to do with the, all the unusable clothes.
That was Dr. Gli reflecting on her experience with supply chain management and the tough reality. Instead of making sure clothes are reusable, they're just shipped off in bulk, leaving communities in other countries to deal with. What's left behind making it someone else's problem.
In fact, according to research, the world consumes around 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year, 400% more than the consumption. 20 years ago, the average American now generates. 82 pounds of textile waste each year. That's an overwhelming amount of clothing that could end up in landfills or overseas.
Bundles of mixed up clothes end up at Kenyan, Ghana, and other ports overwhelming local markets. The synthetic fibers used to make cheap clothes will now ensure. That it will remain there for decades.
Slowly depositing microplastics into the soil and waterways.
And not all the t-shirts are destined for this place because there's another option, a second life, an alternate destiny beyond the landfill.
Take the second outcome instead of the landfill as its resting place. It's back in the US draped on the clinking racks of a thrift store rescued from the bin of donations. Maybe it's rediscovered picked up by someone with an eye that sees its value, its potential for a second life.
But as Dr. Gla mentioned earlier. Not all garments make it past the bins. So what other options does that leave us with?
The bins don't have to be our only choice. There are other ways to keep our clothes in circulation. Ways that extend their life without sending them down the uncertain path of donation. This got us wondering, who else would be actively seeking solutions to this unsustainable, linear model?
And that brought us to Lila, a fellow Stanford student and a member of the fashion club on campus called Fashion X.
Yeah, so Fashion X is like the student fashion club on Stanford's campus.
I think that sustainability is like something that's obviously very prevalent in fashion, especially right now with fast fashion being such like a big climate issue.
we've worked with Depop and Poshmark.
Which are both like platforms where you sell used clothing. And so we do a lot of work with that. We've had like upcycling workshops where people bring in old clothes that they like, don't like anymore, and then they'll like swap them around and then we like will do a sewing workshop and show them how to turn it into something cooler.
That is so cool. Lila, you got the wheels turning in my head. Now I'm thinking I could even turn an old tee into a tilt bag, stitch patches onto my favorite jeans, or even swap clothes with friends. A new piece for you and a fresh start for them.
So we've traced the journey of two outcomes, one linear, one circular. And while it may seem like the problem is just too big, remember that every small, everyday actions. Can add up to systemic change.
Yeah, so I think that consumers definitely have power. Uh, you know, eventually all companies want to be profitable. They want to sell. And so if, if there is sufficient demand for, um, products that, for example, are made with circularity in mind, uh, then more companies may move in this direction. Um. Also consumers may be, say, more mindful of, uh, how much they buy.
If, if we all buy only what we need, avoid impulse buying, uh, try to buy more secondhand, then new, uh, items. Then eventually it can have an impact on total demand. And then, um. It will likely lead companies to, uh, produce less because there is less demand. So the consumers definitely have, uh, the power to impact.
It's probably not enough. Uh, it has to, um, there are the, like the technological, uh, constraints like we talked before. I mean, if companies, even if they do want to make more. Sustainable products, they need to have the solutions in place that they can implement. There also probably needs to be some legislation to, um, you know, force companies to move in this direction if they, even if they're not that interested in it.
That was Dr. Gli reminding us that our choices matter. But we also need to keep pushing for bigger changes. It's not just what we buy, but how we hold brands accountable.
And that's the tricky part, right? Balancing the push from consumers. With the pull from legislation, we can vote with our dollars. But real change needs systemic shifts too.
It's a culture war and one that we fight with every small decision we make. Changing the culture isn't just about shifting the market. It's about changing our mindset. So what can we do? Buy less but buy better repair instead of replace, share, swap, and upcycle, and choose brands that prioritize sustainability.
Take brands like the North Face and Patagonia. For example, which have launched recycling programs
and as Lila mentioned, only platforms like Depop and thread up. Have made thrifting more accessible than ever. And on top of that, community spaces like the textile maker space on campus are helping people repair and upcycle their clothes, giving them a second life.
But in the end, the most sustainable piece of clothing is the one that you already own. And if we can stretch the life of our garments, we're already changing the system. One piece, one choice at a time.
Thanks for tuning into thread count. I'm Asher with Maddie and Arlette. Keep questioning, keep reusing and stay tuned for our next unraveling.
