We returned to this classic Earth911 article from 2014, which still tells an important story, to add more evidence below that making clothing last longer, by swapping, trading it in, and giving it to thrift stores, can help the environment.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as the seasons look like they’re even considering a change, my thoughts immediately head to my wardrobe. I love cozying up in big sweaters and leggings in the wintertime (yay leggings!) almost as much as I love pulling out the sundresses for summertime. But let’s face it, as the years go by, our wardrobes change. Maybe you lost (or put on) a few pounds or maybe the cardigan that you fell in love with on the mannequin and bought on impulse without trying on has just hung in the closet for a year and a half.

You might be tempted to toss some of those pieces out with the garbage and you certainly wouldn’t be alone in that behavior. Did you know that according to the EPA, the average American throws away 68-plus pounds of fabric every year? Multiplied by 317 million people — the current population of the U.S. — that’s a number so large it hurts my head. And we ladies are especially bad about tossing our clothes in the trash. A study released by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science states that women produce seven times more used clothing than men. “Produce” is just a fancy way of saying toss out, if we’re being honest.

You can always take your used or unwanted clothing to your local charity drop-off location to avoid throwing them away. This probably just leads to a spectacular pile of clutter — or is that just me? In all seriousness, I purged my closet at the start of the New Year and the pile is still sitting in the front room of my house. So instead of being like me, host a clothing swap party. This is an especially fun thing to do before the holidays or (if you have teens) before big events like prom or homecoming.

A few weeks before the party, send out invites. I love to set up a Facebook event and invite people that way, but there are a number of user-friendly paper-free ways to get people to your shindig. Check out Google Events (similar to Facebook events) and Evite, an email-based, eco-friendly invitation system. On the invitation, give guests a minimum number of items to bring. A good rule of thumb is three items, but make sure everyone knows that they can bring their whole closet if they want to.

As guests arrive, arrange items by type: handbags in one corner, shoes in another. Use a rope suspended across a door frame to hang hangers on. Folding tables make great display surfaces for jeans and slacks. Tell everyone to keep their pesky mitts off the goods until everyone has arrived. I find that party-goers have far more patience when you feed them, so make sure to have snacks and drinks ready.

Once you’ve arranged everything, allow shopping to commence, with the rule that for the first round no one gets to take more than what they initially brought. After everyone has made his or her initial selections, encourage more shopping. Besides, the leftover clothes are just going to go to charity, so might as well. At the end of the event, everyone gets an updated wardrobe and perhaps a few new friends.

UPDATES

The environmental case for clothing swaps has only grown stronger since this article was first published. The U.S. secondhand market reached approximately $56 billion in 2025, growing 143% since 2018. Resale of clothing jumped by 650% over that time. An estimated 58% of U.S. shoppers purchased secondhand apparel in 2024, and 85% of consumers now view thrifting as being good for the environment.

The Environmental Impact of Extending Clothing Life

A secondhand purchase saves an average of 8.4 pounds of carbon emissions, 89 gallons of water, and 16.5 kWh of energy per item, according to industry research. In fact, a 2024 Science of the Total Environment study found that secondhand trading can reduce clothing’s carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to buying new.

Research by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) demonstrated that extending the average life of clothes by just three months reduces each garment’s carbon, water, and waste footprints by between 5% and 10%.

The Textile Waste Crisis

The urgency is clear: approximately 17 million tons of textiles are discarded in the U.S. annually. That’s nearly 6% of municipal solid waste. Globally, 92 million tons of textile waste are produced each year, and only about 15% is recycled. The fashion industry accounts for roughly 10% of global carbon emissions, which is comparable in scope to the entire European Union.

The Government Accountability Office in 2024 called for a national textiles strategy, noting that textile waste has increased approximately 80% since 2000. California became the first state to establish textile extended producer responsibility legislation, requiring fashion brands to support recycling infrastructure beginning in 2026.

Clothing Swaps Make a Measurable Difference

A 2025 study in the journal Sustainability found that 251 items swapped online avoided 4,137 kg of CO2 emissions, saved 6,809 cubic meters of water, and conserved 87 gigajoules of energy over just two months. It turns out that cotton and wool items produce the highest environmental savings when swapped, because these natural fibers require the most resources to produce.

Making Your Swap Even More Sustainable

To maximize your clothing swap’s impact:

• Prioritize quality over quantity: Items made from single-fiber natural fabrics (100% cotton, wool, or linen) deliver the greatest environmental benefit when given extended life through swapping.
• Have a plan for leftovers: Partner with a local textile recycler or use retail take-back programs at H&M, Madewell, or Zara rather than sending unclaimed items to landfills.
• Consider digital alternatives: Online platforms like ThredUp, Poshmark, and Depop have made secondhand shopping mainstream, with online resale expected to account for over half of the secondhand apparel market by 2025.

For more ideas on sustainable fashion, learn how to build a sustainable wardrobe or explore good, better, and best options for reducing textile waste.

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on May 20, 2014.