Dorset shoppers urged to buy second hand this September
Oxfam are launching their Second-Hand September Campaign
Oxfam are encouraging us to buy second hand clothes this September, as the charity launched its Second-Hand September campaign.
The charity has shops in Dorchester and Poole.
They've said that if half the contents of our wardrobes were purchased second-hand, 12.5 billion kg of carbon dioxide emissions could be prevented from entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
But, as it stands now, only 10% of wardrobes are made up pre-loved clothing.
According to research, the average wardrobe is made up of 118 items.
But if we were to donate the clothes we haven’t worn in the previous year, we could help remove almost 5 billion of the aforementioned 12.5 billion kg of carbon emissions.
Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce, Oxfam’s Head of Retail, says shopping second-hand has an added benefit of saving money.
“The price of shopping second-hand is significantly lower, it’s normally around a third or 25% of an original retail price.
“So, you can shop across a variety of brands you might not have had the opportunity to do so,” she told us.
Rachel added that the campaign, which is now in it’s fifth year, is encouraging people to adapt their shopping habits.
“We’re really encouraging people to have that choice to shop second-hand for September but then look at their shopping habits going forward and having a look to see they can shop between the two (new and second-hand).”