Is Buying Clothes on Vinted as Ethical as We Think?

If you’ve discovered the expensive environmental and human cost behind fast fashion’s cheap clothes, you might be considering switching to Vinted instead. 

I did, a few years ago! In fact, I pretty much used it to replace my Primark and H&M hauls.

But is that the right solution, if we are trying to reduce our environmental footprint and make more mindful clothing choices? Is Vinted ethical? 

Let’s look into it together.

The ethical benefits of buying clothes on Vinted

Of course, an obvious benefit is that, because it’s all about second-hand clothes, using Vinted is usually cheaper than buying brand new items. But what about its eco-friendly and ethical benefits?

• By-passing the clothing production phase – When buying a second-hand garment, your purchase doesn’t directly involve its production, which is the most polluting phase
• Keeping a clothing item in circulation for longer – Extending the life of a garment by just 9 months reduces its carbon and water footprint by 20%!
• Reducing clothing waste – Buying on Vinted also means that you’re keeping that garment away from landfills and incineration
• Buying garments you like without supporting brands whose ethos don’t align with yours – For example, I once fell in love with a pair of jeans made by a fast fashion brand. I didn’t want to give them my money, though. So, I managed to find them on Vinted instead

The downside of buying clothes on Vinted from an environmental and ethical perspective 

• Risk of overconsumption and clothing hauls – Given its low prices, Vinted can easily trap you in a vicious cycle of needing ‘new’ clothes to feel happy, regularly buying them on a whim without worrying about their environmental impact (and I used to be guilty of this too, since I pretty much swapped my fast fashion hauls with Vinted hauls, years ago) 
• Lots of Vinted clothes are fast fashion, only worn a couple of times (if that) –  Because they know they can just resell them on Vinted, many consumers keep buying new fast fashion clothes mindlessly, only wearing them once or twice, treating them as throwaway pieces… and then buying some more. And unfortunately, even though it’s second-hand, when you then buy a poor-quality fast fashion piece that was only worn a couple of times before, it’s not the most eco-friendly move
• Shipping – Deliveries = carbon emissions. At the time of writing this article, Vinted hasn’t got any filters to let you choose sellers from your own country. So, how sustainable is that sixth pair of summer shoes (made by a fast fashion brand, and only worn once by the previous owner) shipped specifically for you from the other side of Europe? And of course, your Vinted carbon footprint becomes even higher with returns 
• Misleading listings – For example, lots of sellers list unlabeled SHEIN clothes as ‘vintage’
• Fast fashion ethical concerns – Yes, I know I said that Vinted can be an opportunity to purchase items you like without supporting brands whose ethos don’t align with yours. But at the same time, we could argue that, if a garment was made by workers trapped in modern slavery conditions, using the worst fabrics and dyes for the planet and poor production practices… sure, buying it second-hand might reduce waste and avoid creating new production demand, but can it really erase its original negative impact?

So, is shopping on Vinted sustainable?

I believe that shopping on Vinted can be considered sustainable (especially compared to buying new fast fashion clothes) if you’re doing it mindfully and for occasional purchases. 

On the contrary, replacing fast fashion hauls and impulse purchases with the same volume and approach, just on Vinted instead… well, that’s NOT an ethical solution (and I’m saying this as someone who did fall into that same trap, years ago).

Ethical alternatives to buying clothes on Vinted

As I said, in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with using Vinted sparingly and mindfully.

However, here are some alternatives you might want to consider, especially in specific situations:

• Your wardrobe – I’m serious! We are so used to deciding that we have nothing to wear (I blame fast fashion for this). So, whenever you feel that way, I’m encouraging you to have a proper look inside your wardrobe, back piles included. The chances are, you can pair up some existing garments in creative ways to unlock new outfits (and also, nothing wrong with repeating them!)
• Thrifting locally – Thrifting isn’t the ultimate solution either, both because it often involves hauls and because lots of second-hand garments end up being sent to developing countries, supporting waste colonialism. However, just like buying clothes on Vinted, thrifting locally is more sustainable than buying new fast fashion clothes, especially when you do it mindfully. You also get to bypass the shipping phase and its emissions
• Vestiaire Collective – The items on this platform tend to be higher-quality, and it’s mostly about luxury and designer garments. What I like the most about it is that it does include a location filter, giving you the opportunity to reduce your shipping’s carbon emissions 
• Renting clothes – This is especially great for occasionwear or any kind of garment you’re only planning on wearing a couple of times
• Swapping clothes – I actually love wearing my mother’s clothes as she kept so many beautiful ones from past decades. But depending on where you’re based, you can also find different peer-to-peer platforms to swap clothes with fellow eco-conscious consumers in your area. Here in the Netherlands, I’ve been using—and loving—The Clothing Loop  
• Buying fewer but higher-quality and durable garments made by ethical brands (and keep them for longer) – Instead of buying lots of random and low-quality fast fashion items on Vinted, consider investing in fewer garments that match your style, go with what’s already in your wardrobe, and that you can see yourself happily rewearing for years. “Isn’t it difficult to find ethical clothes for my style and budget, though?” Not anymore! At Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fair trade brands in one place, with filters to simplify your choice

Buying clothes on Vinted can be an ethical option when done mindfully. Just don’t make my mistake of replacing fast fashion hauls with second-hand ones!