Should We Start a Thrift Business?

The rise of fast fashion has led to a significant increase in textile waste, with an estimated 92 million tons of textiles ending up in landfills each year. The fashion industry's negative impact on the environment has prompted a growing interest in thrift shopping and second-hand clothing. The thrift business, which involves selling pre-owned items, has become a popular and profitable alternative to traditional retail. 

Due to that conditions, I am considering starting a thrift business. As a consumer of thrift shops, I can see that this business not only positively impacts the environment but also it can reap great profits.

Reasons why to start a thrift business

Firstly, the thrift business is an environmentally-friendly option. By selling pre-owned items, thrift shops help to reduce textile waste and the carbon footprint associated with the production of new clothing. When you sell or donate used clothing, it can be given a second life, reducing the need for new clothing production. This, in turn, helps to conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Secondly, the thrift business is an affordable option for consumers. One of the main reasons why people choose to shop at thrift stores is that they offer unique and affordable clothing options. By selling gently used items at a fraction of the cost of new items, thrift stores make fashion accessible to a wider audience. This affordability factor has made the thrift business an attractive option for consumers, especially those who are on a tight budget.

Thirdly, the thrift business has a positive impact on local communities. Thrift stores provide an opportunity for people to donate their pre-owned items, which can be resold to generate income. This income can then be used to support local charities and organizations, providing vital support for those in need. Additionally, thrift stores often provide employment opportunities for local residents, which can have a positive economic impact on the community.

Finally, the thrift business offers an opportunity for creativity and self-expression. Thrift shopping is a way to explore different fashion styles and experiment with new looks without breaking the bank. By purchasing second-hand clothing, you can create unique outfits that are not typically found in traditional retail stores. This sense of creativity and self-expression is a significant draw for many thrift shoppers.

In conclusion, the thrift business is an environmentally-friendly, affordable, community-focused, and creatively inspiring option for both entrepreneurs and consumers. If you're interested in starting a business that makes a positive impact on the environment and local communities, or you're simply looking for a budget-friendly and unique way to shop, then consider the thrift business. Not only will you be doing your part to reduce textile waste, but you'll also be contributing to a more sustainable future.

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Photo by Allison Christine on Unsplash

Bookstore Memories

"You don't like K-drama, do you?" asked Lydia, my colleague, when we were eating at the office pantry.

I replied, "Nah, but I like Squid Game, though. And a Japanese thriller series Alice in Borderland."

And then we had a long conversation about Alice in Borderland. Lydia told me that she did read the comic version, and I was surprised because I haven't seen someone read a comic book in a while. "It was a long time ago," she said, "Now I only read the manga."

My memory was thrown far back. I enjoyed reading comics when I was in elementary school. My favorite author was Kyoko Hikawa and Chie Watari. To buy comics in Gramedia, I spared my allowance. I also rented some comics and novels at Comic Corner (later named Zoe Corner) at Jalan Dipatiukur, Bandung. But the habit of reading comics was stopped when I started to read Popcorn. I was very immersed in Popcorn's love story and it had me dying to have that kind of relationship! LOL.

Anyways, the conversation I had with Lydia reminded me of the joy of buying books in a bookstore. I remembered that I must have waited for months for my favorite comic to release its new edition and felt joy when I found the new one. I also recalled the Gramedia Merdeka's third floor filled with comics. I spent hours there to read every title of a comic book.

Now I want my child to experience buying books in a bookstore as well. All this time, she always got the books I bought online, and she never got the thrill of looking for books in bookstores. I think I'll take her to Gramedia or Togamas next time.

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Photo by John Michael Thomson on Unsplash

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint by Thrifting

We heard of an iceberg melting in the Arctic a while ago. At that time, we might think that the Arctic is quite far away from our country, we would not get the direct impact like anytime soon. We also saw pictures of animals and plants dying because of drought. Well, we still can eat rice or meat today. We don't have to worry, right?

But how about deadly floods that recently happened in developed countries like Germany and Belgium? A super typhoon in the Philippines also just occurred in that country recently. When I write this post, a strong wind blew across West Jakarta. We might start to think that climate change does happen.

Climate change happened because of changes in land use. People cut trees in forests to make urban areas and agricultural areas, whereas the forest absorbs carbon and it can prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Most emissions also come primarily from burning fossil fuels--e.g., coal--for energy use. Although we are cutting or burning trees and we are not coal business actors, but take note that every person in the world also leaves a carbon footprint. It means we are contributing to GHG emissions. The biggest carbon footprint that is close to our daily life is.. fashion.

Clothing affects every other environmental problem

Let’s say we wear a cotton T-shirt — it required thousands of gallons of water to make. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) states that it takes 3,781 liters of water or emits around 33.4 kilograms of carbon to make a pair of jeans, from the production of the cotton to the delivery of the final product to the store. 

How about polyester, nylon or acrylic? These fabrics contain plastic and it will junk up our oceans with microplastic pollution when those plastic clothes get washed. Now imagine if we are buying a lot of new clothes in a month. Imagine if clothing companies keep producing clothes made of cotton or polyester. Don't forget that factories use burning fossil fuels to make textile ink for our wardrobes.

Let's thrift!

Since we are not policymakers and business actors, the feasible solution for us is to buy less and wear longer to extend the life of all clothes. If we are bored, we can buy second-hand clothes. There is a lot of thrift shops that sell good quality second-hand apparel. And sometimes we will find hidden gems such as branded clothes, vintage or limited fashion items.

Me and my second-hand clothes.

The thrifting concept is not new for me. I love thrifting since I was in high school. Bandung, my home city, is well known for its big second-hand clothing market, namely Cimol or Cibadak Mall. My friends and I love to go there because we can get decent clothes for IDR 10.000 or less than one dollar. Instead, clothes are often sold in a bulk. We can get one sack of second-hand clothes only for IDR 600.000 or USD 42. 

Many people buy one sack of clothes, resell it, and mark up the price three or four times than before. Somehow it makes me angry because I want to support this slow fashion movement, I want to reduce my carbon footprint and contribute to saving our planet, but these people take advantage by selling with new prices as expensive as a new one. That does not make sense!

So my win-win solution is I am looking for an online thrift store that sells at an affordable price or below IDR 50.000 for a jacket.

Anyways, I hope you can find a thrift shop and get a good deal. The important thing is not about to buy affordable products as much as possible. But let's reduce our carbon footprint by doing small things: be conscious of what we buy and what we wear.

Dear Government, We Need More Than Replacing Plastic Bags

I attended a training program about climate-smart land-use practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the past ten days. I was not a participant. I was there because I needed to write a report of the event. The topic was interesting and I've gained many insights.

The speaker shared how a change can happen if we have the technical knowledge and collaborate with other stakeholders (policymakers, academics, scientists, farmers, governments). We must create a tipping point or 'one small action that is viral and impacts many people'. In short, we must create a vast movement to achieve our change targets.

The government of Jakarta has already banned the use of plastic bags in mini markets (unfortunately mini markets still offer plastic bags in Bandung). Also, I notice that when I shop in big restaurants such as Pizza Hut or Starbucks, they offer me a tote bag. I welcome this good intention and I am happy that the brand has started to be conscious of the environment. But it leads to another problem.. I have six tote bags right now and I don't use them all. Later that I know that cotton tote bags aren't planet-friendly as it seems. Cotton is so water-intensive and also it is associated with forced labor. 

I conclude that we don't see it only in one area when we see an environmental problem. If we want to use eco-friendly products, we have to know how the product is processed or how many carbon footprints are created. We have to recognize the problem as a whole landscape. Everything in the landscape is interconnected and impacts each other, so we need to know the problem in a bird's eye view or system thinking. 

Does small action enough?

I remember that I used to be excited to follow the zero/less waste movement. My child used cloth diapers when she was a baby. I tried to change my regular shampoo with soapnut berry (or lerak) and create a natural cleaner with eco-enzyme. I still refuse plastic bags until now. I have a stainless straw as a substitute for plastic straw. I bring food containers whenever I want to take away some food. I also use a menstrual cup to reduce disposable sanitary napkins. 

There is some intriguing when I observe my circle (family and friends). As far as I know, only a few of my friends are doing the same thing as I do. Yes, there is a lot of people who are aware of environmental problem. But if we compare these people with the rest of Indonesian, is it plenty enough to make a change? 

I realized that small thing doesn't count if the government doesn't create an enabling environment. They need to make a regulations, such as create a limit or ban plastic bag production. They must provide incentives and create a market where these eco-friendly products are accessible and affordable. For instance, Indonesia has produced an electric motorcycle. But does the electrical station as many as gasoline station? Is there any tax incentive for the users? What if I run out of battery and there is no electric plug near me? Is the spare battery part available in mini markets?

ASEAN has a non-binding guideline for us to tackle these climate change challenges. The government must create a regulations for the private sectors instead of encouraging the ground level to substitute plastic bags with cotton tote bags while massive factories keep producing them. Otherwise, the plastic bag replacement is only a gimmicky campaign.

Religion is Emotional and Personal, Please Don't Intervene

Religion is emotional and personal, every person has their own journey and you don't have to right have to intervene.

The ups and downs of me

I used to be a religious girl. When I was in high school, I follow religiously what the ustaz told me to. I did sunnah fasting every Monday and Thursday, zikr and perform du'a. Everything went great until I met some people in my college. I was a curious girl who have questions about spirituality. I raised questions about God because I want to connect with Him. At that time, I don't want to follow my religion without knowing who I worship. Unfortunately, these people didn't accept my questions. They cut off the conversation and forced me to believe without questions.

One of the questions I raised was, "Why people are fanatic about their religion?" I am curious because why do people easily put the label 'kafir' to everyone outside their religion. I am also curious why people get offended easily at everyone, for instance, eating in front of the fasting people.

My friend replied, "Huh? We indeed must be fanatic about our religion!"

I was disappointed. I am not as religious as I used to be. Frankly, I started to think that I hate everything that relates to my religion. I couldn't find peace, I couldn't answer the spiritual curiosity urge within me. I felt lost but no one could help me.

I started to build the faith piece by piece slowly. I tried to find another ustaz that is can deliver the Islamic message with peace, with no judge. Nope, I can't stand with that kind of ustaz that always tells me that everybody outside Islam is kafir and we must fight them. I want to be taught by ustaz that can help me gain the knowledge Islam that is practical, relevant and balanced between having etiquette to Allah and to other people.

To me, religion is emotional and my heart is fragile. I must carefully pick a person that I know is knowledgeable and he/she can connect to my heart. And then I meet ustaz Aam Amiruddin. I follow his da'wah via Zoom or social media. He can deliver the preach in a relaxed way and relevant to daily life. He always emphasizes and he can show me that Islam is not complicated. And the most important is I don't feel judged.

Thank you, but it is none of your business

I know that some people have the spirit to invite me to the goodness, to the sisterhood, by preaching to me how to act, urge me to wear a hijab, how to wear clothes or decide that I shouldn't follow certain ustaz because of a particular reason.

Yes, thank you for the warning but I don't need that. I don't ask your advice. Let me do this journey on my own. I know what's good and what's bad for me. It just makes me lost respect for you. If you really care, please just say my name in your prayers. Maybe we can see each other in a better place in the future.