Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined • Hacker News Board

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#221

Post by ip26 » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 5:15 AM UTC

TylerE wrote: post #199

ip26 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FWIW I've heard storage units are not necessarily a super profitable business, instead they are a low overhead operation to cover the property tax on land in the outskirts that you're sitting on waiting for appreciation as the city grows. So they only have make up the cost of the cinderblocks to be worthwhile.

I don't really believe that as in many places you're starting to see multi-level facilities with as many as 5-6 layers of units. That ain't cinderblocks.

Alright, then perhaps I am wrong (or out of date). I'd not seen nor heard of these six story high facilities, my lord.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#222

Post by Al-Khwarizmi » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 5:35 AM UTC

robotresearcher wrote: post #200

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The idea of paying rent to store things you'd never use to our grandparents was insanity That’s hoarding by another name. Storage can be used intelligently. There are things one uses seasonally, or from time to time, where owning makes sense. (For example, my winter wear and scuba gear.) Using prime real estate to store those items is expensive. If they live in a cheaper zip code, however, that lets one save rent b…

Also stowing baby stuff between kids. Crib, high chair, etc takes up serious space and modern apartments are very short on storage. Baby stuff is often a gift, lightly used and acquires sentimental value in use, so it’s nice to use it more than once.

And actually useful, and expensive to buy again.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#223

Post by Al-Khwarizmi » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 5:57 AM UTC

agumonkey wrote: post #126

flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #112

I can't wait for the day when I can walk to my local dump and move into a mcmansion somebody threw out because the paint was the wrong color... And I am only half joking. Go into your local thrift store and try not to gasp as you walk past $300 pair of designer jeans after $400 dress, some of them still with tags on them as they've never been worn, and most all of them in seemingly brand-new condition. It's a consume…

Recently i've been paying attention to monthly dumps in the city. People seem to have an endless stream of things to throw away. It's said to be a time of crysis, and unless half the population decided to live without furnitures, it seems every body buys new things endlessly. Here goes the 'less consumerism, less shipping' advice.

Furniture is now very cheap (also low-quality: Ikea, etc.), while housing is (in many areas) extremely expensive, so it's no wonder that people can be in a bad economic situation while being able to change furniture. Of course, it's sad, it should be the other way around, but it's the way current prices in most places work.

It's like the typical criticism that young people complain about their salaries but buy flagship smartphones. Yeah, iPhones and the like are technological wonders and 50 years ago they would have been a dream, but in many places they cost the equivalent of two weeks of rent... so why in hell would they not buy them? To save for two whooping weeks of rent?

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#224

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:15 AM UTC

homero wrote: post #219

flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #112

I can't wait for the day when I can walk to my local dump and move into a mcmansion somebody threw out because the paint was the wrong color... And I am only half joking. Go into your local thrift store and try not to gasp as you walk past $300 pair of designer jeans after $400 dress, some of them still with tags on them as they've never been worn, and most all of them in seemingly brand-new condition. It's a consume…

I wish somehow thrift stores were online

[deleted]

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#225

Post by on_and_off » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:15 AM UTC

Causalityl wrote: post #204

squeaky-clean wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also very random whether you'll find what you're looking for. You're just not going to find a $300 retail pair of jeans in a thrift store on your first outing. And even when you do, odds are they won't be in your size. I live in Brooklyn and go thrifting a lot, mostly because it's a fun activity and because you find things you wouldn't normally think to look for. But 9/10 times I'm leaving with nothing. And for…

I don't understand how you'd even go about making a $300 pair of jeans. Are they a special material that's impervious to rain but breathes like cotton? Are they extra tough so you'll never wear holes in them? Some kind of fancy dye that never fades in the wash? Are you buying clothes from Sharper Image?

There are many ways.

So first there are luxury jeans. Not going to expand on these since the name explains it all. For 1000$ you do get a very premium product.

Then there are e.g. all the japanese brands : Momotaro, pure blue japan, samurai, studio d'artisan, evisu, etc.

Pretty much all the japanese jeans are made out of denim that has been fabricated on very old machines.

Why ? They have a lower yield (which partially explains their price) and also they do create very interesting denim variations that the more efficient machines used by fast fashion are not (yet) able to reproduce. They are also very well made with lots of more or less useful details. E.G. customized rivets with the brand logo are very nice but not something only the wearer will see.

With use, these jeans fade and are truly beautiful. It is fitting that many japanese brand do this, it is very wabi sabi. To be clear, while the construction and fit are very good, it does not make a 200$ jean magically last twice as long as a 100$ one. However, they come in a variety of fabric density, most of which are way heavier than what typical fast fashion offers. The jean will still break over time at its main pressure points, typically in the crotch and at that point it is expected that they will be mended.

There are also pants made of technical materials, like e.g. what outlier is doing. These are truly awesome to wear when it rains : they are breathable but repel water.

All of these are roughly in the $200-400 range but often closer to 200.

Then, you can also go to levi and they will make you a pair of denim tailored for you. It will roughly cost $500.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#226

Post by on_and_off » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:21 AM UTC

evolve2k wrote: post #39

Ecologically speaking maybe Steve Jobs/Star Trek respectively were onto something. A high quality minimal personal style that involves orders of magnitude less garment churn and waste with the added benefit of just not having to spend time on what to wear each day (insert pithy Jobs quote). But seriously if I was to explore finding a personal style that I could wear as my day to day work/life “uniform”, where to look…

There are many places for this.

It depends how thoughtful you want to be about your style though ?

If you do consider that your style is your public API and a mean of personal expression, it needs a good amount of trial and error. The first english speaking place that comes to mind for this is the subreddit malefashionadvice .

There are also companies (that actually target engineers because it is a very engineery thing to do) that will sell you a "uniform" made of 3 times the same chino, 3 times the same hoodie (maybe some color variation), some simple tshirts and undergarment and done.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#227

Post by dr_dshiv » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:30 AM UTC

TheGallopedHigh wrote: post #20

dr_dshiv wrote: post #7

I don't believe it, actually. Considering how much waste I use wrt food .. clothes seem much less wasteful. But, who is to know?

“Who is to know?” That’s what the report linked in the article is for. To provide evidence for the claim stated in the title of this post.

You mean the UNEP report? It provides the fact, but no source. I trust the UN, but I would appreciate knowing how the number is bigger than flying and shipping. That's pretty remarkable, no?

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#228

Post by anilakar » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:32 AM UTC

squeaky-clean wrote: post #166

kovek wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know it is the case that you can find In thrift stores such items that in a usual store would sell for a very high price. Got bought one such piece of clothing. However, these items are definitely not evenly distributed all over the world. For example, the second-hand electronics market on craigslist in the Bay Area in California is much better than in, for example, Miami Florida (I'm guessing)

It's also very random whether you'll find what you're looking for. You're just not going to find a $300 retail pair of jeans in a thrift store on your first outing. And even when you do, odds are they won't be in your size. I live in Brooklyn and go thrifting a lot, mostly because it's a fun activity and because you find things you wouldn't normally think to look for. But 9/10 times I'm leaving with nothing. And for…

The availability of old computers and other electronics varies hugely and tends to better if there are large tech companies nearby. We have an undergrad-run computer gaming club that used to operate with discarded lease hardware only, and we are throwing away stuff that people sell for a few hundred dollars in my hometown some 100 klicks away.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#229

Post by nroets » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:37 AM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #182

flyGuyOnTheSly wrote: post #112

I can't wait for the day when I can walk to my local dump and move into a mcmansion somebody threw out because the paint was the wrong color... And I am only half joking. Go into your local thrift store and try not to gasp as you walk past $300 pair of designer jeans after $400 dress, some of them still with tags on them as they've never been worn, and most all of them in seemingly brand-new condition. It's a consume…

> The idea of paying rent to store things you'd never use to our grandparents was insanity That’s hoarding by another name. Storage can be used intelligently. There are things one uses seasonally, or from time to time, where owning makes sense. (For example, my winter wear and scuba gear.) Using prime real estate to store those items is expensive. If they live in a cheaper zip code, however, that lets one save rent b…

Additionally, it reduces carbon emissions because it allows more people to live within walking distance of mass transit.

Re: Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

#230

Post by cmurf » Tue, Oct 22, 2019, 6:44 AM UTC

Most places that do alterations can do repair. But someone who is very good at repair is worth extra. Good repairs are strong. And they'll see weak areas needing repair before a hole starts, which might require patching.

Buy that cashmere sweater and repair it. I've got two over 20 years old, one pair of jeans over 5 years old I wear so often they got crotch holes in them, easily and authentically repaired.