issue #8: the cost of on-demand-ish fashion

and all those single socks 🫣

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A silly day about something that we can all relate to. A prime example of greenwashing. Sitting with the discomfort of perspectives we don’t always love but are worth considering. And dandelions - show them some love and they might repay the favor! 🌻

Today is…

National Lost Sock Memorial Day

Okay, friends. For real. What is the deal with laundry machines eating socks? I'm 1,000% convinced it's an actual thing because far too many socks go missing for it to be my fault. I find some MIA socks in the darkest corners of my boys’ closet, but that still doesn't account for the volume.

If you've got missing sock syndrome at your house too, check out this post. Also, this is my favorite sock brand for everyday wear and this brand kicks butt on hiking trails. Got any other favorite brands to recommend? I'm all your ears... or feet. (Okay. Lame joke. But I bet you at least cracked a smile with a soft eye roll, so that made it worth it.)

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sustainable spotlight

Today is the final installment of our loveBB goods series. I’ve doted on her body care products, but did you know she also sells Chai Spiced Cocoa Mix? Tricia didn’t intend to start a cocoa business, but when her friends asked to buy the homemade cocoa she often gifted to them, it was a no-brainer to add it to the menu. They wanted to give it to others, and the ripples of her cocoa drink mixture spread.

If you’re into hot drinks, surely check this out. It’s all hand-mixed. And you can get 25% off your first order with code JEN25. Cheers!

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on-demand-ish fashion isn’t necessarily sustainable

Let's talk about greenwashing, that super cool practice where companies pretend to be sustainable, but they're not at all. They salad spin their story into word salad to confuse and mislead customers into believing they’re pro-planet while they're happy to plunder the planet so long as it's profitable. Wait, does that mean companies lie to pad their bottom line? Sure does Susie. It's frustrating. I feel you.

Linking back to last week's newsletter about our ultra-fast fashion and faux billionaire friends, Shein and Temu, they're at the top of the greenwashing gorillas list (with plenty of good company). And they want you to believe otherwise.

These giants try to sell us a bologna sandwich of jargon about just-in-time manufacturing. They want us to believe they aren't trashing the planet because they produce on-demand-ish. They argue they only make what they know will sell, so they generate less waste than retailers who may end up with excess inventory.

They're conveniently leaving out some pretty important details. Gasp. You’re shocked, I’m sure.

waste isn't the biggest problem

First up… Shein. According to Maxine Bèdat, a sustainability advocate in the fashion industry, in her interview on

Volts

, the overwhelming environmental cost of fashion comes from manufacturing, not disposal. She says 60% of clothes are made of some version of polyester, a synthetic fiber made from oil. In addition to extracting oil to make fabrics, there is a lot of heat and toxic chemicals used in production, particularly the dying and finishing processes.

Side note: all those toxic chemicals and dyes to enhance the color and performance of our clothes wreak havoc on our bodies too. Take a spin through Alden Wicker's book, To Dye For**, if you are interested in an expose on the sketchy substances we wrap on our skin all day.

While Shein focuses mostly on cheap fashion (though it's expanding its array of stuff to sell to customers… yeah! 🙄 ), Temu offers a broader range of suspiciously low-priced doodads we’re tempted to spend our hard-earned money to collect. Bèdat says that the two retailers combined ship 600,000 units per day. So even if they don't generate much waste, which is a suspect claim, their carbon footprint is massive due to the sheer volume of goods they produce.

These companies can only offer such low prices to customers by exploiting workers and using unsafe or untested chemicals that end up in our air, water, soil, and bodies. There is nothing sustainable about spending gazillions of dollars on advertising to get people to buy things they don't need, wouldn't have likely purchased, and will fall apart or be tossed into the trash soon after receiving them.

They spend so much on advertising that they're single-handedly inflating Meta advertising rates. I have a friend who runs several components of online marketing for a very large US retailer, and she says they have been shocked by how much these brands are flooding the online ad space in such a short time.

and about tax loopholes?

Want to know another shady story they're not sharing? Shein and Temu skirt the US tax system and create 40x carbon emissions from their transportation as a result. Exploiting a loophole that allows small packages under $800 to come into the United States without paying certain import taxes, they send products directly to customers via flight instead of in massive quantities via container ships. This makes the carbon footprint exponentially higher than traditional overseas shipping while also making it harder for other brands following the spirit of the tax laws to compete.

It may feel good today to get a cheap dress for spring break that looks lit on Instagram. I mean who re-wears the same outfit on social media anyway right? (Clearly, I'm kidding.) But that fashion statement that is fire on TikTok is part of a problematic trend sending the planet into flames.

I want to say I get it, but I truly don't. Why are we so caught up in keeping up with the Joneses when it's causing the whole ship to sink? Are we all so fragile we can't just find a few things we love and re-wear them with pride on the regular? Isn't reinventing our closet with every turn of the ultra-fast fashion hamster wheel exhausting and expensive?

My fashion sense probably leaves something to be desired. Nobody is clamoring to borrow my clothes, because they're pretty boring. So I don't really have a leg to stand on to influence the fashionistas in the room. But I feel like we have better options to live out our personal style than hauls of new clothes that rarely last a season. 

We probably need a history lesson in the Mad Men of Madison Avenue to start a deep cultural critique of our consumption addictions. But for real, can't we be a little less seduced by every shiny object on our social media feed? Even just to chill the spending habits burning holes in our poorly sewn pockets?

All this is to say that, on the surface, sustainability has a reputation for being expensive and time-consuming. But you know what will save money and time? Not scrolling Shein or Temu and not spending money on things we don't need.

And then… we’re right back to that adage that what’s good for the planet is good for us too!

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a few other eco things

• Is there a better way to use dandelions than this?

• My college roommate taught me this long before I saved all the plastic bags that came into our house. It’s been a gem of a tip for two decades.

• Let’s help each other find good, sustainable alternatives for fashion items we can’t quite nail down. Ask and answer here!

• Now is a great time to steward a Little Free Library. Here are some tips from a veteran of it!

• Can you compost flowers?

• Resources to help you landscape in a way that’s also good for your local community ecosystem. And also… some more tips for low-key, pro-planet yard maintenance.

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just because

• Everything about this from

  This is Precious
  resonated with me.

• I thought this post from

  House Inhabit
  was really interesting. Nobody reports the news without bias. Every story we tell is told through the lens of our own perspective. But she discusses politics in an angle different from that which I traditionally approach it, and it doesn't feel like it's oozing the propaganda of many MSM outlets. Her newsletters don't always give me the cozy comfort of an echo chamber, but she offers a space to sit with discomfort that provides meaningful opportunities for reflection and critical thinking. If you're looking to broaden the lens through which you consume political news, this might be an option. I'm not sure if she's more conservative or libertarian than me, but she's certainly equally disgusted by the corruption and bullsh*t in our political system.

• Last week I read The Rulebreaker** by Susan Page, a biography of Barbara Walters. I knew very little about her. She was a real firecracker! 😯

• Have you heard of bicycle face?

weekly mini eco challenge

This week, commit to waiting 48 hours before buying something that isn't an essential need. Only you can delineate wants and needs. I'll never know what’s dropping into your cart or popping into your mailbox. But be honest with yourself. Skipping the mindless scrolling and impulse shopping saves you time and money. You won't regret it. 💛

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Until next time, I hope you’re having the best week available to you. Don’t hesitate to comment or leave questions. I love hearing from you all.

Jen

** These are affiliate links. They have no impact on your purchase. Thanks for supporting the newsletter!

💛 DID YOU KNOW that if you hit the HEART at the top or bottom of this newsletter, it makes it easier for people to find Stepping Stones (and totally makes my day)? TIA 💛

Jen Panaro is a self-proclaimed composting nerd and advocate for sustainable living for modern families. Through her writing, workshops, and podcast guesting, she helps others find ways to incorporate sustainability into their everyday lives more easily while appreciating the joy along the journey.

When she’s not writing and creating, she’s a serial library book borrower, a messy gardener, a composting tinkerer. She’s a wife and mom of two boys and spends a lot of time in hockey rinks and other sporting venues watching her boys tear it up for their teams.