As the other thread on this was made years ago and is very long, I thought I'd make a new one
There seems to be some debate as to whether or not it's okay to buy second-hand clothing made with animal products. I'm genuinely curious as to other people's opinions on this issue.
I only buy second-hand, sweatshop-free or fair trade clothing. I can only rarely afford clothing that is not second-hand. Some jumpers/ cardigans I buy second-hand are wool, and I can't see the problem with this.
Number one, buying from a charity gives no money to the company that produced the clothing. No money is going to sweatshops or to any company that abuses animals. The damage has been done, so to speak, and no further harm is going to anybody by wearing it. In fact, as it supports a charity, it's good!
On a limited budget, I could afford second-hand or I could afford cheap synthetics. Cheap synthetics are invariably made in sweatshops, industrial glues and dyes are not vegan, and they come at a heavy cost to the environment. If I had to choose, between this or a charity, I would certainly not choose this!
I do understand the argument for not promoting the use of animals products, and I agree with this. For that reason, I would never buy something like a fur coat or leather jacket, as this obviously shows off that it's from an animal, and encourages others to buy it as well. But for things as subtle as a wool jumper or leather shoes, nobody knows the difference! If they ask, I can say it's synthetic, no harm done. And if I were to wear a teal jumper that was 10% wool, and someone saw it, they wouldn't think, "I'm going to buy a wool jumper," they'd think, "I'm going to buy a teal jumper." Whether I wore a jumper made of wool or not, the effect is the same.
I understand that many people don't want to do this, and that's okay, I support them. But unless I save and buy a fair trade or sweatshop-free item, I have two choices, second-hand or cheap synthetics. Most of my second-hand items are synthetic anyway, but some are not. Less harm is done buying second-hand than new synthetics produced in sweatshops.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it's okay?
