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“Don’t waste” is perhaps the shortest sentence that most of us have heard from our parents, elders, teachers and even religious figures who have advocated simple living. The explosion of consumerism since the 1990s, a counter culture thrived on this slogan.

In these times of job cuts, wage reductions, ruined businesses and overall financial uncertainty, here is your opportunity to be both thrifty and environment friendly at the same time, thanks to the thrift stores that have mushroomed in the cyber world. It is not often that you get a chance to consume and yet the consumption does not indirectly raise the carbon footprint. Thrift stores provide this combination of being sensible and responsible at the same time. They offer you everything from fancy bags to shoes, from apparel to accessories, vintage handcrafted weaves to automobiles.

The green lobby has long been screaming about the carbon footprint that is rising due to unbridled consumption. The average pair of jeans needs about 1,825 litres of water for processing, which can satisfy the thirst of a person for many months. Processing a pair of jeans also releases about 4 kg of carbon dioxide or equivalent greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. If that refreshes your sense of horror in a new light, you can have a look at thrift stores that are available online.

Sustainability has been in vogue for quite some time but the pandemic and attendant need for being cost conscious has given a push for consumption responsibility. The world of shopping for pre-owned products is now being promoted by models and actors of repute.

For example, earlier this week actor Bhumi Pednekar launched an environmental footprint calculator in collaboration with preloved thrifting store Dolce Vee. Pednekar also launched a first-of-its-kind nationwide pre-owned clothing collection drive for Climate Warriors.

Some of the thrift stores that are already making a mark are Dolce Vee. When you buy something from online store, you get to see how much water and carbon savings did you make in the process.

Instagram has become a vast market for shopping pre-owned stuff. A popular thrift stores on this platform are Retro Days, that describes itself as a store inspired from 60s, 70s and the 80s. It even offers you a return or exchange within 14 days.

Bombay Closet Cleanse is a ”women-run pre-loved and vintage thrift store.” Run by two women, it also offers shipping facilities all over the world. The two sisters Sana Khan and Alfiya Khan now think that pre-owned fashion items are set to make a dent in the online retail space soon.

If you check at Folkpants, you would find a “curated mix of second hand and vintage pieces from our hometown and travels.”

There are numerous such stores that display their wares and prices on Instagram. Some of those who run these stores are trained fashion designers and have an eye on the fashion quotient while choosing the apparel on display.

Even bags and footwear in excellent condition are offered by many.

The low prices of high-end brands and still-useable products are a big draw, especially when the second wave of the COVID 19 virus is going to wash out 2021 too.

World over the pre-owned apparel market is growing. The 2020 Resale Report by ThredUP, the world’s biggest thrift store, says whole the fashion industry is down the resale market is booming. It is estimated that this market will touch $64 billion within 2025. And by the end of this decade, 17% of a person’s wardrobe will be occupied by second hand apparel.

As acceptance of thrift grew, vocabulary, too, changed moving from the brusque to the silken. What was “second hand” in the last century with an obvious ring of disapproval gradually gave way to “pre-owned” in the past two decades. Compared to the crassy “second hand”, “pre-owned” has a much-appreciated ring of respect. Now, thanks to the cyber lexicon, romantic and inviting “pre-loved” is here.