Sustainability Chats: Review of Secondhand by Adam Minter
A few weeks back I picked up the book Secondhand by Adam Minter at my local thrift store- the irony is not lost on anyone. As you might guess, I am pretty passionate about sustainability and the secondhand market, but I don't often read up on the community on a global scale.
Minter takes us through seemingly every possible step in the process once an item has been donated, which finds items donated in places like Southern Arizona potentially winding up in India, Africa, or Mexico (and this just scratches the surface).
Throughout each potential outcome, we see a common sentiment start to emerge with those heavily involved in the secondhand market- there's a decline in quality that cannot be escaped. It is making it harder for items to be sold, whether that be for their intended use, or it's being sold for scraps.
We see how young fast fashion really is and how much stuff people accumulate unnecessarily. Amongst our collection of things, Minter points out how much our identities are tied to said stuff.
The further we go in this journey of unwanted items, we question what's actually recyclable, and truthfully, why we keep making things we already have too much of. Minter shows us the reality of corporations intentionally making low-quality items to keep consumers purchasing (see- Target quoting a non-existent study about car seats expiring).
The final section of this book, and my personal favorite, is when Minter goes into the reality of how "first world" countries view secondhand, and how racism plays a large part in importing and exporting used goods. We're prompted to evaluate our activism or lack thereof when fighting for sustainability.
I think everyone who is even remotely curious about the secondhand market should read this book, as I think it can help us gain perspective on a more global scale. I have a lot more I could say about this book, and will perhaps add a part two of this review in order to expand on my thoughts.
As always, peace and love 🍒
- The Monday Project
