Should I buy this? Take our quiz to help you shop sustainably online.

August 2024 · 1 minute read

It’s summer shopping season, and the sales are coming in hot. Amazon, Walmart, Target and Shein are enticing us with markdowns. But when you’re constantly confronted with deals, targeted ads and fast-moving clothing trends, it’s easy to forget that your decisions have an impact on our planet.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 11.3 million tons of closet castoffs and other textile waste ended up in landfills in 2018, the latest data available. And fashion trails only the food and construction industries in greenhouse gas emissions, according to watchdog organization Remake.

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When deciding whether to make a purchase, ask yourself these questions to make your deliberations easier and help you become a sustainable fashionista. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Do you have anything similar in your closet?

No

Yes, but it’s worn out

Yes, but I want another version

Yes, but it no longer fits

See the buying guide

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