Buying new, vintage, or re-used?

It's not easy to be an eco-friendly consumer today. What the stores offer, is what they offer. What the price is, is what it is. And so also the matter of shipping and handling. Nonetheless, there are a couple of options, if you know what you are looking for. The key to sustainable shopping is to decide beforehand what it is you're going to look for, that will fulfil an actual need, as well as fit your standards and wallet. Here is an example.

After four long winters, including among people in an environment I didn't choose myself, and a broken zipper later, it was time to shop for a new winter coat, still as warm and as long. Doing so this time of year, is smart, since most stores usually put their winter clothes on sale. Buying new items, rather than used vintage, provides me with a nice healthy feeling of it being clean, both literally and off energy, so nowadays I prefer that. Coats can be an exception, since we wear them on top of our clothes and not on our bare skin, but nonetheless I prefer new. This green coat, is made of reused fabric (polyamide) and reused down feathers, while still new, which made it a green buy. The tip is, to look for recycled polyester, organic cotton, or other natural fibers, like wool, silk, linen, suede or leather. The crucial factor to consider thus, is what your new clothing item is made of, which you can see on the small white tag sawn into the seam on the left side at the bottom in all clothes, with laundry instructions, in order to lessen any toxic waste, whether when manufactured, or when thrown away. And to donate your used item, when suitable.

Looking to upgrade what you need thus, rather than just following fashion trends, is more sustainable. And to think of what fits you, rather than just how it looks. What matches you?