We’ve all been there. We’re at a festival, conference, or volunteer event where a well-meaning individual runs up to you with a shirt in their hand. They excitedly say “welcome to the team”, “thanks for serving”, or “glad you’re here”, and because it’s assumed that genuine thanks aren’t enough, they give you that shirt free of charge.
To be fair, they’re onto something. In what world would you have volunteered, served, or attended an event if you hadn’t been bribed by a free shirt, pen, notepad, tote bag, or hat? Human beings are simply incapable of being generous without a clear picture of what’s in it for them.
While you likely sense the sarcasm in my writing, humor enough won’t solve the issue. It’s important to dig into why the practice of giving out (and accepting) free merch needs to stop, and how you can prompt change. Let’s start with why the practice sucks:
1) It clutters your closet
Have you ever donated ten full bags of clothes only to wonder how in the world you accumulated that much stuff?
Some of us may be more compulsive purchasers than others, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the primary culprit of your donation load is the “free shirt”. Whether they come from a bachelorette party, an adult sports league, a high-school reunion, a Brewfest, a church luncheon, or a Ren Fair, there are (unfortunately) countless opportunities to accumulate free textiles.
Those “free” textiles then start collecting dust in your closet and at the very least take up space, or even worse, they become mental clutter as well.
At the most basic, selfish level, accepting free shirts hands the reigns of your fashion sense to a team of individuals who likely aren’t graphic designers or stylists. No offense to Jean and Bob in accounting, but slapping a mediocre logo on a t-shirt isn’t fashion.
Maybe crappy-looking shirts don’t bother you – you’re the type of person who can put on any piece of fabric and still look incredible.
First off, fuck you and your incredible looks.
Second of all, keep reading – the case against free shirts gets real pretty quickly.
2) It’s junk
Raise your hand if you’ve ever received a free shirt made of 100% Organic Supima Cotton or even just a pen that doesn’t stop working after three uses.
Whether you’re given a hat or a pair of sunglasses, it’s expected that they’ll be junk:
- Shirts are made of the cheapest cotton available.
- Cup logos fade after one run in the dishwasher.
- Hats don’t fit normally on any head.
Free merch is free only because the materials are cheap as shit.
Sadly, it’s reasonable that an organization would go with the inexpensive option for free merch because if they searched for quality, they could no longer afford to give it away.
Don’t believe me? Check through your stash of free shirts and count how many are made sustainably, by workers paid a living wage, and with quality textiles. I doubt you’ll find even one.
3) It’s not actually “free”
Sure, it’s free for you, but what cost did that shirt have on someone else’s life?
As much as we in America and other wealthy countries like to ignore the prevalence of modern-day slavery, it’s impossible to tackle the topic of clothing without it rearing its ugly head.
“The ILO (International Labor Organization) estimates that 170 million are engaged in child labour, with many making textiles and garments to satisfy the demand of consumers in Europe, the US, and beyond.”
Josephine Moulds
In addition to the sad reality of child labor, 2018 Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index found that the garment industry is the 2nd most at-risk industry for modern slavery. With an estimated 40.3 million people in slavery as of 2016 (71% of which are female), the fashion industry is a clear area where we can change our habits and choices.
Of course, there’s a chance the free shirt you received was made by a fair trade organization that ensures child and slave labor aren’t utilized, but let’s not fool ourselves. That’s unlikely.
4) It perpetuates unsustainable behavior
The final piece of the puzzle has to do with sustainability.
Although there could be an entire book about each of these four points, let’s take an aerial view:
- Between 80 and 130 billion clothes are made each year. Let that number sink in. There are less than 8 billion people in the world, and you know that a large percentage of that world population isn’t buying a new shirt at the mall every weekend.
- Cotton is a water (and pesticide) intensive crop. Traditional cotton growing methods are not sustainable or healthy. While organic cotton is a drastically better alternative, it doesn’t address the consumption mindset the developed world has.
- In the US alone (in 2018) 11.3 million tons of textiles went to landfills. Those trashed clothes go on to generate greenhouse gases and leach toxic chemicals back into the soil and water.
- Textiles are a major contributor of microplastics to the ocean. While many of the long-term impacts are still to be fully understood, it’s clear that the current trajectory isn’t beneficial or sustainable for the environment.
As brutal as those statistics are, it’s important to grasp the extent of the issue. It’s no doubt that current textile practices are actively harming humans and the environment.
How to become a proponent for change
While we can’t stop all of these horrific practices alone, we can make small choices to reduce our own individual impact and influence change. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Stop taking free merch. Rather than mindlessly accepting free items, consider asking yourself the following two questions first:
- Is this piece of merch something I will actually use?
- Is the company that made it dedicated to sustainable and equitable practices?
- Become a proponent for change in your own organization. Instead of buying cheap shirts for the next fundraiser, consider alternatives:
- If shirts are crucial, find a sustainable and equitable company to purchase from.
- If shirts aren’t imperative, consider what other options might accomplish the same purpose while being less wasteful.
- Instead of giving out free merch, donate $5-$10 to a charity in honor of each volunteer. After the event email them a tax-deductible donation receipt.
- Evaluate your own clothes-buying habits:
- What is your aesthetic, and how can you cut out unnecessary purchases that don’t match the style you like? Purchase clothes that look good on you now and not your idealized self.
- Are the businesses you support impacting the world and others negatively? It can often help to do some digging – greenwashing is sadly a common practice.
- Do you need another pair of [insert wearable] or will you be okay without them? I learned the hard way that it can be easy to overestimate wardrobe needs.
Final thoughts
Influencing change doesn’t require large donations, major life changes, or complicated procedures:
- It can start with saying “no” to clutter, waste, injustice, and unsustainability.
- It can be as easy as avoiding stores that haven’t chosen ethical business practices.
- It can be as simple as googling “fair-trade, sustainable clothing brands” and glancing through an article like this.
- It can look like kindly informing your organization about a more responsible way to reward volunteers.
While businesses & governments need to be held responsible for their systemic impact, we can fight for change individually by making one small choice at a time.