HONOLULU (KHON2) — Not one ripped in protest, but one mailed in protest in a quiet, deliberate act by a shopper who had simply run out of options.
Her polycotton sheet couldn’t be composted, reused or recycled responsibly. So, she boxed it up and sent it back to the store that sold it. The message was clear: You made this. You deal with it.
That single action, that was documented by The Guardian, has sparked something much larger in the world of consumerism. Shoppers are sending worn-out clothes and textiles back to the retailers who sold them and demanding accountability for their end-of-life impact.
The Take It Back movement is not aggressive. It’s not angry. It’s a nudge and a reminder to brands that their role doesn’t end at checkout.
As clothing waste piles up and the true cost of fast fashion becomes harder to ignore, the movement is giving everyday people a way to push back. And in Hawai‘i, where imported goods dominate and landfill space is limited, this approach could offer a fresh way forward.
Here are key takeaways that Hawai‘i can apply from this growing UK movement.
Five things Hawai‘i residents can do now
1. Think before you buy: If it’s trendy and cheap, chances are it won’t last. Choose clothes made from natural fibers like cotton, linen or silk. Look for local brands or companies that share details about how their clothes are made.
2. Ask stores what they’re doing: It may feel awkward at first, but asking a retailer, “What happens to this item when it’s worn out?” sends a clear message. If enough people ask, stores may begin to change their practices.
3. Repair or repurpose when you can: A missing button or torn seam doesn’t have to mean the end of a garment’s life. Basic repairs or creative reuse can stretch your clothes further. Old shirts can become rags. Worn jeans can become patchwork or bags.
4. Don’t assume donation is the answer: Before you drop off a bag of used clothes, ask the organization if they can accept damaged or stained items. If not, you may be adding to their burden.
5. Support extended producer responsibility: If local lawmakers explore EPR policies for clothing and other goods, support those efforts. A system that holds companies responsible for what they produce is more sustainable in the long run.
‘Retailers made the clothing; they should handle the waste’
Consumers in the UK are making a powerful case. If companies design, produce and profit from garments, why shouldn’t they also handle what happens after those garments fall apart? That’s the thinking behind “extended producer responsibility” (EPR). It’s not a new idea, but until now, most clothing brands haven’t been forced to follow it.
For Hawai‘i, where clothing is shipped in from around the world, holding retailers accountable could prevent thousands of pounds of waste from ending up in our landfills—or worse, on someone else’s shores.
Charity shops can’t carry the burden anymore
In the past, donating used clothing to local thrift stores felt like a win-win, but charity shops are being overwhelmed with fast fashions clothes that don’t sell, aren’t reused or even given away.
In some places, like the United Kingdom, people are required to pay for these clothes to be incinerated or disposed of.
This is a warning sign for Hawai‘i. Thrift stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army play a huge role in reuse, but they aren’t bottomless pits. If low-quality fast fashion keeps flooding the islands, we could face a similar crisis where even giving clothes away becomes a problem.
So, in Hawai‘i, where the aloha spirit encourages mālama ʻāina, there’s an opportunity to shift how we shop.
We can support local and support brands that make durable, recyclable clothes. It has the potential to help slow the waste at its source.
While politicians in the U.K. are beginning to address the issue of fast fashion and how to deal with the onslaught of unrecyclable, used clothing, how will we deal with the mounting microplastics and rubbish being washed up from around the world onto our beaches.
Hawai‘i may be far from Sheffield or Sussex, but the message still applies: when we say hello to something new, we should also take care in how we say goodbye.