Logan thrift store Erthaware battles overconsumption
Overconsumption is an issue that has risen in prominence over recent years. Across the world, higher levels of consumption of all sorts of goods can be seen, and it doesn’t look to be stopping soon. The United Nations Environment Program’s 2024 Global Resource Outlook projects by 2060, levels of consumption will rise nearly 60%. The world of fashion is no exception, but one local thrift shop is doing its part in addressing the issue.
Erthaware is a thrift store located in Logan. It strives not only to give clothes a second opportunity but also to repurpose fabrics as new clothes or other items, all to help prevent the fabrics from ending up as waste.
Founder Delainey Ashbrook was attending Utah State University when she was inspired to start the company.
“I actually came up with the concept of the company in one of my USU classes. I took social entrepreneurship, and in that class, we had to come up with a business idea that also had a social impact side of it. I thought, ‘Okay, I really like clothes and thrifting and things like that,’ but I had to find a social aspect I could throw into that,” Ashbrook said. “I started researching and found that overconsumption of clothing and all that material ending up in landfills is a huge problem. People buy a lot of clothing and throw it away when they are done with it. I thought, ‘How do we offset how much we’re buying with recycling as well?’”
Resale boutique Erthaware located in Logan, as seen on Nov. 19.
A study from Boston University found that each year, Americans throw away over 136 billion pounds of used textiles, 66% of which end up in landfills. Only 15% is recycled. Oftentimes, it can take years for these items to decompose fully, often leaving harmful chemicals and other pollutants in the environment. Erthaware is striving to help mend this issue.
“We recycle any clothing we can’t actually resell. Our whole goal is to keep as much clothing in circulation as possible. That’s where the resale side comes from. From there, we also upcycle. We work with local artists and similar things,” Ashbrook said. “For example, if we have a pair of jeans that has a hole in it, we say, ‘Let’s patch it up. Let’s make it wearable again.’”
Thrifting and refurbishing items does not have to be the end of the road for clothing items. Even items beyond repair can be recycled in unique ways to give them a second life, according to Ashbrook.
“When we get things that are just past their life, we send them out to be recycled. It gets ground up and turned into wall insulation, carpet padding and different things like that. I first found out about this idea from a sock company that had a program where you could send in your old socks, and they’d recycle them and create new socks out of them,” Ashbrook said. “I found this company in North Carolina that was doing a similar thing. I went there and checked them out and found it was a really cool program that they had going. They have lots of things they use the fabric for, but for us, it gives us a way to keep the clothing out of the landfill.”
While its main goal is to find sustainable ways to recycle and repurpose clothes, the store also helps to promote small businesses and local artists through its selection.
“We have a rack in the store that we offer to local artists if they want to sell it here. We don’t take any commission from them, so they keep 100% of what they price it at,” Ashbrook said. “They’ll do all kinds of different stuff. They’ll take clothing that’s in good condition and create their own unique pieces out of it. We have some people who take blankets we get in and make little bags out of them.”
Though the store is still only local to the Cache Valley, its goals extend far beyond Logan. According to its website, it hopes to help small businesses and allow them to work sustainably. It also loves to work with different charities to help with other parts of the world. Though Erthaware is still young, it has aspirations of making an impact around the globe.