Does Minimalism Help the Environment? How to Downsize and Donate Sustainably

Minimalism has brought a breath of fresh air into millions of American homes as millennials declutter their lives of physical and mental burdens. In what has become known as the KonMari Method, subscribers to this philosophy question the necessity of owning an abundance of material goods. Instead, they only keep items that “spark joy” and rid their homes of superfluous items. The process of tidying up living spaces is tied to improvements in mental health. People use the method to bring order to their homes and leverage the fresh feeling to segue into new chapters of their lives. 

This pivot towards minimalism marks a shift away from the traditional American Dream. While the American Dream is built on the idea of gaining wealth, many households have now reached a point of privilege where they can afford to dispose of hordes of goods without financial impact. Our possessions no longer represent our status and achievement. Instead, younger, eco-conscious generations are seeking approval through less tangible ways such as social media activity. 

This trend is predicted to decrease American spending and is a significant win for the fight against fast fashion. In hopes of being environmentally conscious and helping those in need, many people donate their unwanted items to second-hand stores. But American consumption is so high that donation centers like Goodwill struggle with the overwhelming amount of donations. Last year Goodwill delivered only five percent of its total intake to landfills— and for legitimate reasons such as textile-spoiling mildew. However, the total amount was still enough for Goodwill to be fined $1.2 million for just the amount of waste produced from its 30 Northern New England stores.

The KonMari Method soothes the guilt of tossing usable items by championing gratefulness while focusing on immediate satisfaction. The idea that used items are given another chance further comforts us. This mentality leads to wish-cycling, which is when well-intentioned people pass on unfit items in hopes that something positive will happen. In this case, wish-cycling takes the form of donating half-used shampoo bottles and scratched tables.

Our belief in the saying that “anything helps” fuels wish-cycling.

Our belief in the saying that “anything helps” fuels wish-cycling. While there are people in unfortunate situations, second-hand stores’ supply chain and financial priorities mean most items never reach these groups. Donating everything, valid or not, does not benefit anybody; it only helps us feel better about discarding items while shifting the consequences of our high consumption onto others.

Excessive donating also creates negative externalities in foreign countries by flooding markets with second-hand items. As with most large donation centers, Goodwill offloads unsold products from the US market to peripheral nations. While this may sound better than a landfill, the energy to ship these products produces a significant environmental strain. Once in the area, the used items disrupt the local textile market with their low prices. For example, in 2015 the East African Community imported $275 million in used clothing, and Ghana saw a 20,000 job drop in the textile industry from 1977. This increases the countries’ economic reliance on the US, giving way to a new wave of neocolonialism.

Instead of hauling an entire car’s worth of stuff to your local Goodwill, consider alternatives that will allow your items to reach locations where they can truly make an impact. If you plan to take your goods to a second-hand shop, please check with employees to see what items they are currently taking so you can decrease their burden. 

After you’ve finished cleaning out your home, your focus should be on maintenance. A common pitfall is that people use the decluttering process to justify new purchases. One place to start is to create a sustainable closet that’s focused on reusing instead of recycling. 

American consumer culture is an environmentally debilitating issue, and minimalism is a giant step towards curbing retail therapy. Just as the KonMari Method focuses on self-reflection, we also need to be mindful of how we discard our burdens.