The Sustainable Minimalists Podcast

Online shopping has made buying more convenient, sure. But because we can't touch, feel, and try items on when perusing e-commerce sites, return rates have skyrocketed. Each year in the US alone, shoppers return approximately 3.5 billion products, only 20% of which are actually defective. Spoiler alert: these perfectly new and non-defective items that we return? Workers only very rarely restock them for sale.Today I divulge what *actually* happens to clothing that we buy online and then return; I'm also offering up some practical action steps for everyone (like myself!) who enjoys shopping online. Here's a preview:[5:15] How did we get here? A brief history of fast, free, no questions asked returns[7:00] The major differences between forward logistics and reverse logistics[12:00] What happens to the clothes we return: landfill, merchandizer, or abroad[16:15] 5 ways to reduce returns sent back to manufacturers Resources mentioned: What Actually Happens To Your Online Returns? (via HuffPost) Did you know ther