Luxury consignment marketplace, The RealReal, has encouraged the United States Congress to take circularity into account in the battle against climate change.

Allison Sommer, The RealReal's vice president of public affairs and business development, raised awareness of the "colossal" negative impact of fast fashion on the environment and the benefits of circularity at a congressional briefing titled "Fashion and the Environment - How to Achieve a Circular Future."

Sommer led the conversation, outlining the consequences of generating "thousands of low-quality new designs utilizing synthetic materials" on a daily basis, as well as the accelerated rate at which these pieces wind up in landfills. She also emphasized the need for reuse as a waste management option.

Sommer told Congress that since its inception, The RealReal has been devoted to environmental protection; sustainability is one of its founding core principles. Fast fashion's meteoric ascent is a big factor in the escalation of the climate catastrophe. They need to do more to hold these firms accountable for needless overproduction of poorly manufactured, frequently criticized as 'disposable' things, and instead promote circular models. She is grateful for the opportunity to educate legislative staff on these concerns alongside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Goodwill to highlight the net-positive impact of circular models on their environment.

Dacie Meng, senior manager of policy and institutions at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, joined Sommer.

More than half of fast fashion products purchased are discarded in less than a year, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. It is estimated that it contributes significantly to the 11.3 million tonnes of clothes disposed of in landfills in the United States each year. The panel not only presented evidence that helped position circular economies and sustainable business models as critical components in the fight against climate change, but it also demonstrated how the growing domestic industry is creating jobs across the country while replacing foreign fast-fashion jobs.

Meng added that the Ellen MacArthur Foundation envisions a fashion business where goods are created from safe, recyclable, or renewable materials and are built to be used more frequently. They’re grateful for the chance to participate in the briefing today to talk about how they can engage with business and government to make fashion circular and support efforts to combat issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.

There was also a high-end Goodwill store there. For 120 years, the business has been a social and environmental leader in "reduce, reuse, repurpose." Goodwill organizations assist communities in extending the life of useable objects and preventing them from ending up in landfills through a business strategy that involves collecting and selling donated products.

Goodwill Industries international’s manager of sustainability, Brittany Dickinson, said that they're delighted to be at the table with the governmental, private, and non-profit sectors as we advance solutions that support the circular textile economy. Today's briefing was the first of many conversations they will have with lawmakers and partners on the crucial issue of sustainability, contributing to the economic health of communities, preserving resources, and protecting our environment.