#35: You won't believe who shouted us out...
#35: You won't believe who shouted us out...
How we think about impact and an exciting shoutout from a major media outlet.
We celebrated Earth Day this week, which is always a good reminder for why we do what we do.
As with any person or company, Beni has an impact on the environment. Our goal is to have the biggest net positive impact possible.
By showing people the best resale deals while they shop, Beni is designed to reduce the burden of fashion on the planet by increasing the percent of purchases that are made through resale vs. brand new.
To help you get a better understanding of the impact you can make by shopping secondhand first, here’s how we calculate impact at Beni.
We currently leverage existing research conducted by Green Story & thredUp which uses a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology AKA a comparison of the impact of buying used clothing versus buying an equivalent item new.
According to recent LCA analysis, buying and wearing secondhand clothing instead of new reduces carbon emissions by an average of 25%:
This average is generated from the impact calculated for 15 categories of clothing, including coats, dresses, jeans, etc., with some categories having bigger potential environmental savings from reuse than others.
This is because garments differ in the amount of resources used in production, the likelihood that a secondhand purchase displaces a new purchase, and in how long the garment can and is used.
And, while 25% may not seem like a lot at an individual level, we believe that, at scale, this shift can reduce fashion’s burden on the planet in a pretty significant way.
So, we encourage you to do your part by thinking secondhand first whenever possible and invite you to follow along as we build the future of fashion.
Beni users, we want your thoughts:
We're building a Resale Map of all the best U.S. thrift, vintage and consignment stores by city and need your help!
As avid Beni users, we've gotten extremely good at thrifting online, but when it comes to thrifting in-person, we only know a few places in our respective cities.
So, whether you're a frequenter of these stores or have simply heard about some from friends who are, please take a few seconds to fill out this form, and we'll share our map with you when it's ready!
You asked. We answered.
Something we were recently asked: How come Beni on mobile is only available to Apple users and not on Android?
Answer: Unfortunately Chrome on mobile doesn’t allow extensions (yet!), so we recommend our desktop Chrome extension if you don’t have an iPhone.
Have another question? Just ask. Simply reply to this email and we’ll get back to you ASAP (and potentially include it in a future newsletter). Someone else is probably thinking the same thing and they will thank you for it!
#benifinds for graduation:
Calling all soon-to-be grads (or parents of soon-to-be grads)!!! Here are some of our favorite finds styled by @fits.byerin for you to accept your diploma in style.
p.s. if you want to collab with us on a #benifinds post, respond directly to this email, and we’ll get back to you!
Why we do what we do (Reason #126)
Ginger Zee hosted a segment on Good Morning America yesterday about donating clothes responsibly and reducing waste (check it out around 4:10). And, she plugged BENI (or, as auto-captions likes to say, “Benny”) as the best way to shop secondhand!
Mentions like this mean the world to us because they help us bring more people in to the world of resale. So, if you or someone you know has a platform to share Beni, we’d love to chat!
Partner Spotlight: Vestiaire Collective
Who they are: A peer-to-peer marketplace for pre-loved luxury fashion.
What they’re good for: All things designer.
Why we’re talking about them: For Earth Day, they launched their 2024 Circularity Report, which revealed that neither consumers, nor the planet can afford fast fashion.
Their consumer survey demonstrated that due to several factors (number of wears, resale value, etc.), brand new fast fashion items ultimately have a 33% higher cost-per-wear than the luxury pre-loved items available on Vestiaire Collective.
You can read the full report here. It definitely gives you something to think about the next time you’re thinking about making a purchase…
Coming up with Beni…
April 26th: Sarah speaking on ‘Solutions for Sustainable Living’ panel in SF. Sign up for the Commons newsletter for recorded footage of the event!
May 17th: It’s our company’s birthday, which feels like a great excuse to celebrate! Stay tuned for some fun plans we have in the works.
June 4th: We’re co-hosting a pop-up event during NY Tech Week where we’ll be spotlighting the companies building the future of fashion. RSVP here!
Beni BTS…
We’ve been all over lately. Here’s a behind-the-scenes pic of Kate speaking at Sustainable Fashion Forum in Austin last week.
Where should we go next?