Ethics of Fashion

[John 6IX Breezy]

If we could somehow quantify the harm done, we could say that making a new pair of jeans causes harm rated at 100.

If 30 people each buy new jeans, then the damage is at 3000. But if 30 people wear, in succession, the same pair of jeans, the damage remains at the original 100.

I think the argument you are making makes sense, but I have some issues with the analogy. The 30 people producing 3,000 damage points makes sense only if the items are being custom made. But in a situation where Zara already produced the 30 jeans, the harm is already done, and now it's a question of whether someone gets to wear them or not.

The second issue is perhaps more important: Since we are talking about personal responsibility, I'm not sure the 30 people can hide behind each other. For example, I personally buy expensive jeans, and I'm able to do so because it's pretty easy to resell them. Now, if I'm contributing to the unethical practices of the manufacturer because my purchase keeps them in business, can't that reasoning be extended to whoever buys my jeans secondhand who is likewise funding my unethical consumer behavior? If nobody purchased my jeans secondhand, I wouldn't be able to sustain my lifestyle.

ps. I don't my think my jeans are made unethically, but then again one never knows.