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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/03/im-not-buying-new-stuff-any-more-the-young-people-getting-into-degrowth>
"“I’ve always been a charity shop girl,” says Rosie Coltman, a 32-year-old
teacher from Leicestershire.
In recent years, she has shifted from fast fashion towards renting and
repairing clothes, or buying secondhand or higher-quality items. She has bought
a waxed Barbour jacket that, while more expensive in the short term, she hopes
will be cheaper overall due to its durability. For a friend’s wedding, she
hired a black Ganni dress for £50 from the app By Rotation. She also
batch-cooks food to avoid waste, and prioritises buying from ethical and
sustainable companies.
Coltman’s new habits echo a wider social shift. Faced with a cost of living
crisis, the looming threat of climate disaster, and the pandemic’s upending of
daily life, which has led many to rethink their habits, more people are
pledging to consume less and spend more sustainably – reducing the strain on
planet and pocket.
According to YouGov, 46% of Britons surveyed in August 2023 said environmental
sustainability had affected their general household purchases a “fair amount,”
rising from 41% of those surveyed in February 2020. (Although people responding
that it affected spending to a “large extent” fell from 18% to 15%.) Meanwhile,
financial burdens continue to weigh people down, with 1.8m UK households –
almost 3.8 million people – having experienced destitution at some point in
2022, according to Joseph Rowntree Foundation research, and a KPMG survey
finding that two-thirds of UK consumers planned to cut discretionary spending
this year."
Via Diane A.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
