Estimates suggest around half of UK adults will be tempted by the Black Friday sales this year. But most of their purchases are likely to end up as waste fairly soon: the UK gets through more clothing and electronics than any of our European counterparts, 80 per cent of these items are landfilled, incinerated or processed as low quality recycling, all of which has a mammoth climate and environmental impact.
It is often assumed that buying stuff can either break the bank or the planet. But our research has found that the opposite could be true in future, with a more circular economy.
There are big financial savings for consumersBuying second hand is becoming increasingly popular, not least due to inflationary pressure on household budgets. Nine out of ten consumers are willing to shop second hand in principle, and sites such as Depop and Vinted have seen a surge in custom in the past few years. Our analysis shows that, in fashion, shoppers can save up to 60 per cent on dresses, 79 per cent on tops and 90 per cent on trousers, compared to buying the equivalent items new.
This is also true with more expensive items, such as mobile phones and white goods. After analysing listings on Back Market and eBay, we found that, in both areas, consumers were saving around £300 by buying second hand. This is well over the average household’s monthly budget for food and non-alcoholic drinks, or almost two weeks’ rent for the average room in the UK.
The rental market currently makes most sense for high end items, with the potential to offer savings and provide wider access to these more luxury items. For instance, a £90 dress for a special occasion can be rented for three days at £12, equating to an 87 per cent saving compared to buying it new. Renting high quality children’s clothes can be just four to 30 per cent the cost of buying the same things outright, which can add up to a huge saving over a child’s early years when clothes turnover is high.
UK rules force consumers to ‘take, make and throw’Unfortunately, options to shop more circular can’t yet offer savings across the board. Repair is an obvious way for people to save money and help the environment. It’s common in the mobile phone market (where consumers can save 68 to 87 per cent of the cost of buying new by repairing their existing devices), but with clothing or household appliances shoppers are still penalised, as cheap new alternatives reduce the incentive to repair. For instance, fitting a new motor in a washing machine can cost up to £275, compared to £249 for a brand new machine at the lower end of the market.
Repair is made disproportionately expensive due to rules that see full VAT paid on UK repair services, in contrast to what happens in some European countries, and a lack of ecodesign standards that could encourage companies to make spare parts more easily available. Setting UK design standards for efficient, repairable and durable products – that match or exceed the EU’s ambition – would help embed a and rebalance incentives towards reuse, repair and remanufactured goods.
A significant turn off for consumers is the gap in buyer protection for rented and refurbished products, compared to new. People are often concerned that they can’t guarantee the quality of second hand items, and the legal rights they have around quality control, payment disputes and safety are not always clear. Mandatory extended warranties and clearer statements of consumer rights would provide greater assurance and encourage many more people and businesses to go green.
Consumers want to buy more sustainablyPeople are steadily becoming more willing to switch to more environmentally friendly purchasing habits. In a public attitudes survey, 61 per cent agreed they were likely to switch to a brand with better environmental credentials. In particular areas, such as resale or reusable and durable products, consumer support is much higher: 90 per cent of consumers are willing to buy second hand in principle and 72 per cent are interested in buying products that are longer lasting. But data suggests that people are still failing to move from intention to action. Contrary to survey indications about what people would like to do, less than one per cent of UK consumption was classed as ‘ethical’ in 2019.
As it stands, the structure of the economy puts the burden on individual customers to diverge from the norm and make more sustainable choices. The push to buy around Black Friday epitomises the pressure traditional businesses are subjecting consumers to, often encouraging people to spend on new items unnecessarily when better options could be available that would also be cheaper.
Affordable, high quality goods do not have to cost the earth. A circular economy is the sustainable option that also saves people money. The government should strengthen policies that would shift it into the mainstream, so that the majority of buyers and businesses can finally make the most of it and Black Friday can go green.
