Why do we want the latest car, smartphone, or the trendiest apparel? 

Consumption of fast fashion and Black Friday discounted gadgets has become the main driver of the ecological crisis. It won’t be a stretch to say that the number of e-commerce boxes we receive daily is a totem of 21st-century materialism.

Books on minimalism and living on less keep popping up on bestseller lists, but there are very few conscious shoppers. We want to believe that consumer culture has turned a corner and that we are shopping more responsibly. Yet overconsumption is as popular as ever.

Substantial purchasing power—a high per capita income and a thriving luxury market—magnifies overconsumption in the Middle East. People indulge in frequent and high-value purchases, acquiring new products, sometimes at the expense of sustainability. 

If we all stopped shopping overnight, it would be disastrous, but if we built a new system, it could support a surprisingly robust economy. 

Addressing this issue requires a fundamental shift towards more responsible consumption practices, emphasizing quality over quantity and fostering a culture of sustainability and mindful living.

Amid this background, the rise of the second-hand market presents a promising resolution to the rampant problem. As consumers become increasingly aware of our consumption patterns’ impact on the planet, the allure of buying pre-owned items has grown, challenging traditional purchasing habits and societal norms that equate newness with quality. This shift towards embracing second-hand goods is a trend and a necessary pivot towards sustainability.

The range of items available in the second-hand market has expanded from clothing to electronics, furniture to books. 

Generally, what was once considered a niche segment of consumers confined to online forums has branched into a full-blown, second-hand economy that is making significant strides in tackling the waste problem associated with overconsumption.

“As an advocate of reusability and recycling, Dubizzle is in a position to address these social issues by promoting the ‘someone’s trash may be another’s treasure’ narrative,” says Sahar Khan, VP of Marketing at Dubizzle, an online platform for buying and selling goods.

Khan adds that platforms like these encourage people to engage in a recycling culture by trading second-hand goods daily. This circular economy model fosters a more sustainable ecosystem where goods are maximized before disposal.

In 2020, a Deloitte analysis revealed that sharing and adopting circular economy practices can slash contributions to the greenhouse effect by up to 60%. 

This underscores the significant environmental benefits that could be realized through a more sustainable approach to consumption and resource use.

“Retail is one of the most capital-intensive sections of the world economy, like real estate and automotive,” said Amina Musaeva, CEO and founder of Cloudset, a cloud wardrobe for renting and buying clothing and accessories.

A CAVEAT IN CONSUMPTION PATTERNS

Understanding consumption patterns is crucial for creating a caveat for second-hand goods. By analyzing how and when consumers purchase items, what drives their decisions, and the lifecycle of their ownership, businesses can better predict market trends and demand for pre-owned products.

Additionally, understanding these patterns helps identify potential risks and concerns associated with second-hand goods, such as quality assurance and warranty issues. This enables businesses to address these caveats proactively, ensuring a smoother transaction process, enhancing buyer confidence, and ultimately fostering a more sustainable and reliable market for second-hand goods.

Khan shares that within the several categories of Dubizzle, the market for used cars is particularly robust, with 1.8 million active users buying or selling pre-owned vehicles each month. The classifieds section of Dubizzle, which includes categories like furniture, electronics, and household items, receives significant traffic, with an average of 38 million pageviews per month.

FAST FASHION

Among the several ways we overconsume, fast fashion is one. Perhaps we have nowhere left to stuff another dress. Our closets and landfills are overflowing with last season’s clothes.

Fast fashion trends and the demand for constantly new styles lead to the rapid turnover of garments, many of which are worn only a handful of times before being thrown away. This cycle results in millions of tons of textile waste annually.

Musaeva highlights that excess inventory is a built-in aspect of the retail business model, with new sales volumes influencing stock market prices for major retail players. Cloudset aims to offer a complementary recurring monetization tool that aligns with industry incentives and reduces inventory risk. “Rental is not a mutually exclusive alternative to retail,” Musaeva says.

“We are not trying to get people to stop buying clothes; we’re trying to get them to stop buying low-quality, under-utilized clothing,” she adds.

Encouraging multiple uses of garments promotes producing and consuming higher-quality, durable clothing with significant rental and resale potential. In turn, the strategy enables a higher return on investment (ROI) from existing inventory, compensating for reduced new production volumes.

Musaeva notes that, unlike other sectors that have embraced the sharing economy, the fashion industry remains largely ownership-centered and reliant on continued production.

According to an Ellen MacArthur report, customers miss out on $460 billion of value annually by discarding clothes that could still be worn. Some garments are discarded after just seven to ten wears. Over half of garments produced end up in landfills or incinerators within a year. In 2021, Greenpeace reported that of the 900 million used clothing items imported to Kenya, 458 million were deemed worthless.

LARGER SCALE IMPACT

Overconsumption significantly affects the economy and the environment. The continuous cycle of buying and discarding goods leads to inefficient use of resources and capital. Consumers frequently purchase low-quality, short-lived products, which contributes to increased production costs and waste. Businesses face challenges managing excess inventory and often incur financial losses from unsold items. 

This cycle of overconsumption reduces long-term value for both consumers and companies, promoting a throwaway culture rather than sustainable growth.

Environmentally, overconsumption drives extensive resource depletion and pollution. The relentless demand for new products leads to the overexploitation of natural resources used in manufacturing, such as minerals, water, and fossil fuels. The production process generates significant greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

Additionally, discarded goods contribute to massive amounts of waste in landfills, where they release harmful chemicals and take years to decompose. The unsustainable consumption pattern degrades ecosystems, threatens biodiversity, and accelerates environmental degradation, highlighting the urgent need for more responsible and sustainable consumption practices.

Musaeva highlights the significant environmental impact of overconsumption and emphasizes the benefits of alternative models like renting. Speaking more locally, she references the British rental platform ByRotation, which reported that 2.5 million weddings were forecasted for 2022, the most significant number since 1984.

“If just one of these weddings had 25 guests wearing rented instead of bought clothes, it would have resulted in CO2 savings equivalent to a commercial flight from London to Copenhagen,” Musaeva says. The example illustrates how rental can reduce the environmental footprint associated with fashion consumption.

Tackling overconsumption alone will not resolve the climate breakdown related to the retail industry. “Without endorsing and internalizing new business models and recurring monetization, other sustainability initiatives such as new materials science or supply chain transparency will not be effective,” Musaeva says.

Renting fashion discourages superfluous consumption by effortlessly nudging people into a circular, rotational model. “We call it the relationship model as opposed to the transactional model,” Musaeva adds. 

This approach contradicts the logic of regular seasonality and variation that high fashion encourages and the pragmatic mindset of aesthetic minimalism and capsule wardrobes.

Rental allows consumers to enjoy the “red carpet” experience of constant novelty and variation without the environmental, psychological, and economic pressures of overconsumption and overproduction.

Khan reiterates that the most significant benefit of buying second-hand is its role in “reducing waste.”

By decreasing the demand for new products, the second-hand market helps to lower the carbon footprint.

Khan also notes that the second-hand market supports economic sustainability in many ways.

“Consumers save money, making essential items more affordable. The market also creates jobs in refurbishment, resale, and logistics, contributing to the local economy,” Khan adds.

The second-hand economy could be a powerful change agent as it evolves, offering a compelling alternative to unchecked consumerism.

So, the next time you are about to make a purchase, consider whether you need this item in its brand-new form. This simple question invites reflection and strong moral arguments that we must reduce our consumption and associated waste. Although our individual contributions to the environmental crisis may be small, our small sacrifices add to meaningful change and a sustainable future.