Consignment, gently-loved, antique, pre-loved, hand-me-down, vintage. Oh, and of course, secondhand.
There are lots of names for it but our Habitude 002 is all about buying items that aren't new. There are lots of benefits to do thing. First, of course, is that it often saves you a LOT of money. Next, there are the environmental reasons: it reduces the use of virgin resources, whether that is cotton for apparel, wood for furniture, or some synthetic material for a household good and it reduces landfill waste.
Another benefit often overlooked is that the reuse of goods is a large industry that employs many thousands of people, from local antique and vintage clothing stores to giant corporations like Ebay.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of buying secondhand is that it allows the buyer to truly express themselves and their individuality. Anybody can follow a trend but when you buy an amazing cardigan sweater at the thrift store of pick up a mid-century designer couch from the flea market, your personal sense of style just got bumped up one more notch.
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Related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)