Look at the state of this

Sobering stats on our increasing overconsumption habits

Jun 27, 2024

Yikes. Here are six shocking stats from the Second Nature Earth podcast that demonstrate the scale of our overconsumption problem1:

Impulse purchases have increased 72% since 2020
We currently have enough clothing on the planet to dress the next six generations
From 2016-2021, we globally consumed over 75% of what we did for the entire 20th century
Since 1970, our global population has doubled but our global resource extraction has tripled
The average consumer now buys 60% more clothing items than they did 15 years ago but keeps them for only half as long
Out of the 1 billion packages (worth under US$800) that entered the US in 2022, one-third came from Shein and Temu

It’s a fascinating listen. The episode addresses themes we’re coming across over and over again:

Global fashion has a massive oversupply and returns issue.
Returns and unsold stock are destroyed, burnt or end up in landfills. Ironically, the earth’s resources are used to create clothes to sell, (whether that’s natural fibres or chemicals extracted from oil), they are not purchased, they return to the earth but in a devastatingly wasteful and polluting way. All this “stuff” wasn’t needed in the first place! Madness.
The newness fix: buying stuff makes us happy. But only temporarily. We’ve been conditioned to need that dopamine hit. We need to be more aware that the satisfaction doesn’t last long, and resist impulse buys. Or we can seek the newness hit elsewhere via vintage, second-hand or hired clothing.

New ideas we heard include committing to extensive no-buy periods (which sounds difficult—joining no-buy accountability groups can help). And we love the sound of repair cafes.

Given that more than enough clothing already exists, it makes sense to care, share and repair what you own. And for manufacturers to commit to producing responsibly and sustainably.

Listen to the full podcast here.

Would you commit to a no-buy group for a whole year?

Rental Radar—your roundup of the latest industry news

More worrying news from UK fashion retail. Frasers Group has acquired THG’s luxury division including Coggles.com* and The Hut. Drapers reports that some premium and luxury supplier brands had AW24 and SS25 orders cancelled after the deal's announcement. One brand told Drapers they assume Frasers has acquired Coggles to shut it down and increase their market share. This follows Frasers’ acquisition of Matches Fashion in 2023 before they called in administrators in March 2024. The Guardian reported that Matches owed suppliers, including Toteme and Anya Hindmarsh, more than £210m. [*Behind the paywall but you can register for 3 free articles per month].
Wedding season is in full swing and ByRotation is offering brides a personalised discount code to share with their guests for 15% off.
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John Lewis has launched a new circular design collection. Items contain an increased amount of recycled content, are designed for longevity and can be more easily recycled when customers are done with them.
Spotted in London Fields: Alice Cullen is offering a workshop in July to learn to mend your clothes creatively. Alice says, “Let’s use Stitch to celebrate and care for the clothes we already own before buying new ones”. Agreed. You can book here.
Image by Alice Cullen