Living in the age of social media, consumers are accustomed to the practice of making unnecessary, impulse purchases. Fast fashion brands encourage consumers to shop on trend every season by lowering their prices to appeal to consumer wallets. This practice is not sustainable and highly consumptive. In an effort to move away from excess consumerism, a growing trend is the concept of minimalism.
Living with Less
Minimalism is a lifestyle practice of intentionally identifying what is essential, and eliminating the desire to buy and accumulate excess products. It’s a practice that promotes living with less, and defining which product possessions provide value.
Unlike older generations, Millennials and Generation Z support minimalist principles. Both generations prefer to spend money on experiences rather than material goods. They’re not big spenders for material possessions, however, they are more inclined to make purchases that align with their priorities and personal values. As purchasing power shifts to both consumer groups, the future of retail will adopt the preferences of either generations. One trend in particular is the concept of product sustainability.
Hand in Hand with Sustainability
Sustainability and minimalism promote conscious consumption. Both minimalism and sustainability result in reduced consumption of goods for different reasons: minimalist concepts pertain to the individual minimizing their consumption of everyday products while sustainability encourages the collective to preserve resources and use less product for longer periods of time.
The EPA estimates that textile waste occupies roughly 6.3% of all landfill space. On average, individuals throw away 81 pounds of clothing per year, which adds up to 3.8 billion pounds of unnecessary waste added to landfills per year. In addition, one garbage truck of textile waste is sent to landfills or incinerated every second. During the 1930s, the average consumer owned 36 garments- today’s consumer surpasses 100 articles of clothing. In recent years, the average consumer purchased 60% more clothing but kept each garment half as long. The widespread availability of new clothing due to affordable prices has increased the amount of new clothing consumers purchase yearly.
Using Minimalist Concepts to Reduce Waste
Given the influx of consumer purchases within the past decade, consumerism is at an all time high with expected growth in the coming years. Excess consumerism drives consumption; the planet’s resources are dwindling. By encouraging consumers to focus on what’s important, the collective can shop in avoidance of impulse purchases. With this in mind, adopting a “buying less” mentality will reduce the demand for “fast” or “cheap” products that can only offer a handful amount of uses before it’s discarded.
For this reason, product developers will need to adapt to the shift in consumer purchasing habits. Brands are encouraged to offer durable products that are sustainably sourced and ethically produced, while also achieving a longer consumer use phase. For textile products, innovative technologies such as odor control and soil and stain release extend the life of apparel products. Consequently, this will appease the demands of younger generations to decrease spending money on materialistic items and reduce waste.
Sources:
Reichart, E., & Drew, D. (2020, September 08). By the Numbers: The Economic, Social and Environmental Impacts of “Fast Fashion”. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/01/numbers-economic-social-and-environmental-impacts-fast-fashion
Weinswig, D. (2016, September 07). Millennials Go Minimal: The Decluttering Lifestyle Trend That Is Taking Over. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahweinswig/2016/09/07/millennials-go-minimal-the-decluttering-lifestyle-trend-that-is-taking-over/
Zafar, S. (2020, April 02). How Minimalism and Sustainability Go Hand in Hand. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.ecomena.org/minimalism-and-sustainability/
