When purchasing secondhand electronic appliances and gadgets, the internal condition of the good has to be durable enough to last a long lifespan. If the product wears and tears easily after a short amount of usage, it is not enough to reduce the overall demand since people will not find it worth it to purchase a secondhand product that would not last. For example, when renting of professional camera equipment, the equipment should follow a standardised check with every transaction. This ensures the durability of the camera.
However, when compared to clothing, the overall demand may not significantly be reduced by the sharing of goods. Since we are in an era of fast fashion, people tend to choose quantity over quality (since we would not get much use of a piece of clothing). Coupled with the fact that shared clothes are usually cheaper, we would usually purchase more since prices are low. Thus, we are instead demanding more clothes instead of reducing our demand for clothes. In this sense, sharing and selling of secondhand clothes in particular may not be fully sustainable because we are still consuming more (although they are secondhand).
However, sustainability can still be reached despite having a large quantity of clothes. Because of the fast fashion era, we end up having more clothes than we need. The amount of clothes will only continue to increase when we keep up with such trends, leaving a large pile of clothing untouched after wearing them for a short period of time. Since these clothes would most likely be in good conditions, we can collate the clothes and donate them to the underprivileged instead of throwing them away. Such practices can reduce the amount of clothing and fabric being wasted as these clothes are being given to underprivileged people who view clothes as a need than want.
In order for such practices to be successful, more has to be done to encourage a sharing culture. As seen from the table below, the number one reason why people do not recycle items is because places are not convenient for them to do so. In Singapore, despite her efforts to encourage recycling, it still seems to be insufficient. There are not as much recycling bins as there are bins for general wastage. Similarly, there are not many donation centres that are easily accessible to everyone. Thus, people may be more inclined to throw rather than to donate. To encourage people to donate more, the government can increase its efforts to build a stronger recycling and donating culture.
Sharing of goods can also take the form of renting. Today, with the option of renting big ticket items, it can effectively reduce the demand for these luxury items, especially if one can foresee it being under-utilised when purchased. Some examples may include wedding dresses, photography equipment, karaoke systems, and portable wifi. These products generally have a high initial cost - if they are not fully utilised, they are usually depreciated very quickly, thus rendering it not economically effective to purchase the good. As such, businesses in these industries are booming because people would rather rent these products than to actually buy it. Having such a rental system ensures sustainability as resources are not being wasted or under-utilised, thus ensuring an effective use of the product.
In conclusion, sharing of goods does increase sustainability in the long run. However, its success depends largely on people's behaviour and perceptions towards sharing. Even with increased government's efforts to encourage sharing and donating, if people are not receptive to such ideas, sustainability will still be difficult to achieve.
References:
http://www.shareable.net/blog/is-sharing-good-for-the-environment-it-depends
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/psychology-of-why-people-dont-recycle_us_57697a7be4b087b70be605b3
No comments:
Post a Comment