Throughout the holiday season, the urgent need for sustainable consumption is clear. Some 300,000 tonnes of clothing and 471 million small electrical everyday items end up in household waste in the UK in a year, with the number of unwanted items increasing significantly just after Black Friday. The current trend of overconsumption is fuelling climate change, nature loss and pollution.
Meanwhile, the appetite for sustainability in our shopping is increasing. More than half of people in the UK are willing to spend more on environmentally friendly products. While the best thing for our planet is still to buy nothing or consume less, gift giving is a big part of our social and cultural life. The challenge is to balance showing our care to family and friends with leaving the least impact on the environment.
