That moment when your fingers close around the handles of a shiny and still perfectly smooth bag, and all the fantastic new things inside become yours, what does it compare to? A question to which the protagonist of the novel I Love Shopping did not hesitate to answer “a pure, absolute, total pleasure”.
An answer that does not deviate much from the reality of the facts. In fact, despite the difficulties of recent times shopping continues to be experienced as a moment of leisure and fun by most Italians. According to the report released by Pulsee Luce e Gas Index, for more than 81% of respondents shopping is positive and, for 50%, even enjoyable.
Unlike the protagonist of Sophie Kinsella’s novel, however, the pursuit of beauty and good taste does not go through compulsive, but thoughtful purchases: more than 78% think carefully before buying something.
A tendency toward thoughtfulness confirmed by the frequency with which Italians shop: 32% buy clothing 1-2 times a month, while 22% even every six months. These habits reflect the high sensitivity that the respondents – as many as 72.5% – showed towards the environment, and the importance that 80.5% of them attached to consciously buying clothing to reduce the environmental impact of individual consumption.
The attention given to the relationship between fashion and environmental footprint, however, does not only affect the sphere of individual shopping preferences, but also fosters the spread of a real green activism, which sheds light on the problem of pollution related to the industry such as, for example, the consumption of energy and raw materials.
Despite the fact that more than 43% of Italians said they have bought clothing and shoes several times and never worn them, in view of the progressive renewal of their closet this new green attitude leads them to prefer garments made with increasingly ethical production processes. Among the main sustainability requirements, for a garment, are: production processes that meet environmental standards, selection of natural/organic materials, guarantee of decent conditions for workers, application of circular economy principles.
However, the production of sustainable clothing also has some limitations: for many (34.9% of the sample), the high price is a barrier to access along with the difficulty of locating shops where they can buy. Here, then, an environmentally beneficial alternative becomes apparent: the second-hand and vintage market.
One in four Italians say they buy more than half of their clothing this way, thanks in part to the emergence of specialised websites. A trend that appeals, particularly to parents – 42.6% buy used clothes for their children – to which is added “swapping,” the tendency to exchange clothes with other people, which remains a circumscribed phenomenon, however: only 15.8% of the sample makes frequent use of it through a circle of close contacts, such as family or friends.
In this list of virtuous practices that Italian consumers put in place to the environment, the donation (more than 50% of the sample) and sale (26% of the sample) of clothing, both new and second-hand, that is no longer used, certainly cannot be missed.
