5 things to ask yourself before buying new

by Mackenzie Smith

Unfortunately, planet earth has been hard hit by our consumerist culture. Be it deforestation, water consumption, or air miles, every new item we buy comes with a hidden environmental price tag.

To help minimise your impact, why not ask yourself the following questions when considering buying anything new:

How often will I use it?

This is a particularly good question to ask yourself when clothes shopping. Did you know that the average Aussie woman only wears one third of her wardrobe? Given that the fashion industry accounts for 10% of humanity’s global carbon emissions, it’s pretty crazy that we don’t make the most of the end products. 

It’s statistics like this that inspired slow fashion activist Liva Firth to launch the #30Wears campaign in 2016. The principle is simple - before buying any new item of clothing ask yourself ‘will I wear it 30 times or more before throwing it out?’. If not, then maybe save your money (and the planet!).  

And there’s no need to stop there! Apply the same principle any time you make a purchase and you’ll likely find that you significantly reduce the amount of unnecessary single-use, single-purpose and novelty items that you buy.

Do I actually need it?

Let’s be honest, how many times have we bought an item and then realised once we got home that we already owned something that served the same purpose?

Impulse buying is the worst way to trip yourself up on this one, and retailers know it! ‘50% off for a limited time only’ or ‘Mega sale! Ends midnight tonight’ are all tactics to get us to buy quickly without really considering whether or not we need to make a purchase in the first place.

The best advice? Sleep on it for a few days. You might miss the ‘bargain of a lifetime’ but if you aren’t prepared to pay full price for something then you have to question whether or not you really need it in the first place. 9 out of 10 times you’ll likely find that you’ve completely forgotten about the item a week later and can put the money saved towards something that you genuinely do need.

Do I need to buy new?

So, you’ve decided that you definitely do need to make a purchase, how exciting! Now you can consider where best to source the product.  

First things first, think second-hand. Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay and Depop are all excellent platforms that can help you to source nearly new or pre-loved items at a fraction of the price. By buying second-hand you are extending the life of items that have already been produced and saving the need for additional resources to be invested in the creation of new products.

An alternative to buying used is buying recycled. Recycled products have a much lower carbon footprint than their brand-new alternatives and play a vital role in the creation of a circular economy.

Finally, sometimes you absolutely do need to buy something new. In these cases, be sure to consider: where it came from; what it’s made of; how the materials were sourced; who made it and under what circumstances.

How should I care for it?

Hand-washing, waxing and polishing may all seem like tedious tasks, but they are vital ways of extending the usable life of items that we own. Taking the time to understand the most effective method of caring for something when you first make a purchase helps to show respect for the planet and the people who made it. 

It’s also a good idea to consider how you would repair the item if it were to break. Many manufacturers are opting for modular designs where individual parts can easily be swapped out if broken, saving the need to replace the whole product and ultimately reducing waste.

How do I dispose of it?

No matter how well you care for something, nothing lasts forever. So, purchasing items that can be sustainably disposed of when the time comes is vital for reducing waste.

Compostable and biodegradable materials are a great place to start but be wary of the difference between home and commercially compostable products. For most items recycling is probably your best bet, so make sure that you familiarise yourself with the rules in your area and check out Terracycle for anything that isn’t accepted in kerbside bins.

Believe it or not, how you spend your money is a form of activism. By only investing in quality, sustainable goods that you genuinely need, you are sending a strong message to manufacturers that their products need to reflect these values in order to appeal to you.

Mackenzie Smith is a Melbourne based ‘low-waster’ and advocate for the small lifestyle changes that everyone can adopt to collectively reduce our environmental impact.