Posts Tagged ‘Environmentalism’

Repurposing Grows, High and Low

Conscientious consumers have taken a step beyond careful spending and are discovering the thrill (even the status) of repurposing. Everything from pillowcases (immortalized in the book Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase) to salvaged architectural elements seems to be part of the trend toward finding new life in old things large and small. In most cases, it’s a way to save money while feeling noble about conserving resources rather than adding to the endless stream of newly produced stuff.

Repurposing confers such a sense of status now that it’s even become a rationale for spending. Interior designers are being dispatched around the world by wealthy clients to find reclaimable wood, vintage fixtures, and antique doors – often to be reincarnated in new roles such as tables or built-ins. If these purchases can’t qualify as “thrifty,” at least they offer socially conscious cover.

Our SCAN findings show that the values of thrift and simplification that underpin repurposing are becoming rooted in the post-Great Recession consumer calculation:

Implications For Business: As the consumer mindset moves from the disposable to the sustainable, how can your product connect? Is your packaging just-right rather than wasteful? Does your brand deliver quality that feels like it’s here for the long term?