Audrey 
In recent years, a large proportion of us have been paying attention to how the food we eat and the clothes we buy affect the environment. However, few people focus on the sustainability of their homeware. Fast homeware trends can be just as harmful to the world that we live in, especially if we’re not aware of the damage it causes. This article explores how fast homeware can harm the environment, including 3 ways you can combat this.
What are fast homeware trends?
The concept of ‘fast homeware’ refers to home décor (and often cheap furniture) that is trend-oriented and goes out of style just as quickly as it comes in. To determine Brits’ relationship with fast homeware, a study by fitted furniture experts Hammonds looked at the emerging fast homeware trends and asked 2,000 Brits about their homeware shopping habits.
What did they find? A quarter of those surveyed admitted that they deem it important to keep up with modern trends and buy homeware items they see online. These fast homeware trends included trends like ‘Cottagecore’ (a big trend last year but monthly searches have decreased by 45%) and new trends like Danish pastels (which have already seen monthly searches increase by 1015%.)
How does fast homeware affect the environment?
As a result of the textiles industry being one of the largest polluting industries in the world, constantly and quickly creating new homeware pieces to keep up with the latest trends can have a significantly harmful effect on the environment. As well as the textiles industry contributing around 10% of all global carbon emissions (and twenty-one billion tonnes of industrial waste,) Hammonds discovered that the average person that throws away any of their homeware, disposes of 12 items per year – likely to take up precious space in landfill.
3 tips for combating the effects of fast homeware
According to the survey by Hammonds, almost half (45%) of those that took part said they wanted to invest in more ethical and sustainable homeware items. With the following 3 tips, everyone can try to make decisions regarding sustainability when purchasing homeware and combat the environmental impacts of fast homeware.
- Energy efficiency is key. Keeping your home as energy efficient as you can helps to curb energy costs and reduce the environmental effects of your homeware. Choosing thermal curtains and blinds to insulate your home in winter can save you from putting the heating on (and also reduce your emissions output), for example.
- Repurpose or recycle your homeware. Make throwing things away your last resort by extending the lifespan of a homeware piece or giving it a new life entirely. Whether it’s recycling, upcycling, giving something to a friend that’s moving, or even selling them on online marketplaces, there are plenty more options before you start lifting the bin lid.
- Buy pieces for the long run: Don’t buy into trends and instead invest in quality products and timeless designs. Look for homeware that will last through the years – and will always stay trendy.
The impact of fast homeware on the environment is something people are becoming more and more aware of as they seek to lead a more sustainable life. Knowing just how your home decor plays a part in the environmental cycle – as well as adopting the above three tips to combat the effects of fast homeware trends – is a great place to start.
