It seemed unthinkable to clear recycled gifts through customs, but instead, according to a Wallapop survey, over 80% of Italians would gladly receive a second-hand Christmas gift. By purchasing reused objects on Wallapop there is an average saving of 44% and an environmental saving of 22,031 tons of plastic in a year.
84% of Italians, once aware of the positive impact of purchasing second-hand objects, would take this choice into consideration both when purchasing and as a perfect opportunity to put objects that are no longer used for sale
Second-hand gifts for Christmas and save the environment too
The streets of the cities are starting to be decorated with comets and snowflakes, children write their letters to Santa Claus and families think about the dinner menu: Christmas, one of the most awaited holidays of the year, is now upon us.
When you think about gifts to buy for this occasion, there are those who plan ahead and those who move at the last minute. However, if there is one thing that everyone has in common, it is the desire to find the perfect gift for their friends and family.
A more responsible consumption model
This year Wallapop – a leading platform in the buying and selling of second-hand products that promotes a more responsible consumption model – decided to investigate the habits of Italians related to Christmas shopping with a particular focus on reused objects and did so through a research conducted in collaboration with mUp.
Do Italians consider purchasing second-hand items for Christmas presents? And would they appreciate receiving a reused item as a gift?
Here are the main trends that emerged from Wallapop’s research.
FOR CHRISTMAS ITALIANS ARE BUYING MORE AND MORE SECOND-HAND ITEMS
Around 60% of respondents consider purchasing used items during Christmas shopping. It is above all the younger generations, which include those between 25 and 34 years old, who are the most inclined to make this choice (71%).
Not just consideration, but also concrete actions: 1 in 5 Italians admits that this year they will spend more to buy second-hand gifts compared to last year, with an average expense of €49.13 and the purchase of more than 2 objects reused. This shows how shopping for second-hand products is a growing trend when looking for Christmas gifts: a choice that is good for the wallet, for the planet and for those who want to sell the items they no longer use and make money from them. extra income! In fact, in 2022 those who chose to buy and sell second-hand objects on Wallapop contributed to avoiding the production of 22,031 tons of plastic – the equivalent of plastic that would be needed to create a row of inflatable flamingos from Paris to Barcelona – and 31 tons of waste – equivalent to the waste generated in the city of L’Aquila in one year.
SUSTAINABILITY IS EVER MORE IMPORTANT
3 out of 4 Italians declared that they will buy second-hand products for Christmas and, among the reasons that push them to make this choice, 32% underline the possibility of finding unique objects, while 29% mention financial savings. However, sustainability is becoming a decisive motivation. In fact, around 1 in 4 Italians will take this aspect into consideration to a greater extent than last year when Christmas shopping. Above all, respondents aged between 18 and 24 are the most likely to evaluate the sustainability of Christmas gifts (33%). A behavior that could, however, also take hold in previous generations, if they are correctly made aware of the positive impact of purchasing second-hand materials: the majority of Italians (84%), in fact, are open to this type of consumption if they are aware of the environmental impact of its actions.
RECEIVING A SECOND-HAND GIFT IS NOT A TABOO
Italians are open to receiving a second-hand gift. In fact, over 80% of them would willingly discard a reused product as a Christmas gift, as long as it is in perfect condition, because we know that the eye also wants its part. Books are the most popular second-hand gifts to receive for the majority of respondents (41%), followed by small appliances (27%) and smartphones (22%). For almost half of Italians (49%) a book is also the best reused gift to put under the tree, followed by small appliances (31%) and toys (24%) – this time of year seems to be the perfect time to sell these no longer needed items on Wallapop!
And speaking of receiving a second-hand gift, the majority of those interviewed (72%) believe that children would be difficult to distinguish a new product from a used one.
Positive impact
Aware of this reality, Wallapop wants to highlight the positive impact that reuse can have on the environment. To achieve this objective, the platform has chosen to demonstrate it to consumers in a concrete and impactful way during this period of the year full of purchases, creating #WallapopImpact: from 9 to 11 November, in the heart of Milanese shopping, the platform has filled two shop windows with plastic products – purchased on Wallapop – simulating the 22,031 tons of plastic that users saved the planet by purchasing and selling through Wallapop in 2022. Several plastic objects present in the shop windows will then be donated to the SOS Village in Saronno, part of the SOS Children’s Villages Network, an organization that has been involved in Italy for 60 years in supporting children and young people without family care or at risk of losing it. In this way unused objects can have a second life and bring a smile to the children welcomed and supported by the SOS Village of Saronno during their growth.
“The results of this research confirm how Italians are increasingly aware of the positive impact on the planet of giving or receiving a second-hand object, especially at Christmas. This propensity demonstrates how there is a real possibility of implementing concrete actions for the environment not only linked to the purchase of second-hand goods but also to their sale. For this reason, at Wallapop we have always been committed to raising people’s awareness of responsible consumption but also of sustainable sales, since putting your unused objects on sale on Wallapop gives a second life to products that would otherwise end their life cycle too soon. life and, moreover, allows you to earn some extra money. With the installation in Milan, we want to do just this: raise people’s awareness of the fact that making responsible choices even during this Christmas shopping period means doing good for both the environment and your wallet!” commented Chiara Mazza, Senior PR Specialist Italy at Wallapop.
To involve the entire community in the positive impact of reuse, Wallapop has introduced a new feature on its platform: starting this week, users can evaluate the economic and environmental savings associated with products for sale on Wallapop.
READ ALSO: Your house is full of PFAS and you should start to worry
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash
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2023-11-25 16:34:57
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