Page 25 - Social_Sustainable consumerism

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This study investigated to what extent consumers currently engage in Circular Economy practices and what
determines their engagement with a focus on product durability and reparability. Making products more
durable and easier to repair can extend their useful lives and increase their utilisation. As a result, fewer
products are needed to satisfy a similar level of demand, which results in lower use of resources and less
waste generation.

From a consumer perspective, actions that extend the lifetime of products include purchasing more
durable products, repairing products when broken and giving products a second life by selling them in the
second hand market. Increasing the utilisation rate of products can also be achieved through renting/
leasing models. Renting or leasing is especially useful for products that people only use occasionally.

These options are presented in the previous picture for two types of consumer demand:

• Type 1: Demand for a functional replacement, or equivalent, for a product the consumer already owns
(but is defective); and
• Type 2: Demand for a new product that they do not yet possess.