Fashion and other second-hand items set trends. Fortunately! In the gallery we show you what products you can and should simply buy second-hand.
1st tip: furniture. The 1960s once again left its mark on Swiss stays. Who wouldn’t love to have beautiful Thonet chairs around the dining room table or a teak sideboard? Furniture stores recognize this trend and produce new items with an antique look at affordable prices. If you prefer the vintage style, take some time and explore the flea markets. An original with a story is certainly more beautiful than a new imitation.
Second tip: fashion. Even when it comes to clothing, vintage is on the agenda. And here too the brands produce new clothes that appear to be 60 years old. Switzerland is a land of plenty, full of great thrift stores.
3rd tip: cell phones, tablets, etc. The production of a new smartphone generates emissions up to ten times higher than the rest of its useful life. 80% of all emissions come from production. Whoever buys a used mobile phone saves all these emissions. Professional providers apply warranties to used devices, such as refurbished Swisscom smartphones.
4th tip: household appliances. Mixers, lawnmowers, microwave ovens, irons – these appliances should work and, in most cases, they have no other special value to us. The production of new household appliances requires a lot of resources and nature appreciates their use for as long as possible. Also recommended are the many repair cafes, where you can repair faulty devices for free.
5th tip: almost everything for children. Those with children discover an almost infinite new universe of necessary things: roller skates, skateboards, game consoles, rain pants, wetsuits, swimming armrests, ski suits, bicycle helmets and much more. And everything lasts a maximum of two years. It is obvious that in these cases buying second hand is really worth it.
Sixth tip: hobby gadgets. Many hobbies require expensive items, be it a musical instrument, camera, mountain bike, cross-country skis, or binoculars. In most cases these are high-quality and rather expensive items that are cared for by the owner and therefore can and should be reused for a long time.
Fashion and other second-hand items set trends. Fortunately! In the gallery we show you what products you can and should simply buy second-hand.
1st tip: furniture. The 1960s once again left its mark on Swiss stays. Who wouldn’t love to have beautiful Thonet chairs around the dining room table or a teak sideboard? Furniture stores recognize this trend and produce new items with an antique look at affordable prices. If you prefer the vintage style, take some time and explore the flea markets. An original with a story is certainly more beautiful than a new imitation.
Second tip: fashion. Even when it comes to clothing, vintage is on the agenda. And here too the brands produce new clothes that appear to be 60 years old. Switzerland is a land of plenty, full of great thrift stores.
3rd tip: cell phones, tablets, etc. The production of a new smartphone generates emissions up to ten times higher than the rest of its useful life. 80% of all emissions come from production. Whoever buys a used mobile phone saves all these emissions. Professional providers apply warranties to used devices, such as refurbished Swisscom smartphones.
4th tip: household appliances. Mixers, lawnmowers, microwave ovens, irons – these appliances should work and, in most cases, they have no other special value to us. The production of new household appliances requires a lot of resources and nature appreciates their use for as long as possible. Also recommended are the many repair cafes, where you can repair faulty devices for free.
5th tip: almost everything for children. Those with children discover an almost infinite new universe of necessary things: roller skates, skateboards, game consoles, rain pants, wetsuits, swimming armrests, ski suits, bicycle helmets and much more. And everything lasts a maximum of two years. It is obvious that in these cases buying second hand is really worth it.
Sixth tip: hobby gadgets. Many hobbies require expensive items, be it a musical instrument, camera, mountain bike, cross-country skis, or binoculars. In most cases these are high-quality and rather expensive items that are cared for by the owner and therefore can and should be reused for a long time.
Tomorrow will be the official Swiss Second Hand Day: a wake-up call for more sustainable consumption. These are the products that make more sense to buy second-hand than new, for you and for the environment.
The second edition of Second hand day will take place tomorrow. The first was a great success and the reselling business is slowly but surely reaching all corners of society.
Last year, marked by the coronavirus, has even given momentum to the beginning of the second hand. By the end of 2020 the platform Richard counted approx 360,000 new members, for a total of more than four million members. In this way, theoretically all Swiss households have an account.
However, prejudices against used goods continue to circulate. Sometimes there is simply no time for a good search and buying new products is faster.
That’s why in the photo gallery we show you what products are really worth buying second-hand and, above all, what everyday objects it makes more sense to buy used than new, for you and for the environment.
Secondhand Day on September 25, 2021
During the day of the promotion, the organizers Richard, my weather me Swiss circular economy will draw attention to the potential of second-hand products. On the site you will find a ready from second-hand service providers throughout Switzerland and important information on the subject.
The world in the throes of consumption: facts and figures
Around the world the production of fabrics is duplicate compared to 20 years ago, which means it has increased by more than 100%. The world population, on the other hand, has increased by roughly 25%. This means that today we buy three times the amount of clothing per capita compared to 20 years ago, considering to simplify the same purchasing power throughout the world.
This is only possible due to low prices, which in turn can only exist by paying low wages at production sites. But the climate also suffers: only the production, the transport of goods and the use of clothing cause emissions every year for more than 850 million tons of CO2.
But for some time now, consumer intoxication is no longer just about fashion. The production of electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets or laptops also affects the weather. In Switzerland, a person buys up to 23 smartphones in their lifetime. During the production of a new smartphone, emissions are up to ten times higher than those generated during subsequent use. This means that up to 80 kg of CO2 are emitted during production alone.
The solution: reduce, reuse, recycle
That is why Secondhand Day is committed to reusing second hand items. The principle is also called “reduce, reuse, recycle”: use the products as long as possible, repair them when they break, use them again as long as they work and in the end do not throw them away, but recycle raw materials properly. This saves money and protects the climate.
Buying a used mobile phone, for example, generates 80% less emissions than a new device, because production is very expensive in terms of resources. So, next time you buy a mobile phone, think carefully about whether you really need a new device. Now there are many professional providers that offer warranty. For example, him Refurbished Swisscom smartphones. Vendor Revendo also sells second-hand and guaranteed laptops, tablets, and other devices.
In the sustainability column
The column constantly contains new advice from Swisscom employees and experts for a sustainable lifestyle and a competent approach to new media. We present companies and technologies that offer innovative solutions to address the social and ecological challenges of our time. The Blue News portal is a business unit of Swisscom AG (Switzerland).
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