Xin Ou
Research expert covering Greater China
Secondhand goods and reuse in Japan - statistics & facts
Secondhand goods and reuse are gaining traction amid a globally rising focus on environmental issues and declining resources. The process of fixing items and giving them a second life is not new in Japan. In general, wasteful behavior is frowned upon and referred to as “mottainai”, an expression of regret towards the act and the loss of resources. However, overconsumption in the past decades has deviated from this mentality, driven by short product lifecycles and intensive marketing to motivate the purchase of the newest consumer goods. In response to the resulting challenges in waste management and environmental protection, officials, media, and environmentalists have been promoting the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle. The commitment to reusing instead of buying new benefits from this promotion as consumer aversion towards secondhand goods is declining.
