Environmentally-friendly furniture switches you can make from your phone

Sustainability can feel like a giant game of whack-a-mole: just when you think you’ve got to grips with one issue, another pops up.

Take fast fashion. Awareness of the environmental and ethical issues surrounding the manufacture of cheap, trend- driven clothing has grown enormously in recent years and contributed to the rise in popularity of resale platforms.

Searches for ‘pre-loved clothes’ on eBay, for example, have multiplied nine times in the last year. Good news – but now we’re hearing about fast homewares, too.

According to a study by Hammonds Furniture, Brits throw away 70 million homeware items every year, with an estimated £2.2 billion worth of goods including cushions, chairs, mirrors and lamps ending up in landfill.

So, although the annual #SecondHandSeptember campaign by charity Oxfam may focus on encouraging people to buy only second-hand clothing for a month, perhaps it is also time to apply its ethos to interiors.

Use these tips to reduce your waste while still making your home look amazing. The best part is, you can do it all from the comfort of your sofa.

App

Described as the Depop of interiors, Narchie makes it easy to shop second-hand homewares.

More than 10,000 users have browsed posts from upwards of 850 sellers on the app since it launched in 2021, and the average order value is just over £50.

If there is something you don’t fancy buying second hand, look for seller refurbished as an alternative.

With Simba Outlet, returned mattresses are fully tested, any faulty parts replaced and thoroughly deep cleaned, before being listed online at up to 70% off the original price.

Visiting charity shops no longer means trawling the high street, as many organisations have a store on eBay.

From Dyson fans to G Plan drawers, John Lewis chest freezers to Samsung washing machines, the British Heart Foundation eBay shop sells over 236,000 high-value items every year.