A popular buzzword revolving around the internet currently is that of ‘minimalism’. Whilst this may conjure up images of bare rooms, bare walls, lots of the colours white, grey and black, it is more than just an interior design craze.

Minimalism, as a mindset, can be incredibly freeing, financially and mentally, but it can also be beneficial for the environment. Actively choosing to love and use what you have encourages you to buy better quality items and think more ethically of what you buy. Simple changes like this mean that we accumulate fewer things, especially those that we don’t need (like the fourth bottle of shower gel when the other three are half full) and things that are made to be disposed of (like that t-shirt you knew was too thin and would get holes in easily).

So what is minimalism?

Minimalism is the active decision to not buy things that we know we do not truly love or need. It is not about living in a house with no possessions, and never keeping things merely for the sake of sentimental value, but instead about valuing and enjoying what you already own. Clutter accumulates when we associate our self worth with how much we own, and this goes hand in hand with buying more, low-quality items in order to have more, rather than buying one, good-quality item that we can truly enjoy.

Some people may choose to have several pairs of low-quality jeans that wear through quickly and don’t fit the best, while the best option may be to have one pair of jeans that are truly flattering and you enjoy wearing. Everything in the house is either beautiful or useful, and this ensures that not only is your house pretty, but this can also benefit the environment!

How is this eco-friendly?

Buying more means higher levels of production, using higher quantities of materials. If we practise the art of buying less, and buying well, we can focus on purchasing well-made products that will not need to be replaced frequently. We can also focus on using eco-friendly and recycled materials, minimising our purchase of synthetic materials and instead choosing cotton or bamboo for our clothing.

Buying less means less shipping, less packaging, less plastic wrap and cardboard boxes in landfill, and more room in our homes instead for things that we really want to display. By having a minimal mindset, our carbon footprint is decreased, as we do not buy things that we do not need or else do not truly value, thus helping save our planet in the process.