CHANGES IN FRENCH CONSUMER HABITS
Hello ! We're back on more serious subjects today, and so we're getting together to talk about the evolution of goods consumption among the French in recent years.
In France, overall household consumption is declining in all areas. In October 2022, household consumption of goods fell by 2.8% in volume terms, and this phenomenon is continuing. To put it simply, families are investing mainly in housing and food - in other words, their primary needs - but are cutting back on leisure activities due to inflation and stagnating wages. Consumers have also significantly reduced their energy expenditure, due to the sharp rise in energy prices.
When it comes to textiles, the situation is a little unusual. In the 1980s, most French and European textile factories were relocated to Southeast Asia to cut production costs. Since costs were so low, clothes were sold at low prices, and consumers bought in excess. Indeed, clothing has become a pleasure, and people no longer consume out of need alone, but also out of a desire to own. This is what we call mass consumption.
This way of consuming has given rise to fast fashion (with collections that are renewed very frequently to make people want to buy a lot and always have the latest novelty) and also to ultra fast fashion, characterized by brands like SheIn, with nearly 8,000 new products appearing every day on their website.
We've already touched on this in a previous article, but fast fashion poses major ethical and environmental problems : over 1.2 billion greenhouse gases are released by the textile industry every year! These problems are becoming increasingly public knowledge, thanks to documentaries such as The True Cost on Netflix, or Les dessous de la mode à bas prix on Arte. Consumption habits are changing, and consumers are gradually turning away from cheap clothes because they are of such poor quality.
Alongside this, ethical and responsible brands are emerging to offer products made from recycled or eco-sourced fabrics, and hand-sewn in small, human-scale French workshops. What's more, consumers are increasingly looking to consume local products (whether for clothing or food) that can be traced, and therefore products for which the conditions of production are known. Finally, consumers are increasingly turning to "Do It Yourself" (abbreviated to "DIY"), as this allows them to salvage and transform old objects at low cost, while enjoying the satisfaction of having made something with their own hands.
What about you ? Have your consumption habits changed in recent years ? Don't hesitate to talk to us about any of these topics at: hello@adyctive.com.See you soon
Adyctively yours <3
Our sources :
https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6668889
https://www.notre-environnement.gouv.fr/themes/societe/le-mode-de-vie-des-menages-ressources/article/consommation-des-menages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCIJaKfkfSo&t=875s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaOY7REnwPo
https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClCEHgOq2bq/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td9rHaEQsQA
https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/mode-luxe/cinq-choses-a-savoir-sur-shein-le-geant-chinois-de-lultra-fast-fashion-1940747
https://www.lalibre.be/archives-journal/2021/04/23/la-fast-fashion-en-chiffres-2E7N7FYM2JCKPOY6FZGS5LZ3F4/