In a material world, second hand doesn’t have to mean second best

Murdoch says the culture shift in almost a decade has been significant.

“When we first opened, most people came to us because they could not afford to buy baby clothes and equipment brand new,” she explains.

“That’s why I set it up in the first place – volunteering in West Lothian, I realised there were huge social impact needs in our area.

“But within around two years, that was already starting to change with more and more families and professionals coming in, concerned about the impact on the environment of just buying new all the time.” She adds: “Now, it’s what everyone talks about. Of course, affordability is still a big factor, but we get customers from all walks of life. People are worried, and they do feel uncomfortable about buying expensive clothes and equipment for their babies, when they are only going to get rid of it in six months’ time.”

Revolve is the national certification scheme for second hand stores in Scotland.

The kitemark guarantees its customers high quality products, conforming to safety standards, as well as offering good value for money and excellent customer service.

The scheme applies a rigorous quality assurance process to approved stores ensuring highest product quality and safety.

There are more than 110 Revolve-certified stores across the country, selling a wide range of pre-loved items such as clothes, furniture, white goods and bikes. The recent research by Zero Waste Scotland took data from more than 1000 respondents.

In the study, almost half of Scots (48 per cent) agreed shopping second hand is important to save the environment, whilst 73 per cent referenced price as the top benefit. In the same survey, nearly half of Scots (45 per cent) said if they could be assured of the quality, safety and cleanliness of goods, they would be more likely to shop second hand.

There is both an environmental and economical benefit to second hand goods

The most recent data shows annual sales across the Revolve network of £33.4m, with average sales income across a sample of the longest certified stores doubling in four years.

Iain Gulland, chief executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Second hand doesn’t have to mean second best. Revolve-certified stores offer quality pre-loved pieces where customers can be confident that they are buying quality goods from a trusted source.

“It’s great to see perceptions of second hand are being viewed more positively but there’s still a way to go in reassuring shoppers on the quality, reliability and professionalism when shopping second hand verses buying new.”

Senior public relations officer Kathleen Manson has loved second hand shopping since she was a teenager. “The idea of fast fashion never sat comfortably with me,” she says. “As a child of the 90s, I was always in charity shops, because I wanted to look different – we all did it.

“Of course it was about budget too, but it was also because my parents came from a generation where you looked after your clothes, and didn’t spend needlessly – and that definitely rubbed off on me.

“You didn’t buy 25 cheap t-shirts for the summer, knowing they’d be worn out and used as dish rags a year later.” Manson, who is from Edinburgh, lived in Australia for several years with her partner and two young children.

“Everyone shops in charity shops in Melbourne,” she says. “They are huge, more like giant superstores. It’s about the thrill of the hunt – it’s much more exciting to pick up a nice second-hand piece in a charity shop than choose something off a rail that 50 other people will be wearing walking down the high street.”

Becoming a parent reinforced Manson’s determination to shop responsibly. “It was those tiny baby shoes that cost an absolute fortune that really got to me,” she explains.

“Children grow out of everything so quickly. I take my own daughter and son to charity shops with me and they love roaming around and finding great things that they like and want to wear, or play with.”

Manson adds: “I think it’s the over-consumerism that has changed.

“It’s not cool any more to walk up the high street with tons and tons of bags, buying stuff just for the sake of buying. It’s not sustainable and we can all see the damage we are doing by contributing to this constant need for producing more stuff.

“It’s not about putting pressure on yourself to be perfect all the time, no-one can save the planet on their own.

“But start to think about how you shop and you realise it’s possible to get that feeling and fix in a much more ethical and environmentally friendly way.”

The Herald’s Climate for Change initiative supports efforts being made by the Scottish Government with key organisations and campaign partners. Throughout the year we will provide a forum in The Herald newspaper, online at herald.scotland.com and in Business HQ magazine, covering news and significant developments in this increasingly crucial area.

If you are interested in contributing editorially or interested in becoming a Climate for Change partner, please contact Stephen McTaggart on 0141 302 6137 or email stephen.mctaggart@heraldandtimes.co.uk