Singaporeans save 21,970 tonnes of carbon emissions by buying second-hand furniture, report says

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans are supporting the country’s circular economy efforts by opting for second-hand furniture, taking the lead in Southeast Asia for such transactions.

A “Year-in-Secondhand” report from Carousell revealed that buying pre-owned furniture saved 21,970 tonnes of carbon emissions in Singapore. This is comparable to streaming Netflix non-stop for 69,666 years.

According to Singapore Business Review, this shift was evident on Carousell, where “chair” climbed 52 spots to become the second most searched item, surpassing “iPhone,” which ranked third. Interest in free items also stood out, with sofas and IKEA tables among the favourites, contributing to 300,000 items being given away.

March saw a sharp rise in furniture-related transactions, alongside event tickets. Carousell suggested this was linked to concerts by Taylor Swift, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars. By September, Labubu surpassed Taylor Swift in search popularity and ranked fifth for the year’s top searches in Singapore.

Besides Furniture & Home Living, Women’s Fashion and Hobbies & Toys were also popular categories for second-hand items.

The report also revealed that Singaporeans made an average of S$2,000 from their listings, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Transactions typically peaked at 6 pm, with most new listings created around 2 pm. Inquiries and searches were most common at 10 pm. /TISG

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)