From shopping second hand to avoiding plastic packaging where possible, shoppers are increasingly adopting more eco-friendly habits. With interest continuing to grow and more cities adapting to more sustainable lifestyle, Savoo, a UK-based voucher code and money saving website, has researched which European cities are leading the way.
Savoo’s research ranks the 30 most populous European countries based on the following metrics to determine where is home to the most sustainable shoppers: Sustainable Development Report ranking, recycling rate, consumption footprint, waste per capita, and the number of flea/street markets and antique stores.
Finland takes the crown as Europe’s best country for sustainable shoppers, and sits at the very top of the Sustainable Development Report’s ranking of all 193 UN Member States, scoring 86.51 out of a possible 100.
The northern European country also reduced its consumption footprint by 20.37% between 2010 and 2020, which is the fourth biggest reduction after Italy (26.03%), Sweden (21.99%) and Greece (20.75%).
However, flea markets and antique stores are one area that Finland falls behind in, with just 53 in total to cater to its 5,540,720 population.
The top 10 cities for sustainable shoppers:
| Rank | Country | Sustainable development report ranking | Recycling rate by country (%) | Reduction of footprint consumption (2010 – 2020) | Household estimate (kg per capita p.a) | Textile waste (tonne) | No. of flea/street markets & antique stores |
| 1 | Finland | 86.51 | 41.6% | 20.37% | 65 | 14,934 | 53 |
| 2 | Denmark | 85.63 | 53.9% | 14.26% | 81 | 18,134 | 89 |
| 3 | Slovenia | 79.95 | 59.3% | 1.85% | 34 | 8,732 | 9 |
| 4 | Austria | 82.32 | 58.2% | 8.89% | 39 | 62,446 | 42 |
| 5 | Sweden | 85.19 | 38.6% | 21.99% | 81 | 8,646 | 76 |
| 6 | U.K. | 80.55 | 42.9% | -26.09% | 77 | 209,545 | 1,292 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 79.85 | 56.8% | 0.83% | 50 | 102,261 | 107 |
| 8 | Belgium | 79.69 | 54.2% | -2.16% | 50 | 169,949 | 55 |
| 9 | Spain | 79.9 | 36.4% | 10.85% | 77 | 98,881 | 344 |
| 10 | Germany | 82.18 | 67.1% | -1.91% | 75 | 391,752 | 140 |
Denmark places second in our ranking, having reduced its consumption footprint by 14.26% between 2010 and 2020. Ranking in third place is Slovenia, which produces an estimated 34 kg of household waste per capita each year, the lowest figure out of every country in our analysis.
The UK ranks in sixth place overall as Europe’s most sustainable shoppers. Home to nearly 68 million people, the country has almost 1,300 flea markets and antique shops available – which is the highest amount of all countries analysed.
Second-hand brands
With clothes reselling platforms becoming incredibly popular in recent years, Savoo has analysed the number of listings of 30 top brands across four online second hand marketplaces to determine which are the most popular to buy.
Our research reveals that Nike is overall the most popular second hand brand across Depop, eBay, Etsy, and ASOS Marketplace.
Interestingly, out of all the brands and marketplaces analysed in the study, Etsy has the most Nike items listed at 33,754.
The top 10 most popular brands on reselling platforms:
| Rank | Brand | Number of listed items on Depop | Number of listed items on eBay | Number of listed items on Etsy | Number of listed items on ASOS marketplace |
| 1 | Nike | 364,681 | 210,000 | 33,754 | 7,447 |
| 2 | Adidas | 261,254 | 180,000 | 25,922 | 8,076 |
| 3 | Levi’s | 96,986 | 170,000 | 36,087 | 5,986 |
| 4 | Zara | 439,696 | 170,000 | 894 | 3,139 |
| 5 | Rolex | 375 | 22,000 | 3,788 | 0 |
| 6 | Victoria’s Secret | 28,201 | 340,000 | 2,885 | 13 |
| 7 | H&M | 238,677 | 160,000 | 710 | 68 |
| 8 | Ralph Lauren | 57,566 | 42,000 | 16,547 | 2,299 |
| 9 | Swarovski | 2,905 | 13,000 | 33,545 | 39 |
| 10 | Louis Vuitton | 12,817 | 84,000 | 5,235 | 170 |
Adidas ranks second, with 8,076 listings currently active on the ASOS marketplace. In third place is the iconic denim brand Levi’s, the brand was found to have a total of 309,059 listings across the four different marketplaces.
High-street giant Zara has the next most lively resellers market, with 439,696 items listed on Depop making it the app’s most popular second-hand brand. Rolex follows in fifth place, with the term ‘second hand Rolex’ being punched into Google 9,900 times on average by watch enthusiasts keen to get their hands on a pre-loved statement piece.
Ed Fleming, Manager Director, Savoo, commented on the findings: “The importance of being sustainable is rising as shoppers have become more aware of their ecological footprint. From food wastage to buying second-hand clothes, consumers are not only more conscious of protecting the environment they live in, but are also looking at ways to save money with sustainable practices in light of the cost of living crisis.
“It’s great to see shoppers making more of an effort to become more environmentally friendly while still looking fashionable, and wasting less at the same time. Sustainability continues to transform the way we shop and consumers are becoming more vocal about what they want in a brand.”
