Minimalism in consumption

Abstract

One of the trends in consumer behaviour that has been gradually gaining strength since the beginning of the 21 st century is minimalism, also defined as anti-consumerism, voluntary simplicity and deconsumption. These notions are not identical, although, according to research, the conceptual scope is very approximate. Minimalism means deliberately limiting consumption to the rational sizes that result from the natural, individual, physical and mental characteristics of consumers, while emphasising responsible decision-making in this area. The most common expression of processes related to minimalism is mainly the limitations in quantitative and structural consumption. The aim of the article is to present the state of knowledge about minimalism in consumption on the basis of the analysis of the Polish literature on the subject and the results of scientific research. In the case of consumption, minimalism is compared with other concepts and described in terms of the various research fields of consumption. In the case of trends in consumer behaviour, the term is contrasted with deconsumption and voluntary simplicity. It is indicated as part of a lifestyle of sustainable consumption, and occurs when discussing food wastage as Pobrane z czasopisma Annales H-Oeconomia http://oeconomia.annales.umcs.pl

Limited, considered and sustainable consumption: The (non)consumption practices of UK minimalists

“…If something is expensive, I do think okay, yeah it's expensive, it's good quality, it'll last me ages so a lot of it is not buying something cheap because I know it's not going to last or it's going to wear out. Błoński and Witek (2019) argue that the emphasis placed by minimalists on prioritising 'quality over quantity' leads to the purchase of more durable items, with longer expiry dates, and consequently avoids 'the purchase and consumption of many disposable products' ( 10). The minimalist focus on product quality, and subsequent product longevity, durability and reduced disposal, could be viewed as strongly sustainably focused (Khamis, 2019;Evans, 2011).…”

“…However, despite the rising popularity of the minimalist movement and a burgeoning pool of literature conceptualising and analysing the voluntary simplicity movement, literature specifically pertaining to minimalism is currently somewhat limited in quantity and empirical focus. Initially, some studies have arisen specifically within Polish literature that draw on literature reviews (Błoński and Witek, 2019) and analyses of Polish minimalist blogs and books (Dopierała, 2017; Zalewska and Cobel-Tokarska, 2016), to consider the rising popularity of minimalism in Poland as a reaction to the shift from economic deprivation to increased consumption following the political transformations of 1989. Dopeierala (2017) considers minimalism as an anti-consumption orientated social practice and Zalewska and Cobel-Tokarska (2016) argue that minimalism is practised in order to try and achieve positive well-being.…”

“…A gradually emerging body of literature has analysed minimalism through the lens of minimalist blogs and popular books (Błoński and Witek, 2019; Dopierała, 2017; Meissner, 2019; Rodriguez, 2018; Zalewska and Cobel-Tokarska, 2016) and has brought to light an important theoretical tension of minimalism being both posited as a form of individualism, based on personal motivations and self-development (Zalewska and Cobel-Tokarska, 2016), but also as being potentially situated within a wider politics of degrowth and environmental concern (Meissner, 2019; Rodriguez, 2018). This study seeks to further explore this theoretical tension by broadening the empirical scope of research on minimalism, via an analysis of in-depth interviews with self-defined minimalists in the UK.…”

“…The research focuses on UK based minimalists due to the increased popularity of the movement in the UK: as demonstrated by increasing numbers of ‘minimalist.org’ Facebook groups and UK based minimalist blogs. The research also seeks to widen the geographical scope of current literature that is predominately based on blogs and online content in Poland (Błoński and Witek, 2019; Dopierała, 2017; Zalewska and Cobel-Tokarska, 2016) and the USA (Rodriguez, 2018).…”

Sustainable consumption

“…Centre estimated the number of Americans who have voluntarily simplified their lives to be at several millions (Błoński & Witek, 2019). Rapidly growing consumption and consumerism by some are regarded as a civilisation disease: on one hand, it leads to fast resource depletion, while on the other-more goods do not give people more happiness, the contrary-people suffer from an inability to enjoy their lives, experiencing constant dissatisfaction, nervous tension, fatigue, a constant lack of something.…”