Second-Hand Market Participation as Part of a Firm’s Responsible Marketing Strategy

Abstract

Second-hand consumption has received a lot of attention in the context of sustainable business practices. Consumers have realized that the methods of production and consumption in the twenty-first century are among the causes of environmental pollution and resource devaluation. Therefore, many people reuse items or buy second-hand items to reduce their ecological footprint (Appelgren and Bohlin, 2015). Other consumers see second-hand consumption as a lifestyle choice (Steffen, 2017), or they simply desire to buy products that are pre-used or pre-owned because they have traces of wear and tear (Estelami & Raymundo, 2012). The chapter provides an overview of sustainable and second-hand consumption practices and concludes that firms and consumers need to get a more positive attitude towards re-commerce. The chapter proposes that retailers and manufacturers should get involved in second-cycle exchange to decrease the negative impact consumption of goods has on the environment and raises some critical questions for future research.