Homeowners prioritising the environment in renovations, research finds

New research carried out by Used Kitchen Exchange has found 40% of Brits are prioritizing environmentally friendly and cost-effective ways of renovating, due to economic uncertainty.

The research, which was conducted to gain more information about the environmental factors relating to home improvements, found 52% of those surveyed cited a preference for buying pre-owned goods when upgrading their homes.

Of those, 72% would do so to save money, and over a third (35%) do so for ethical reasons and because they prefer the quality of pre-owned pieces.

Helen Lord, founder of Used Kitchen Exchange, commented: ‘The market for premium used goods for home renovations is huge and is only going to get bigger. You can see this trend within the retail sector already taking hold with companies such as Selfridges, Primark and Ikea already working on their sustainability journey.

‘Despite this growing market, 44% of homeowners are unaware that selling their existing kitchen is an option. This is a huge missed opportunity for renovators.

‘For consumers looking to buy a new kitchen, purchasing pre-owned or ex-display is a game changer. Not only will they be able to make savings of between 50% and 90% on a quality premium kitchen, with the average pre-owned kitchen sale saving between six to eight tonnes of carbon, the environmental saving is equivalent to making a family of four carbon neutral for an entire year.’