Citizens at the helm of society: the power of private initiatives

Instead of passively watching poverty increase, citizens more often decide to roll up their sleeves themselves, so that people living below the poverty line can also turn to private clothing, baby equipment and food banks.

De Huizense Annelie sells second-hand products in her shop at home for lower prices than those of the Kringloop. The prices of (baby) clothing, jewelry, toys or furniture are often no longer affordable for people with a small wallet at thrift stores.

happy mothers

Annelie wants to make a difference with her budget cycle. “For people who have a low budget, the prices have become much too high. I receive a lot of things from friends, acquaintances and other residents of Huizen. When I see those happy mothers again with a nice package for their son, I am I’m happy too.”

The Rataplan Foundation, with thirty thrift shops in North Holland, South Holland and Flevoland, confirms that the prices of second-hand products are rising. “The prices are indeed going up, because our energy costs have also risen. Thrift stores work with a fixed price list, so if the prices rise, it will happen at a national level. Of course we still try to remain affordable for people with little income.”

meager offer

The Rataplan Foundation also sees the fact that more and more people are in financial distress in its private offering. “We receive a lot less stuff. The range of clothing in particular is becoming increasingly scarce. We try to encourage people to donate stuff through advertisements, so that we can continue to provide people with their primary needs.”

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The foundation can therefore only applaud private initiatives, such as Annelie’s. As well as popular resale platforms, such as Marktplaats and Vinted. “Consumers more often opt for second-hand products. That is good for the environment, because it prevents fast fashion. If we can offer things a longer life in this way, we also have to produce less.”

Burned or ground

Since the advent of fast fashion in the 1980s, clothing brands prefer to produce quickly and cheaply. But there is a big downside to that production model: brands are stuck with millions of surpluses of clothing. In 2018, for example, H&M had a clothing surplus worth 4.3 billion euros. In England it was announced a few years ago that Burberry was large scale destroyed unsold products to protect their luxury, exclusive brand equity.

According to sharing economy expert Harmen van Sprang (48), the economic system in the Netherlands is starting to show more and more cracks.

‘Property is sacred’

He therefore advocates a thorough renovation, a new system in which we share more often than own: “We do not need capitalist growth to improve people’s lives. Owning is now sacred, it gives a sense of security and prosperity, but if because of the crisis we will no longer be able to buy everything, we may have to make choices. Why buy a car if the neighbors’ car is standing still ninety percent of the time?”

The example of the ‘shared car’ shows the power of this private initiative, he continues. “There are now a thousand shared cars in Amsterdam. Sharing is better, cheaper and more efficient than owning one. Fortunately, those platforms are growing more and more and will soon also be present in rural areas.”

Not only the increased poverty and the energy crisis, but also the climate crisis require a collective change in consciousness. It offers opportunities for an economic revolution, says Van Sprang. “Everything started to grow after the Second World War. Now people often have two cars in front of the door, because we want to own everything. Wealth now mainly depends on own property, but more and more young people are realizing that they can no longer do everything with it. and want to get it.”

New mindset

According to Van Sprang, the climate crisis, war and price increases are slowly creating a new mindset, which can ultimately undermine the current capitalist system. “That can be painful in the short term, but in the long term we will see what really matters in life. Sharing can come in all kinds of forms and does not always have to yield money. In any case, it always makes me happy if I can help someone with something I don’t use anymore.”