In 2017, Carolyn Bailey, the homes and garden editor for Good Housekeeping, stated that there was growing consumer demand for more than just chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. In an interview with the Telegraph<\/a>, she remarked: \u2018people now want that extra touch… we\u2019ve seen more people buying gifts and decorations for Easter, including crackers… Easter is becoming a second Christmas\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Easter is becoming a second Christmas”<\/p>Carolyn Bailey, Good Housekeeping<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t the case for just Easter decorations, but with gifts too. Not only are there the chocolate eggs, with every child in the UK receiving an average of 8.8 Easter eggs every year<\/a>, but now there are plush toys and Lego, and don\u2019t forget about toiletries sets and champagne for the adults. Writing this now I am laughing to myself asking, why did I get a fiver for Easter? What has that got to do with rebirth of Jesus Christ? <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a fascinating journal article<\/a> by Helsinki researchers Mikko Kurenlahti and Arto Salonen exploring religion and consumerism in Western secular culture, I read the argument that consumerism itself has become almost an \u2018implicit religion\u2019. The term was first coined by Edward Bailey to describe people who may be committed to their religion but do not display behaviours of explicit religion, like attending church. Kurenlahti and Salonen use this terminology to suggest that as society became secularised, consumerism \u2018adopted functionalities related to explicitly faith-based traditions within secular settings.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n By this, they do not mean consumerism became a religion, but that patterns of mass consumption have become a way of belonging and finding meaning in a contemporary secular context. You may not be showing a commitment to Christianity, but buying Easter eggs and decorations show a commitment to modern consumer culture. As a 2018 study<\/a> by the British Social Attitudes Survey found that only less than 52% of the public belong to a religion, Kurenlahti and Salonen suggest the public found their sense of belonging in giving and consuming instead.<\/p>\n\n\n However, this has had a major detrimental impact on the environment. Each year, more than 8,000 tonnes<\/strong> of waste is generated just from <\/strong>Easter <\/strong>egg packaging and cards alone. One study found that the packaging around one particular egg weighs just as much as the confectionary itself and Oxfam reports that on average, 200g of chocolate egg comes with 54g of card and 2g of foil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now there is argument to say consumer opinion is changing,\nwith people becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of plastic packaging.\n A survey<\/a>\nof around 2000 consumers conducted by Censuswide in 2019 found that 9 out of 10 people (91%)\nwould prefer to buy an Easter egg predominantly packaging in card rather than\nplastic. Furthermore, 6 out of 10 (61%) said they were prepared to pay for eggs\nthat came in more \u2018environmentally-friendly\u2019 packaging. This increased to 76%\nof people aged 19-29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is somewhat encouraging to see, but I can\u2019t help but feel this is missing the point. Rather than asking ourselves, is this chocolate egg packaged in \u201csustainable\u201d packaging, we should rather be asking is this a good use of our resources? Do I really <\/em>need to buy this egg at all, no matter what packaging it comes in? I agree that it’s nice to feel a sense of belonging, and this feeling is most prominent during holidays like Easter and Christmas; but you don’t have to consume to belong. Particularly with the current health situation, it’s incredibly important that we prioritise being kind to ourselves and to one another through social interaction, whether that’s within your home or online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that most of us are going to be stuck inside for a while, here are some Easter indoor activities you could try:<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2020\/05\/easter-packaging-waste-449x304.jpg\")
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