Coined “Project Pan,” social media users are promoting their new resolution to not purchase anything new in 2025 — at least until they’ve scaled the mountains of products they already accumulated.
The idea of “hitting pan” dates back to hitting the pan in powder makeup products, which can be notoriously difficult to use up. However, as with many social media trends, this concept has spiraled into a larger idea. People are trying to finish up everything from lip gloss to body wash, documenting their progress on social media.
Not buying a new product until you use up the one you have may feel intuitive, but in the world of aggressive marketing and the push to find fulfillment in what you buy, this has become a lost art.
Users post videos of drawers, closets, boxes and even rooms full of repeat items. Many have commented that their spending and consumption habits got out of control due to pressure to keep up online — to buy more, to follow trends and to match the habits of influencers who often receive their products for free from brands.
It’s well known that the wealthiest countries in the world are consuming goods at such an alarming rate that it harms those in developing nations. A 2022 UNICEF Report Card stated that “if everybody in the world consumed resources at the rate people do in OECD and EU countries, the equivalent of 3.3 earths would be needed to keep up with consumption levels.” Over 100 billion items of clothing are produced globally each year and over half ending up in a landfill within 12 months.
In the world of hauls, unboxings, Amazon Wishlists and increasingly niche micro-trends, the de-influencing movement is growing with good reason. The “Project Pan” idea shows the point many consumers have reached and the extreme effort it will take to undo these habits.
The hope is that Project Pan is not another trend, but the first step of sustainable lifestyle changes.
Creare Media 
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