Food and clothing have become cheaper since the country joined the EU so families are spending less of their household income on them.

Families now spend about four per cent less of their income on food than they did in the mid-1990s. Differences in the share of household spent on food is a result of a decrease in prices as well as a relative increase in income.

In the EU, price level indices in 2012 show that food products were generally cheaper in Member States that joined the EU since 2004, the only exception being Cyprus.

In Europe, the sharp decline in the relative price of clothing has increased consumer spending power. Maltese households spend about half of what they used to on clothes items, as a percentage of the household income.

The figures were revealed in the European Environment Agency’s Indicator Report 2014 which looks at the impact of consumption patterns on the environment.

The report calls for more sustainable consumption across the EU as it highlights the negative side-effects of unsustainable trends.

These include large amounts of food waste, surging consumption of cheap clothes and increasing electricity consumption by households, despite many appliances becoming more energy-efficient.

Large amounts of food losses and food waste across the whole food chain are responsible for a considerable share of environmental impacts and a waste of resources.

The growing consumption of cheap clothes has also augmented resource demands and environmental and social pressures – water and pesticide use when cultivating natural fibres, water and energy use for washing and drying and emissions from waste.

It is increasingly important that we fundamentally rethink how we consume and produce

European Union environmental policy is framed by the ambition to “live well within the limits of the planet” by 2050. Around half of some pressures from EU consumption are exerted outside the EU, including land use, water use and some air pollutant emissions, partly because consumer goods are increasingly produced abroad, the report notes.

“In a globalised world it is increasingly important that we fundamentally re-think how we consume and produce, to encourage true sustainability throughout the whole life-cycle of products,” said Hans Bruyninckx, EEA executive director.

The report recommends that businesses and consumers pay more attention to their choice of products to avoid waste. “New business models which use waste and take back used products may also help Europe use resources more efficiently. Nonetheless, these initiatives need more political support to flourish,” the report states.