Think Before Buying
Have you ever thought about if the planet would still exist after five or ten years under the ever-deteriorating environment? A staggering 7.6 billion people currently live on the Earth. According to the United Nations, that number will reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050, and 11.2 billion in 2100. In other words, Earth’s population will increase by 47% over the next 80 years. It is impossible to preserve the world if we do not change how we live and perform.
Analysis, recently published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, showed that consumers are responsible “for more than 60 percent of the globe’s greenhouse gas emissions and up to 80 percent of the world’s water use.” When it comes to purchasing behavior, it’s become abundantly clear that consumers care. In fact, the majority (73%) of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption behavior to reduce their impact on the environment. Conscious consumerism is a commitment to making purchasing decisions that have a positive impact on society, the economy, and the environment, driven by purchasing behavior. People would first think about whether it is a necessary purchase. Then once they decide to buy, they look at who is supplying the product and how the product affects each environment involved in its creation and delivery.
Specifically, green consumerism is a form of consumption consistent with protecting the environment of present and future generations. It is a concept that gives consumers a shared responsibility to address environmental issues by adopting environmentally friendly behaviors. For example, it could be using organic products, clean and renewable energy, or researching commodities produced by companies with zero or almost zero impact (zero waste, zero-emission cars, zero-energy buildings, etc.) Some claim that conscious consumerism is an appropriate way for global citizens to make a difference, I argue that conscious consumerism is not the panacea to global conditions because people use conscious consumerism, especially for green consumption, as a substitute for tangible action. People’s actions run counter to the goal of consuming consciously.
Admittedly, conscious consumerism does produce green products, which help the global conditions. Specifically, promoting conscious consumerism impacts decreasing the price of eco-friendly goods overall. Because the higher the demand for a product, the cheaper it is. When we can get what we need from a green economy, it helps drive prices down for everyone. The price of organic food keeps falling as more people demand food that is grown non-toxic, which is a byproduct of green consumption. More affordable price gives motivation for people to exercise conscious consumerism. Due to reasonable costs, more and more people install solar panels, buy renewable energy credits, and use green energy for various purposes. Nowadays, renewable energy is usually even cheaper than coal and natural gas. The reduced cost of being environmentally friendly inspires people to execute conscious consumerism.
Despite the benefits, conscious consumerism has one underlying side effect: people don’t align with what they say. Consumers want to make more ethical choices when purchasing, but unsurprisingly, price and convenience remain strong drivers. In some cases, these are the determinants of product choice, so these consumers tend to choose the cheapest product, regardless of potential ethical issues. The massive success of Amazon is a case in point. Stephaine Plante argues “despite calls year after year to boycott Amazon Prime Day over factory conditions,” the retail giant breaks its sales records repeatedly. Although Amazon offers huge discounts and convenience to its customers, their workers undergo difficult lives even lack a living wage. In addition, workers in amazon claim that they have heavy work in the warehouse. They have also vented their frustrations with intrusive surveillance technology, including automated tracking systems and cameras that monitor their every move. Given specific authentic evidence, consumer utilizes conscious consumerism as a shield to fight the world’s environmental problems rather than implementing it effectively. Conscious consumerism is likely to enable people to come into a frustrating paradox, which the result is not the one we predict. The gap between the profession of conscious consumerism and its practice still suggests that ethical consumption is socially desirable behavior. People tend to behave in ways that society values — when those behaviors are achievable. If people continue to “consume consciously,” more and more companies that are supposed to be boycotted and not eco-friendly will take up the whole market. Conscious consumerism is not on the pathway that we plan to trace.
Additionally, due to the advent and promotion of conscious consumerism, more brands and companies take advantage of customers’ guilt of not consuming consciously, which greenwashes themselves. However, it eventually worsens global conditions instead of alleviating them. “Greenwashing” refers to a company’s claim that its products are environmentally friendly, but that claim is either deceptive or unsubstantiated. For example, plastic water bottles like “Poland Spring,” “Evian,” and “Deer Park” have the word “natural” on the label. According to the revised Poland Spring water label, the new eco-friendly shape looks and feels different because of its intentional design to “use an average of 30 percent less plastic to be more environmentally friendly.” The label on the bottle doesn’t mention that water bottles are the most harmful product in the world One, even though they have less plastic than the competition. Those eco-friendly labels alleviate people’s guilt, explaining why people buy bottled water. People, convinced by the labels, think it is environmentally friendly since something is on the market. The Poland Spring eco-friendly water bottle indeed uses 30% less plastic than the average water bottle, but it doesn’t change reality while this is a small step in the right direction. Therefore, companies are greenwashing unless independently verified, which cannot be trusted because they will do whatever it takes to obtain greater profits.
Conscious consumerism is an implication of choosing wisely. Yet, rather than consuming consciously, people are obligated to think first about whether this is necessary consumption or not. To create a truly sustainable green economy, people first need to buy less — not rely on recycling to eliminate the environmental damage of greedy consumption. There’s a reason “reduction” and “reuse” come first among the three Rs. Besides, recycling is an essential factor in a sustainable economy. Probably, people may satisfy their needs by recycling instead of buying a brand new item.
Consequently, it is reasonable and accessible to a better global condition if governments and businesses worldwide are also involved in conscious consumerism because there is more pressure on people to consume consciously. The governments or official institutions can do more to ensure that we all have a safe and prosperous planet. Because with specific and strict regulations, conscious consumerism may be better implemented by global citizens. The government could introduce a policy of paying a fee for not recycling trash if the amount exceeds the threshold of individuals’ utilization. This action enables people to feel the cost of unnecessary consumption because some products are difficult or impossible to repair when they break because of their unique design. These limitations indicate that it is almost always doomed to landfill after damage. Implementing conscious consumerism is not simply a vague and general concept but a practical exercise with strict regulation.
Indeed, conscious consumerism is an excellent tool to enable global citizens to solve global challenges actively. However, as the distinct drawbacks outweigh the advantages, we would share skepticism towards this. It is a good horse but without a saddle, which people cannot ride. Probably, cooperation and policies are needed to have a better practice of conscious consumerism.
