Sustainable U, 005: A Bad Case of Consumeritis

As with many things, the problem here is not consumption in and of itself, but the underlying patterns and resulting effects of consumption. How much and what we consume does have an impact through multiple spheres of existence that include ecological, sociological and psychological ramifications.

Eco-Impacts. Everything you buy came from somewhere. It had to be made from raw materials that came from the Earth. The process of extracting those raw materials from the Earth has an impact on ecosystems. The process of making the product produces some amount of waste that must be returned to the environment. Transporting the finished product to the place where it will be sold has an impact. The act of making the purchase involves either traveling to the point of sale or at least logging online to make a purchase over the Internet. Either way, there’s another impact. Depending on what you buy, the use of the product could involve having an immediate and/or ongoing impact. When the product reaches the end of its life, at least with you, it’s disposal or transfer to another owner results in another round of impacts.

Socio-Impacts. The social impacts of consumption include both patterns and effects. In terms of effects, the social impact of what you buy is tied to how the companies making and selling the products treat their workers. Is work performed in acceptable conditions? Are workers adequately and fairly compensated for their labor? Is child or forced labor used? Regarding the sociological patterns of consumption, global inequality is clearly evident. According to the respected Worldwatch Institute, “The 12 percent of the world’s population that lives in North America and Western Europe accounts for 60 percent of private consumption spending, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 3.2 percent” (source: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/810#3). The graph on this page is another way of depicting this inequality – and it’s from 2005! What would happen if all 7 billion people consumed the way the richest 20% consume? Clearly the planet cannot sustain that level of global consumption. And yet how can those of us who are already relatively affluent compared to much of the world deny to others the quality of life we have enjoyed? It's a tricky, thorny issue, to say the least!

Psycho-Impacts. Just as important as the impacts to the environment and other people, rampant consumerism has psychological consequences as well. Much has been written over the ages that confirms an important idea: When you focus primarily on trying to gain more wealth and buy more stuff, you often end up less happy. See the suggested readings below for more information on consumerism and how it simply does not deliver on its promises.