Over Consumption: The Consequences of Convenience

By Zela Maysmith

The rapidly growing consumption of manufactured goods, natural resources, and single-use products is taking a heavy toll on today’s world, impacting not only waste output but also straining global economics. While the waste from quickly discarded items is piling up, over-consumption is becoming not only a fad, but a lifestyle choice for many. 

With the rise of ‘fast’ fashion, the quickening of product life-spans, and the growing rate of consumption, global issues are being created as quickly as they are being brushed off by the public. People consume around 400% more clothing today than they did twenty years ago, a staggering difference that calls to light the rise of consumerism in the modern era (The True Cost 2015). 

But why has this become such a hugely popular trend? Modern society has engineered ways to make over-consumption a ‘necessity,’ as manufacturing is switching towards quantity over quality, shortening the usage per product, and contributing to the cycle of excess production. Cheaper prices and convenient purchases are creating widespread harm, a result of widespread ignorance. In reality, the ‘costs’ of these products often include unethical labor practices, harmful sourcing, and increased pollutant contribution. The demand of constant consumption has a tangible effect on the weak environmental protections in place; exasperating essential resources, contributing to the growth of landfills, and harming the natural world. Nearly everyone plays a role in the growing wave of consumption, however the first step is calling awareness to this overlooked issue and acknowledging what can be done to improve sustainability worldwide.