Fast, Cheap and Destructive

Photo by: @beccamchaffie

I think much of the sustainability movement is great, but much like the health & wellness industry we may feel we have to buy things in order to be more earth-friendly or healthy and fit.

And this is coming from someone who loves products and loves selling things and buying things! 

Just scrolling through my Instagram I see good examples of this and some not so good ones. Many new companies are coming up with amazing eco-friendly, affordable options that replace existing less environmentally friendly products. Some that come to mind are for cleaning and laundry. I love seeing this! 

At the same time, I feel challenged and responsible for my purchasing and consumption habits. 

Certain things are super destructive to our environment. Fast fashion comes to mind.

Buying cheap, poorly-made clothing is very alluring because it is inexpensive, trendy and looks cute. However, the people making the clothing might not have been paid very well, the manufacturing process creates run-off that harms local water supplies, and then the purchasing of these clothes contributes to the discard mentality. 

With all that mentioned it might be hard to imagine how companies could play this off as being “green.”

Companies are claiming to “recycle” clothing, but in reality not very much of the original clothing ever gets recycled. And if it does see reuse it is purchased by other countries and then resold there. And this can have certain implications on their economies. For instance local textile makers might not be getting paid as much because of the flood of imported cheaper clothing options. 

Source: CNC News