One of Earth’s worst enemies is overconsumption, yet we seem to ignore it.
How often do you spend money on impulsive purchases?
With the rise of online shopping and the infamous TikTok Shop, unnecessary products are being shipped and used around the world. The problem with these items is that they are hardly being used.
How it works is that these influencers on the app TikTok promote items from the TikTok online store. A common type of video on the app is the “get ready with me”. Many of the products being used in the video are linked to the shop. It benefits the creator of the video because they earn income when people purchase the items. In that part, I understand getting paid for content creation but why are we promoting products that possibly could be useless and clothing that is made of cheap material?
For instance, I’ve seen a video of a girl trying out five different heatless hair curler tools trying to find the best one. Or another perspective is each week a new type of heatless hair tool comes out that makes consumers buy each one. I gave in and bought two, which they both don’t work.
Yet I empathize with all the online shoppers. In the economy that we live in right now, prices are rapidly increasing. So, seeing an item that costs half the price on TikTok Shop compared to your expensive mall retailer store is compelling.
Nevertheless, overconsumption doesn’t just lie in online shopping. Chains of department stores in America like Ross, Burlington and T.J. Maxx are also known for their cheap and variety of products.
These stores have the benefits of helping low-income families as I first experienced. But these stores are filled with many miscellaneous items that make me question when do companies stop producing?
According to The United States Census Bureau from Feb to March, new orders of manufactured durable goods have increased $2.6 billion or 9.2 percent to $315.7 billion. The items being produced are under the category of durable goods. These goods are items that are designed to have a long lifespan.
Take the iconic Stanley Tumbler cup that became popular during 2020-2021. This item is labeled as a durable water bottle yet, on TikTok I’ve seen videos of people’s cabinets filled with different styles and colors. Why is this necessary when you need at most two cups? Including the retail cost of the product it ranges to $60. Imagine the money this creator would have saved by only buying two.
Taking it to a personal level, I would say I have a shopping addiction. However, I’m fairly picky when it comes to purchasing clothes. I try to pay for material rather than price so that’s helped me manage how much clothes I buy.
On the other hand, it can be the opposite for others. People rely on online stores like Shien. Which in fact has taken over the fast fashion world.
According to Sustainability Magazine, the company lists up to 10,000 new items on their site every day.
I’ve purchased from the online stores a couple times and honestly those items no longer live in my closet. From my experience, the material of clothing was not the greatest. It would be itchy or see-through to the point where I wouldn’t even wear it. So, I would donate it.
But even going on the topic of donating clothes to thrift stores. Most clothes in their aisles are from Shien, leading to the clothing collecting dust on a rack.
Worst of all, some clothing can end up in landfills. Looking at landfills, they look like a disgrace to the Earth’s mother nature. Based on Earth.org, in America, it is estimated that 11.3 million textile tons end up as waste yearly.
The best alternative is purchasing biodegradable clothing, but still it comes with a high price tag. Realistically, we keep living in this cycle of purchasing clothes from fast fashion companies due to the inflation in the world right now.
So, what can we really do? A lot of people are ignorant while others live a sustainable life. I believe it takes one’s own strength to recognize and avoid the issue.
