Running head: Shop Til We Drop 1

Shop Til We Drop

Jevaughn Williams

Arizona State University

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Abstract

This is a research essay that focuses on the effects that consumerism in America has on

the planet. In this essay, food and material waste statistics are analyzed and evaluated. There are

claims on how they contribute to the global concern for the environment. Each claim is

addressed and backed with various statistics and reasoning to support it. The overall goal of this

essay is to showcase the way that living in a consumer-driven society has in turn caused lots of

irreversible damage to the world. Additionally, a call to action is made so the audience can

understand why I’ve written this essay.

Keywords: America, Consumer, Environment, Nation, Production, Recycle, Sustainable,

Society, Sustainability, Waste, Zero

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Living in a consumer driven society, we as people are exposed to different advertising

and promotional content for almost every minute throughout the day. Whether it’s on the car

radio, and ad online, or a billboard we see it and our brain acknowledges it. Since the 1800s, it

has been engraved that we must have everything we “need” in order to survive. I mean literally,

we had to find and kill our own food and make our own clothing. This idea has carried through

generations and generations, however in this day and age we are prompted with more

technologically advanced, want-based products. This is beneficial to the progression of

technology however, this raises problems in many different aspects of our lives; most

importantly, our planet. On the one hand, an economist may argue that living in a consumerist

society is right-thinking because of benefits to our nation’s economy. On the other hand, an

environmentalist would counter argue that this production is detrimental to our planet’s health.

My own view is that although there are many monetary benefits to consumerism, we must

address and fix the negative impacts of consumerism, so we have an eco-friendly economy.

One way the planet is being affected by Americans desires, is through food. Food is a

large portion of consumer goods that Americans buy, approximately 25% of our income goes to

it (Investopedia, 2019). However, food, beverages and their packing also contribute to much of

waste produced in America. According to EPA.gov, containers and packaging make up the major

portion of municipal solid waste (Containers, 2019). 77.9 million tons of MSW were generated

in 2015, to be exact. This number includes all packaging used to wrap and protect goods.

Moreover, in 2015, the US generated 14,680 tons of plastic, yet only 15% of it was recycled.

(Containers, 2019). This is a major problem because it leaves nearly 10,000 tons of waste sent to

landfills. Landfills in the US are constantly having waste dumped in them, decreasing the amount

of space. Therefore, trash is often disposed of in the ocean or somewhere outside. It’s important
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to note that plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose (LeBlanc, 2018). So, whether it’s

sent to a landfill or not, our nation is extending the lifetime of plastic while decreasing our

planet's health. At this rate, our country is headed on a dangerous path that can cause resource

depletion, climate change, and environmental degradation (Truelove, 2018). This further implies

the importance of recognizing this national problem with the mass production of food and

beverages. Americans have begun using reusable cups and straws to combat this issue, which is

great. But we won’t progress much until major companies, like Coca-Cola and Nestlé, start using

more environmentally friendly products, or at the very least, advocating for proper waste

management. Some may ask: What role does consumerism play in this? And for that, I say,

companies would not be making these products if the did not have consumers regularly buying.

There wouldn’t be so much waste being improperly disposed of, if we simply eliminate it from

the start. Therefore, by supporting companies that contribute to a sustainable lifestyle is very

important because it can decrease the worry of harming the planet because the products will

decompose or can be reused. Also, a few companies, like Starbucks and Dutch Bros. offer

incentives for those using environmentally products like reusable cups and containers.

Today, the U.S. apparel industry is a $12 billion business and easily one of the largest

growing industries at that (Johnson, 2016). Vibrant colors, prints and fabric finishes are

becoming popular styles of clothing, but most of these garments are created with toxic chemicals

(Perry, 2018). This is a huge problem because textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of

clean water globally (Perry, 2018). Also, because of the high demand and low turnaround time

for materials, many clothing companies are making lower-quality products (Lay, 2019). This

causes Americans to get rid of clothes quicker because they deteriorate and no longer suit our

needs. The average American throws out 81 pounds of clothing each year. (Lay, 2019) All of
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this creates a vicious cycle of us buying textiles, wearing them once maybe twice, and then them

throwing away. This is a problem because the global middle-class population is expected to grow

by 3 billion people, and we are on track to double the amount of material resources we use by

2060 (Lay, 2019). To combat this growing issue, some consumers and social media influencers

have taken part in movements toward zero waste and promote clothing stores that recycle or

donate clothing. One example of these movements is known as a capsule wardrobe, where

people limit their closet to about 30-50 items (Schweizer, 2018). This idea forces people to get

multiple uses out of their clothing, before throwing them away. Additionally, studies have shown

that capsule wardrobes decrease levels of stress caused, and the amount of time wasted, while

getting ready (Schweizer, 2018). Another example is living a minimalist life or going a year

without shopping (Lay, 2019). Consumers can use their buying power and social influence to

force companies to make more sustainable products (Lay, 2019). We should all start using our

voices to advocate and promote change in the buying industry. Companies would be

unsuccessful without their loyal customers; therefore, we have the opportunity to make them

listen. Moreover, companies like H&M have begun making recycled clothes and offering

discounts to people who donate clothing to be recycled which is great. This validates the point

that we can have the things we want but do so in a way that decreases our carbon footprint.

It’s easy to put all the blame on the producers, but household consumers do also play a

role in these environmental impacts. Because of the materials we all want, production and

consumption create a shortage of our planets water, energy and chemicals. It takes many natural

resources to create and share materials to consumers. The two most common forms of generating

power are water and energy (Wang, Schleifer, & Zhang, 2017). Petroleum, natural gas and coal

accounted for about 77.6% of the U.S. primary energy production in 2017. Things like cars, and
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household technology use these fossil fuels, which contribute to increased climate change, higher

carbon footprints and reduction of supplies to areas with lighter population densities. There is so

much power constantly being used to create items and to keep them functioning. Furthermore,

studies show that consumers are responsible for more than 60 percent of the world’s greenhouse

gas emissions. (Dockrill, 2016). Another study found that the richer a country is, the more its

inhabitants consume, increasing each person’s impact on the planet (Dockrill, 2016). According

to that same study, the US is the worst performer of all when it comes to per capita greenhouse

emissions (Dockrill, 2016). This is an issue because America is the world's largest electricity

user, 21% of the world’s energy to be exact (Energy, 2016). This validates that our country is the

biggest contributor to the world’s depletion of resources. There is so much power being used to

constantly create items and to keep them functioning. Just imagine how much energy all your

devices at home use on a daily basis. Some could argue that there are other contributing factors

to the greenhouse effect, which is very true. But it is unfair to the rest of the world that our

country is using energy in the least environmentally friendly way. If our country acknowledges

this global concern, then we can start making nationwide changes. Together, consumers can

continue to push companies to be more environmentally conscious of their productions. Then,

we can get the ball rolling, from what I see, the biggest and most powerful way possible. Why

not use big corporations as a model of how the world should be functioning sustainably? If we

change our consumption habits, it can lead to changes in production habits. That way, everyone

wins.

I hope we can all agree that the planet we live on is being treated improperly, almost on a

daily basis. There may not be a way to exactly pinpoint the reason why our nation has become so

numb to our planet's health. But, by highlighting the ways that us Americans are contributing to
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the problem, we can continue to make changes for the better. I believe that any sort of change is

best started by taking a look within yourself. Then, making small steps that eventually will lead

to big improvements. By evaluating America’s tendency to overindulge on material and

overproduce waste I’ve began to understand how these negative habits have arisen. I hope to

shed light on these habits so that you may feel inspired to join me in promoting sustainable

lifestyles in our nation and globally. It’s as simple as purchasing a reusable cup for those

morning Starbucks runs or turning off the lights when you leave a room. I am aware that

everyone may not necessarily agree with my claims, but I hope that we can at least agree that

something needs to be done. We must stop being so wasteful in order to preserve our resources

and continue living on this place we call home.

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References

Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data. (2019, February 20). Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/containers-

and-packaging-product-specific-data

Dockrill, P. (2016, February 25). Consumers Have a Bigger Impact on The Environment Than

Anything Else, Study Finds. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/consumers-

have-a-bigger-impact-on-the-environment-than-anything-else-study-finds

Energy Production Levels - Top 5 Countries. (2016, December 19). Retrieved from

https://openenergymarket.com/2016/12/19/energy-production-levels/

Investopedia. (2019, March 12). Which consumer goods do Americans buy the most of?

Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/051215/which-consumer-

goods-do-americans-buy-most.asp

Johnson, E. (2016, December 09). The Real Cost of Your Shopping Habits. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmajohnson/2015/01/15/the-real-cost-of-your-shopping-

habits/#5b1d80ad1452

Lay, J. (Writer). (2019, February 22). America’s Dopamine Fueled Shopping Addiction [Video

file]. Retrieved March 14, 2019, from

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/583372/consumerism/

LeBlanc, R. (2018, December 16). How Long Will it Take that Bag of Trash to Decompose in a

Landfill? Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-long-does-it-take-

garbage-to-decompose-2878033
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Perry, P. (2018, January 08). The environmental costs of fast fashion. Retrieved from

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/environment-costs-fast-fashion-

pollution-waste-sustainability-a8139386.html

Schweizer, G. (2018, May 31). Here's How to Live Like a Minimalist and Start Your Own

Capsule Wardrobe. Retrieved from https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/life/how-to-build-

a-capsule-wardrobe

Truelove, A. (2018, March 9). America Has a Trash Problem [Web log post]. Retrieved from

https://uspirg.org/blogs/blog/usp/america-has-trash-problem

Wang, J., Schleifer, L., & Zhong, L. (2017, June 29). No Water, No Power. Retrieved from

https://www.wri.org/blog/2017/06/no-water-no-power