My vision for “consumption of stuff” is that I believe people should focus more on quality over quantity. Specifically, I don't think we should be fueling fast fashion in regards to purchasing a large quantity of clothes from places such as Aritzia, Zara, ect. Instead we should be focusing on the fine details of these consumption processes in regards to fueling more sustainable brands that leave less of a footprint. In turn this could be a more expensive way of living but I think we have to outweigh the positives from the negatives and ultimately make a sacrifice for the better of not just ourselves but future generations to come. Something we can all take note of in regards to plans for change is to try and spread the word through our social media platforms (in which we are practically just using to post superficial pictures and comments about ourselves to hundreds or thousands of people) that spending more on quality sustainable products that are made for a good cause shouldn’t be negatively viewed and stereotyped. Just to stress, even though it might seem more expensive it really isn’t if it's going to last you a lifetime in comparison to four shitty H&M t-shirts that will fade and deteriorate within a month's time.
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I totally with your sentiment of quality over quantity! I, too, will be trying to put this notion into play way more often. Thanks for the great post.
Good point! However, it doesn't always have to be more expensive to buy high quality clothes. My mum was a huge fan of flea markets so basically my whole wardrobe as a child was second hand. You wouldn't believe how little some people wear some clothes and then decide to not want them anymore. I've bought high quality shirts, jeans etc. which I've had for more then 10 years.
I like that you make mention of the fact that this shift in our consumption habits will require "sacrifice" of some kind. In my opinion, the world we currently live in has allowed for us to live in a way that requires the least amount of sacrifice possible for the things we consume. One example is the free shipping in 2 days for a crappy product on amazon, which we know has placed unprecedented pressures on the postal service system in North America, causing a strain on the quality of life of these postal service workers who are delivering products that are promote low wages, poor working conditions and pollution around the globe. The sacrifice we will be making will come as a shock in some ways as we have become accustomed to the convenient lifestyle we currently enjoy, but it is worth it because we would save ourselves from sacrificing the health of our people and planet.
I like that you address that often, buying quality items is more expensive up front, but in the long run, if they last you several years/a lifetime, it's much more cost effective than buying four H&M shirts that deteriorate within a month's time.
The term "quality over quantity" applies to this topic so well. If we focused more on buying 5 high-quality, somewhat expensive shirts than lasts us like 5 years rather than buying 5 cheap shirts that last us like 1 year at best for 5 years, we would still be saving money, even if we are buying more expensive shirts initially.
I totally agree! If you think about it, it would be better to buy a higher quality winter jacket that will last you many years instead of re-buying another every season after a storm shreds your old one (speaking from personal experience). Although it is pricey, if you consider the long term benefit it's worth it.
For sure!!! Stuff has to last so people don't have to replace them constantly. I feel like part of the problem is that fast fashion and corporation have made us so desensitized about price. Your shitty H&M clothes are cheap not only because of the material. It's not reflecting of the exploitation of nature and people. You are actually paying a price for a shitty planet
Hi,
I like your idea of reducing ecological footprints through promoting sustainable trends, I believe promoting values such as environmental friendly > money to the society is very important, as he shift from consumerism will likely receive considerable backlash
I agree with your statement that quality should be the first thing we look for when clothing shopping to increase the period of time you can actually wear those clothes! It's not to stop shopping completely, but to be mindful.
Definitely! We should care more about the qualities of the products we are using. They are supposed to last longer instead of functioning for only a couple of months. Products need to be valued more on their duration and people also need to care more about that, not only for the products quality we are using, it is also about our sustainable environmental futures.