Consumerism This Christmas

Tis the season: Black Friday, Cyber Monday and weeks of endless sales surround the Christmas period and shops are keen to make people spend!

I mean who doesn’t love a bargain, but whilst it’s so easy to spend your hard-earned money it’s time to think- how much of this do I really need?

The problem with consumerism at Christmas is that the urge to buy and give creates an unnecessary materialistic culture. High consumption has drastic ethical and environmental implications and it’s a never-ending cycle with people constantly wanting more.

Sales leading up to Christmas offer us irresistible discounts for example this year:

PLT- up to 85% off

ASOS- up to 80% off

SHEIN- up to 85% off

Urban Outfitters- up to 50% off

All leading retailers are participating in these flash sales and with the cost-of-living crisis and Christmas fast approaching, it’s bound to be a huge success this year.

But before you shop, THINK.

Rise in consumerism and demand this Christmas has irreversible impacts on our planet. The more people consume, the more natural resources are extracted from the planet. Extracting natural resources causes major damage to the environment and with the rate of consumerism this impact is constantly increasing.

And let's not forget the treatment of garment workers, as uncovered from the recent Shein documentary by Channel 4: ‘Untold: Inside the Shein Machine’ workers in their Chinese factories were earning a maximum of £500 per month producing 500 items of clothing per day. With some earning 3p per garment produced.

So how can you consume less this Christmas?

I recommend creating a Christmas Wishlist of gifts you will love and use, maybe even things you’ve been needing for a while. As for giving gifts, preparation is key! Find out what your loved ones need this year and get ahead of the game .

Gifts don’t need to be extortionate; I love looking on Etsy and supporting small businesses, it’s a great way to give something a little more personal.

There's more to Christmas than materialistic items and it's worth keeping this in mind before you get sucked into consumerism.

Thank you so much for reading

<3

Connie Cooper