Reminder: Overconsumption Is Not Cool

Overconsumption is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘the action or fact of consuming something to excess’. Growing up, although this concept was unbeknownst to me, in a working-class immigrant household, I was always conscious of what every purchase meant. Do I need it or do I just want it? As an adult, I’m now extremely mindful of what I buy and can appreciate the delayed gratification in saving to purchase more expensive items.

It was 2020 when I came to find out that fast fashion was at the forefront of overconsumption. The Guardian released an article exposing retailer Boohoo for selling clothes made by Pakistani workers who earned ‘29p an hour’ — and it wasn’t just Boohoo, of course. Multiple news sources had also stated that fashion giant Shein was using workers from the Xinjiang region, a region inhabited by Uyughur Muslims who the Chinese government had allegedly been keeping in concentration camps. In January this year, Shein refused to reassure British MPs that the cotton in their products was not being manufactured in Xinjiang by forced Uyghur labour. The BBC also found that Shein workers were found to be working 75 hours a week, contravening even Chinese labour laws.

The damage and exploitation doesn’t stop there. Clothing donation charity Clothes Aid stated that in the UK alone, we send 350,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill each year, around £140 million worth. These discarded clothes are mostly sent to countries in the Global South, such as Kenya and Ghana, and further damage the environment by contaminating soil and water with microplastics and chemicals.

The truth of the impact of the fast fashion industry is arguably well known but overconsumption is at an all time high. With sites like Temu going viral for its ultra low prices and social media networks like TikTok facilitating through trends, overconsumption is being peddled by more and more people. However, there are activists and influencers such as Dr Brett Staniland, Venetia La Manna and Aja Barber who strive to expose the fast fashion industry, promoting ethical consumption instead. Second-hand fashion has been making a comeback as companies like Vinted and Depop thrive, encouraging people to buy used, ‘pre-loved’ items.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself when the shopping itch starts gnawing at you.

How will this item improve my health and wellbeing?

Can this be purchased second-hand?

Is this item of clothing actually unwearable? Can I patch up the hole? Can I dye it a different colour and bring it back to life?

I’ll admit it isn’t easy, but practicing mindfulness and conscientiousness is paramount to seeing the change that will aid towards bettering the world.

By Yumna Iqbal