Section One
My perception and feeling toward consumption have changed since I learned that mainstream marketing and production practices negatively impact the environment. I had been purchasing based on how affordable something was, its quality, and whether it was convenient for me. People are more attracted to options that have a positive influence on society in addition to them being environment-friendly (Kemper & Ballantine, 2019). What attracts people is not only environmentally friendly but even positively influences society. Before making any purchases, I have learned to ask myself questions such as, “Will this thing be of significant use to me?” or “What shall become of these resources after I use them?” Therefore, examining the environmental impact of consumer culture has transformed my awareness and sense of responsibility as a consumer, compelling me to align my purchases and any future marketing work with my sustainability values.
I was frankly surprised by some of the facts and statistics I learned about the environmental impacts of mainstream production and marketing systems. It is easy to go through life unaware of what goes on behind the scenes to deliver constant new products to store shelves. However, resource extraction, processing, manufacturing, transportation, and waste have staggering planetary costs. For example, the fashion industry is estimated to contribute up to 10% of global carbon emissions. When one looks at the numbers, the scale of environmental impact from our consumer culture is eye-opening (Kemper & Ballantine, 2019). These facts taught me how daily purchases are linked to larger systems and cycles. Even basic products like t-shirts and bottled drinks connect to energy, water use, chemical pollution, and plastic waste. I feel a responsibility now as a consumer to be informed about the lifecycle of the products I use.
Mainstream marketing has reinforced unsustainable overconsumption by perpetuating the Dominant Social Paradigm, valuing materialism, individualism and economic growth above ecological limits. This short-term, transactional approach fails to address the climate crisis worsening under business-as-usual practices (Kemper & Ballantine, 2019). Marketing must move beyond exploiting consumerism for profit towards a New Ecological Paradigm grounded in stewardship and social justice. This requires seeing customers’ full humanity and potential for positive change rather than revenue sources to tap (Kemper & Ballantine, 2019). Branding can powerfully shape new cultural narratives and sustainable systems when oriented responsibly. Fundamentally, marketing must catalyze a society-wide awakening of the need to radically transform our relationship with consumption (The Marketing Society podcast, n.d.). Restrictive austerity messaging will not inspire a collective shift from the Dominant Social Paradigm. Instead, sustainable marketing must appeal to people’s values and tap into motivations like belonging, self-esteem, and altruism. If oriented strategically, marketing can play a pivotal role in cultural reprogramming away from destructive overconsumption and towards regenerative harmony with nature.
Section Two
A “good’ and sustainable consumer is determined by their intention and subsequent impact on the market. The green gap shows even ethically-minded shoppers frequently do not adhere to the standards. Less is More movements recognize focusing on reduced consumption is imperative, not just buying “greener” items (White et al., 2019). Truly addressing the climate crisis requires collective awakening that our consumerist culture promotes unsustainable overconsumption in pursuit of status and happiness. This demands self-reflection on how we attribute self-worth to material goods. Social marketing and policy nudges can help shift social norms and individual habits towards sustainability. However, change starts with consumers acknowledging overconsumption’s destructiveness, confronting our hypocrisies, and making different choices aligned with ecological and social justice.
Second-hand markets enable sustainable consumption by extending products’ lifespans through reuse and accelerated circulation. Consumers increasingly bond with used goods, seeing sustainability and uniqueness values (Fonseca et al., 2020). However, stigmas around cleanliness persist, particularly for clothing and bedding. Transparent information on an item’s origins provides reassurance (Bohlin, 2019). Responsible consumers also carefully let go of goods to keep them circulating rather than hoarding them (Hur, 2020). However, second-hand markets should supplement reducing overall consumption, not justify ongoing accumulation. Policy, marketing and education must empower consumers to move from intention to impact through convenient, compelling, sustainable options.
The discussions around climate change and marketing have shown me the importance of aligning my purchasing choices with my sustainability and environmental stewardship values. In the past, factors like price, quality, and convenience dominated my decision-making as a consumer (Bălan, 2020). I now feel responsible for advocating with my money by supporting brands and products that reflect my ethics. As a potential future marketer, I must look for innovative ways to make sustainable products appealing and accessible to mainstream consumers. Small changes like reducing plastic packaging or using eco-friendly raw materials can add to real impact when scaled (Wang et al., 2019). Brands that turn sustainability into their competitive edge through product design, customer experience, and company culture have a huge opportunity to transform markets (Tomșa et al., 2021). At the same time, I realize shifting established consumer behaviours and business practices will be an enormous challenge requiring tradeoffs and compromises. People will not choose sustainable options if they involve major sacrifices to cost, comfort, or preferences. Through my purchasing and future professional marketing work, I aim to be part of the solution by enabling and encouraging sustainable choices.
Our discussions highlighted the significant challenges in shifting established consumer behaviours and norms on a mass scale. Even when people are exposed to facts about the environmental impacts of their purchasing choices, convenience, price, and desire often override sustainability considerations. Habits and social conventions take a lot of work to break. This strategy means the burden cannot fall entirely on individual consumers to alter engrained behaviours voluntarily. Systems-level changes will be essential, like policy interventions that incentivize renewable products and processes while disincentivizing wasteful ones (Tunn et al., 2019). Marketers must also make sustainable options the default by creatively integrating environmental principles into business models and product design. At the same time, consumers will only embrace systemic changes if the alternatives seamlessly integrate into their lives (Fonseca et al., 2020). Eco-friendly products must effectively compete on cost, quality, and emotional appeal. True change will likely happen incrementally through policy nudges, marketing innovation, infrastructure development, and shifting social attitudes. However, it begins with consumers and businesses recognizing the need for change and taking small steps in the right direction (Fonseca et al., 2020). From there, momentum can build. I am hopeful that creative thinking can identify solutions that allow sustainability and consumer habits to coexist through systems intrinsically designed for circularity.
References
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Bohlin, A. (2019). It will keep circulating’: loving and letting go of things in Swedish second-hand markets. Worldwide Waste: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(1), 3. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ceee/95c8f51f246277d49141d93e8fba68cef97d.pdf
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