From overconsumption to de-consumption : the new way of consuming

 From overconsumption to “de-consumption” : the new way of consuming 

The term “overconsumption” (or mass consumption) was born in the 1920s with Henry Ford. Fordism, which revolutionised the way of working, is based on three main principles : work division, standardisation and high salaries. Standardisation leads to produce in large quantities and this, combined with wage rises, allows citizens to have higher buying power and to purchase in large quantities. That was the beginnings of overconsumption. This was increased during the 30 years of post-war economic growth and the expansion of the “American way of life”. The way of consuming changed from necessity purchases to replacement purchases. Nowadays, that is the case for mobile phones or sneakers.

However, even though this was revolutionary during that time, nowadays, overconsumption is highly criticised and has led to a new way of consumption: de-consumption. De-consumption is based on a more sustainable, ethical and ecological way of consumption.   

Reasons for “de-consumption”

When some reporters published that, in 2014, there were more phones than humans on earth and plastic production predicted to double over the next 20 years, it is easy to call the current way of consumption into question. This is why people tend to reduce their food or even clothing consumption.

 

Reasons for “de-consumption”

When some reporters published that, in 2014, there were more phones than humans on earth and plastic production predicted to double over the next 20 years, it is easy to call the current way of consumption into question. This is why people tend to reduce their food or even clothing consumption.

Those reasons can be gathered in different groups:

• Impact on fauna and flora: The impact of overconsumption on fauna and flora is undeniable.  Over the last few years, CO2 emissions have more than tripled and overconsumption is one of the  reasons for this rise. Overconsumption creates a lot of carbon dioxide which accelerates the effects of the global warming. It has direct impacts on animals especially some species. For example, there are less and less fish because of overfishing and it is said that 37% of species could  disappear because of climate change.
• Diseases: Over the last 50 years, problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases  and cancers have significantly increased. This is directly due to overconsumption.  People tend to eat more, in larger quantities and generally consume unhealthy food. 
• Ethics: Even though slavery was abolished in 1865 in the USA, slavery still exists. Overconsumption is responsible for the new type of slavery: modern slavery. The industry of fast-fashion outsources its production and imposes horrible working conditions and very low salaries  to its employees.  

Overconsumption has a considerable impact on both humans and environment and can be the  reason for people to change and reduce their way of consumption.

Pillars of “de-consumption” 

Even though overconsumption is part of current society, more and more people seem to consume differently. This new way of consuming is based on different pillars:

• Local consumption: more and more people prefer buying local products rather than buying products that come from far away. Local distribution  channels  such as farmers or even organic shops are therefore privileged. 
• To consume less for more: buying better-quality products rather than buying “normal” products more often is preferred by more and more citizens. That’s the case for meat or fish. When reports reveal that meat consumption produced 323 million ton of CO2, people would rather buy meat less often but better quality than eat poor quality meat every day.
• Zero waste: buying products that are not overpackaged is another pillar of de-consumption. Loose shops are developing and offer products without any packaging (such as cosmetic products) or with recycled packaging.
• Second-hand: The fact that the fast-fashion industry is the sector which pollutes the most, leads consumers to call their clothing consumption into question. That’s the reason why second-hand or vintage shops are privileged.

Those example are exhaustive examples of de-consumption but there are other ones  such as upcycling.  

 

Difficulties in “De-consuming”

For a couple of decades, overconsumption has become the way of consumption for a big part of the world. Nearly all shops, E-commerce and supermarkets are based on that model and do everything possible to make people want to buy their goods or services as much as possible. 

Even though “de-consumption” is increasingly mushrooming, changing people mentalities and way of consuming are difficult tasks which need years of changes and adjustments.

Adeline E-P 

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