19 ways, overconsumption and overproduction are harming people and the planet

Plus a signature and act against it

Welcome to The Crisps–your weekly newsletter on anti-greenwashing and honest fashion communication. In this issue, we talk Black Friday comms, overconsumption, and overproduction. Now you might think, you’ve heard everything there is to say about it before. But we’ve got a looong list for you (and some analysis of how brands handled Black Friday in our pro issue next week). Happy reading!

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Business of Fashion published an opinion piece by Kenneth P. Pucker this week called “Don’t Believe What Consumers Say When It Comes to Sustainability”. The author touches on an important topic: Consumers say environmental and social aspects matter when making purchasing decisions – but they don’t act on it.

The so-called attitude-behavior gap (or intention versus action gap)¹ is not a new phenomenon but it seems more obvious on Black Friday when many consumers are throwing their ideals and conscious out the window, shopping for the cheapest deals and not the most “sustainable” and “ethical” option – or not the “least harmful” one. Now it would be easy to solely blame the consumers. But brands and their communication play an essential role in creating hype culture and FOMO (fear of missing out)². And tricking our brains into pressing that check-out button. So all of us working in communication and marketing, we’re responsible for overconsumption and overproduction, too.

In this issue, we want to give you an extensive overview of the impacts overproduction and overconsumption are having on the environment and people.

As always, we will dive deeper into the topic in our pro subscription next week where we will discuss how (“sustainable”) brands have dealt with Black Friday and what psychological tactics are used in marketing. We also want to invite you to discuss your thoughts with us on LinkedIn or Instagram and share this issue with your colleagues.

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Please note: We’re taking a little break over the European winter holidays. The last issue of this year will be published on December, 14th. We will be back in the first week of January 2024.

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19 ways, overproduction and overconsumption are harming people and the planet

Overproduction vs. overconsumption. It's a chicken-and-egg question and we will not serve you in dismantling this dilemma, cause both are systemic and both need to stop. For this reason, we will stick with trying to understand the problem: Think you know the impacts already? Time to challenge your knowledge! Let us know in the poll below how many of the aspects you were familiar with and had substantiated evidence on.

1. Deforestation: Unrestrained overproduction often leads to increased demand for raw materials such as wood (for viscose production), contributing to deforestation and habitat destruction.³

2. Water Scarcity: The fashion industry is notorious for its water-intensive processes. Overproduction worsens it, straining local water supplies and affecting ecosystems.⁴

3. Chemical Runoff: The production of textiles involves the use of numerous harmful chemicals. Overproduction intensifies the discharge of these pollutants into waterways, harming aquatic life and ecosystems.⁵

4. Landfills Overflow: Excessive production results in unsold or quickly discarded items, contributing to the colossal amounts of textile waste in landfills.⁶

5. Chemical Bleeding: Overconsumption fosters a culture in which we use clothes less and throw them out faster. Many of them end up in landfills and release hazardous chemicals into the soil while they slowly degrade.⁷

6. Soil Degradation: Intensive cultivation of textile crops can lead to soil degradation, reducing fertility and impacting the ability of the land to support plant and animal life. This happens for example when harmful chemicals are used for growing cotton, when forests are cut down for wood-based materials, or when pastures are overgrazed during wool production.⁸

7. Microplastics: Overproduced synthetic fabrics shed microplastics during washing, finding their way into oceans and the soil with potential consequences for both environmental and human health.⁹

8. Low Wages: Overproduction often drives the need for cheap labor, leading to the exploitation of workers in the fashion supply chain. This includes garment workers, many of whom endure substandard wages that fail to meet basic living expenses.¹⁰

9. Unsafe Working Conditions: To meet demanding production schedules, factories may compromise on safety measures, exposing workers to hazardous conditions. The Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 starkly illustrated the consequences of neglecting workplace safety.¹¹

10. Forced Labor: In the rush to produce more, some fashion brands may turn a blind eye to forced labor practices, upholding modern-day slavery in the industry.¹²

11. Lack of Workers' Rights: Overproduction often correlates with an environment where workers' rights are neglected. This includes limited freedom of association, poor working hours, and inadequate protection against discrimination.

12. Loss of Traditional Skills: The focus on mass production and conventional fashion can lead to a decline in traditional craftsmanship and skills.¹³

13. Social Disruption: Overproduction can lead to the abrupt closure of factories when demand wanes, causing unemployment and social disruption in communities heavily reliant on the fashion industry.¹⁴

14. Global Disparities: The drive for cheap labor can lead to the outsourcing or offshoring of production to countries with lax labor regulations, increasing global economic inequalities.¹⁵

15. Psychological Impact on Consumers: Overconsumption and constant exposure to advertising can contribute to feeling the need to constantly acquire new clothing which is affecting consumers' mental well-being.¹⁶

16. Health Issues for Consumers: Chemical residues from clothing production may remain in the fabric or textile material, potentially causing skin irritation and other health issues for consumers.¹⁷

17. Loss of handicrafts: Overconsumption diminishes the value placed on handicrafts and quality, as fast fashion prioritizes quantity and speed over the artistry of creating durable, well-made garments.

18. Throwaway Culture: Overconsumption is created through rapidly changing fashion styles and micro trends and leaves consumers feeling pressured to constantly update their wardrobes, contributing to a "throwaway" culture.¹⁸

19. Social Comparison and Anxiety: Overconsumption and the pressure to keep up with fashion trends can also foster social comparison and anxiety.¹⁹

(We will end this list here as it is getting loooong – even though, it’s far from complete!)

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#SpeakVolumes #StopWasteColonialism

You might have seen it already, but have you supported it yet? With their #SpeakVolumes and #StopWasteColonialism campaign, the Ghana-based Or Foundation is calling on brands to publish their production volumes and sign their petition for an Extended Producer Responsibility (#EPR) policy for textiles and clothing that ends waste colonialism.

Fashion brands tend to frame the disclosure of production volumes as a sensitive topic (which it should not be, in other regulated industries it is mandatory to publicly report production volumes) but we want to encourage you to follow through on transparency promises and sign the petition.

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Next week, we will dive into the psychological Greenwashing tactics used in marketing and some examples of how (“sustainable”) brands handled Black Friday.

Best,

Tanita & Lavinia

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Disclaimer: The content and opinions presented in The Crisps newsletter are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, ethical, or professional advice. The Crisps does not endorse any specific brands or products mentioned in its content.

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3. Sassaman, C. (2023). Fast Fashion: The Trendy Environmental Disaster. Journal of Student Research at Indiana University East, 5(1.5), 40-49.

4. Bailey, K., Basu, A., & Sharma, S. (2022). The environmental impacts of fast fashion on water quality: a systematic review. Water, 14(7), 1073.

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9. Jahandari, A. (2023). Microplastics in the urban atmosphere: Sources, occurrences, distribution, and potential health implications. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 12, 100346.

10. Khurana, K., & Muthu, S. S. (2022). Are low-and middle-income countries profiting from fast fashion?. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 26(2), 289-306.

11. Monamy, M. F., & Das, D. (2022, December). Why Do Accidents Happen? A Content Analysis of Safety (CAP) Reports. In International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings (Vol. 79, No. 1). Iowa State University Digital Press.

12. Nolan, J. (2022). Chasing the next shiny thing: Can human rights due diligence effectively address labour exploitation in global fashion supply chains?. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 11(2), 1-14.

13. D'Itria, E., & Vacca, F. (2023). How can social-cultural values nurture sustainability in the Fashion sector?. In Global Fashion Conference 2022 (pp. 1-14).

14. Wu, K. J., Tseng, M. L., Yang, W. H., Ali, M. H., & Chen, X. (2023). Re-shaping sustainable value chain model under post pandemic disruptions: A fast fashion supply chain analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 255, 108704.

15. Niinimäki, K. (2023). New fashion ethics: Who has justice and value in fashion?. In Fashion’s Transnational Inequalities (pp. 83-99). Routledge.

16. Atik, D., & Ozdamar Ertekin, Z. (2023). The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: The pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry. Journal of Social Marketing, 13(1), 1-19.

17. Wicker, A. (2023). To Dye For. Penguin Random House Books.

18. Abdelmeguid, A., Afy-Shararah, M., & Salonitis, K. (2022). Investigating the challenges of applying the principles of the circular economy in the fashion industry: A systematic review. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 32, 505-518.

19. Bozkurt, S., Gligor, D., Locander, J., & Rather, R. A. (2023). How social media self-efficacy and social anxiety affect customer purchasing from agile brands on social media. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, (ahead-of-print).