Capitalism and the Environment: Conscious Consumerism
Social media is not what it used to be. For the longest time social media, with YouTube as an exception, was primarily used for entertainment, networking, and connecting with friends and family. But during my time on social media I’ve made the observation that it’s developing into something much more than that. Social media platforms have now become hubs, forums if you will, for knowledge and new information. An abundance of information about different cultures, world news, and even the environment can all be found on popular social media platforms like instagram and tik tok. The more time that passes, the importance and urgency for climate change action and awareness is needed. In my first blog post I introduced my topic, which is how capitalism affects the environment. Over the past few months, I’ve been following many different educational instagram accounts. It’s nice to learn a new thing or two while doing something as simple as scrolling through my instagram feed. Social media is actually where my interest in the relationship between capitalism and the environment sparked. In this blog post, I’ll be going over two apps I discovered through social media. One of the apps that doubles as a website, “Good On You” lets users know whether or not their favorite clothing brands are both environmentally friendly and ethical. The other app is called “Swapz”, it allows users to swap clothing items with other users in their area.
The fashion industry is one that contributes to climate change and environmental degredation in multiple ways. The industry produces greenhouse gases, uses chemicals and water to produce clothes, and is also responsibly for textiles being tossed into landfills. Many clothing brands are also guilty of something known as “greenwashing”. Greenwashing is basically when brands and companies decieve consumers into believing that their brand is environmentally friendly. This is what makes the “Good on You” app useful to those who wish to be conscious consumers. The app rates brands on a sustainable and ethical scale. If the brand has a high rating, the creators make sure the app has an explanation as to why the brand received a high rating and vice versa. The nice thing about “Good on You” is that they also provide an abundance of different sustainable and ethical places to shop, so they don’t just focus on the negative. An article published on Refinery29 goes over how the app was doing in it’s earlier days and how the public was responding to it. When it first was launched, back in 2015, most feedback it received from brands was positive, especially from the brands who wanted to better themselves in terms of sustainability. The app serves as a wake-up call for these brands according to Renouf. Another article from fashnerd.com covers the feasibility of the app itself. Users are able to check their favorite brands’ sustainable and ethical rating and if the rating is poor, the app recommends similar brands with a better rating. Because the app is easy to navigate it allows for more people to use this as a tool to work towards being a conscious consumer.
For many, shopping sustainably and ethically is a privilege, shopping for clothing brands that ethically source their clothes isn’t cheap. The app “Swapz” allows individuals to shop without supporting unethical brands while also building community. Users can upload clothes, shoes, and accessories, onto their profile for others to see and if people see something they want, they can ask to swap it for one of their own items.
Through examining these cultural artifacts, I’ve learned there’s a divide in the green community. The community sees capitalism as one of the main causes for climate change but because of this, there’s a class divide in the green community. Others will say it’s up to use to make changes as consumers in order to help the environment. We need to be willing to spend more money for sustainable products. The other side argues that shopping sustainably is a privilege, not everyone has the means to spend more on sustainable goods. But as I learned more about the apps Good on You and Swapz, I realized that even though there’s a divide, each side is working towards a shared goal, which is helping the environment. The app “Good on You” caters to individuals who are willing to spend more on environmentally friendly brands. The app “Swapz” caters to those who want to be able to shop sustainably without putting a dent in their wallet, the app also helps reduce the amount of unwanted clothing that gets put into landfills.
