It’s Easy (And Often Right) to Blame Big Business. And Governments. But What About Consumer Responsibilities?
This is a Guest Post by C. N. Moore
China has been in the news for months upon months for their struggle to combat some of the air pollution problems seen to-date. They made a fresh wave of headlines in the fall of 2017 when the government shut down tens of thousands of factories in an effort to make a serious impact on environmental law violations.
It can be easy, especially for those of us in the west, to look at China’s issues and see a problem that lies outside our realm. It’s discouraging to see how their air pollution crisis has become a public health crisis, but it can also be difficult to recognize how close to home the issue actually is.
The reality is that those Chinese factories and western consumers are closely tied together.
China provides more of America’s imports than any other country, and the majority of that is electrical import.
Why It’s All About Consumer Responsibilities
One of the clearest ways to see how consumers invested in sustainability have managed to change an industry is by looking at how food production and distribution has changed. In the past, the things that mattered most were convenience, price, and taste.
But now, virtually all modern grocery stores feature organic sections and carry a wide variety of gluten-free and dairy-free options. Fast-food restaurants now tote antibiotic-free meats, and cosmetic companies to dog food companies have begun to advertise when they remain ethical, and cruelty free.
They do that as a direct result of consumer demand to provide product that works with the modern demand for food and goods that matches the priorities of on-trend consumers.
In 2017 the Pew Research Center reported that three-quarters of American adults say they owned a smartphone, and it’s projected that by 2020, two-thirds of the global population will own one.
Electronic related goods are China’s biggest American export. Thus, it’s fair to say that the western connection to digital devices is a large component of the drive to keep Chinese factories operating, no matter what.
The law of supply and demand is one of the most fundamental aspects of economics. Consumers who are invested in a greener, more sustainable marketplace will be conscientious about how their buying choices impact the planet at every level of production.
The E-Waste that Follows Our Buying Choices
Not only do we have the problem of directly participating in the demand, but another component that few consider is how those electronics continue to impact the good of the environment long after they are usable.
As Stephen Leahy reported for National Geographic, “The yearly e-waste mountain is growing, reaching 44.7 million metric tonnes (Mt) in 2016, according to the latest data available.”
And as the mountain grows, we will continue to see the ill-effects of failing to recognize it for the problem it is.
We don’t see the issue accurately: Green consumers are quick to recognize the danger of products like plastic water bottles, but there’s a disconnect when it comes to understanding how always having the latest tech, and discarding yesterday’s, makes an impact.
They aren’t biodegradable: E-waste isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. According to Caroline Cakebread for Business Insider, “When electronic devices aren’t properly recycled, the toxins they contain can cause serious health problems if they are released into the air or end up near water or food sources. Unfortunately, only about 20% of electronic devices are properly recycled, while the other 80% or so likely ends up in landfills, being incinerated, traded, or poorly recycled, according to the report.”
This is not a new trend: We are updating and replacing our tech, from our phones to refrigerators, far faster than we’re coming up with ways in which to deal with the waste they produce when the newest model is released.
China Represents a Global Problem for Consumer Responsibilities
It’s important to return again and again to this primary aspect of our consumer responsibilities regarding China:- their problem is a universal problem. Not just because of the connection between their factories and consumers in the west, but because it represents the larger issues at play.
India has seen a boom in the popularity of cheap sales, and as a result they will have a serious e-waste problem if the government fails to be proactive. “By 2020, the demand for e-goods in India is poised to touch $400 billion. Consequently, waste generation will increase. A study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) and New Delhi-based business management consultant cKinetics predicts the volumes of e-waste could rise to as much as 5.2 Mt by 2020,” wrote Ananya Bhattacharya for Quartz.
Pepperdine University points out that because the U.S. smartphone market is so dense, India, China, and Indonesia have replaced the U.S. in terms of market growth for smartphones.
Plus, there’s always the underlying reality that if it’s economically beneficial for China to run their factories all the time with not enough regard for the environment, there is likely an economic drive in other countries to do so as well.
However, that economic drive only remains if consumers are buying. The good news for the sustainability movement is that the younger generation of buyers seems more driven to make purchasing decisions, across the board, that align with their belief system. They may be taking their consumer responsibilities more seriously.
In an overview of a study on sustainable business practices, Marylhurst University found “‘The results… from a year-over-year analysis show an average annual sales increase of two percent for products with sustainability claims on the packaging and a life of five percent for products that promote sustainability actions through marketing programs.’ To attract millennial customers, in particular, the study notes that businesses ought to transition to more ethical business practices.”
So, perhaps there is hope that the future will be markedly different than the current situation we find ourselves in.
But, it truly is a situation that has to be remedied as much by individuals making consumer choices as it is by governments and CEOs.
China’s situation, and others like it, provide a clear picture of why personal education, commitment and consumer responsibilities matter, even on a global scale.
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Do you consider the impact of what you buy? Sometimes it’s difficult to think of everything. Do you think you’ll change any buying habits, now that you’ve read this post? Let me know in the Comments below.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free green living handbook “Live Well, Live Green” here.
Related:
- What do you do with your old electronics?
- Get rid of all the toxic products in your life (you’ll be shocked at where they hide!). It’s easy – see how here!
