As I scrolled through my Instagram feed in late August, it became exceedingly clear that back to school season was upon us. Despite ignoring the extensive summer assignments and fall sports tryouts looming over my shoulder, there was one ever-present reminder of the impending return to school: back-to-school shopping hauls. I could not spend two minutes on social media without seeing boxes upon boxes of clothes ordered from online stores or a freshly-purchased 100-piece gel pen set with colors varying from lilac to navy blue. When watching video after video of influencers unpacking their “must-haves” for the school year, it is difficult not to wonder just where all of these items are coming from. 

For clothing, the answer to that question is most likely a brand that does not practice sustainable or ethical fashion. For instance, consumers might believe that the popular brand Free People is an ethical source of clothing, especially due to the high price of its items. However, the company has a low Fashion Transparency Index score of 11-20%, and sources have claimed that it uses several hazardous chemicals in the production of its clothes.

Of course, the unsustainable and fast fashion conversation cannot be had without the mention of SHEIN. A viral brand that rose to popularity due to platforms like TikTok and Instagram, SHEIN is famed by consumers for its astoundingly cheap prices (usually under $10) for trendy clothing. The Chinese-Singaporean online retail store’s prevalence relies on manufacturing clothes that are predicted to become popular. Due to this approach of only creating items that fit trends, SHEIN produces 35,000 to 100,000 items per day, leading to a disturbing carbon footprint of 6.3 million tons of CO2 emitted per year. To support such rapid production, the company utilizes synthetic fabrics with microplastics that can end up in food and water. An article from Time Magazine argued that “the bigger controversy regarding Shein is the treatment of its workers, who toil away in Chinese factories in unfit conditions.” Investigations have shown that SHEIN laborers have almost no worker rights and work up to 17-hour shifts each day. Furthermore, studies have shown that some SHEIN products have tested as toxic; Greenmatch, an online sustainability blog, states that “Greenpeace and CBC Marketplace found higher-than-allowed levels of chemicals like lead, phthalates, and PFAS in some SHEIN products, exceeding safety regulations in certain regions like the EU.” 

Even with unknown amounts of these “potentially harmful chemicals” being used in its clothing and its inexcusable labor conditions, SHEIN still makes billions of dollars of profit each year. Rampant consumerist culture has a chokehold on people across the world, especially those in developed countries like the US. ThoughtCo states, “Unlike a society of producers, in which people’s lives were defined by what they made, the production of things took time and effort, and people were more likely to delay satisfaction until some point in the future, consumerist culture is a ‘nowist’ culture that values immediate or quickly acquired satisfaction.” The culture is also marked by the emphasis on the materialistic wants of oneself without consideration of other external factors. Over the last 20 years, there has been a 400% increase in the consumption of clothing, stemming from the urgency to stay on top of trends and fads. 

Consumerist culture in recent years is best displayed by the Stanley cup craze that hit its peak in 2023. In a matter of months, the Stanley brand was everywhere, with customers literally stampeding over each other to obtain special-edition cups and designer or celebrity collaborations taking place. Although the Stanley cup did offer many useful features, there was no substantial explanation for its virality except for the fact that, all of a sudden, everyone had a Stanley. The same craze, to a smaller degree, occurred with the HydroFlasks in 2019. Now, the water bottle market has shifted away from Stanleys and towards Owala water bottles, portraying the true mayfly lifespan of these viral trends. 

Admittedly, to a certain degree, purchasing clothes from fast fashion stores or other brands for the sake of trends is justifiable. After all, the United States’ capitalist economy feeds off of consumerism and the ability for consumers to dispose of their income on items of their choice. It is impossible to try to eliminate the consumerist desire to obtain something simply because others possess it. Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s theory elaborates, “Within a consumerist culture, we are members of ‘cloakroom communities,’ which ‘one feels one joins simply by being where others are present, or by sporting badges or other tokens of shared intentions, style or taste.’” Sociologists such as Bauman argue that it is inherent human nature to chase the sense of superiority that originates in material possessions. 

Our human nature has remained unchanged for centuries, so today’s consumerist culture cannot be solely blamed on our inherent traits. On the contrary, the endemic overconsumption in modern society originates from our increasing carelessness towards the hardships of others. We choose to overlook the problems that plague our economy and society today because they bolster our personal gain. For example, SHEIN customers could be aware of the horrific impact the company has had on both its workers and the environment, but they choose to purchase from the company anyway. That same self-focused viewpoint is the reason why an astounding 92 million tons of wasted clothing are dumped in landfills each year. When an item is no longer useful in furthering our social status, people discard it without a second thought towards the consequences their actions have on the environment. 

The point of organizations that push for sustainability in fashion is not to villainize those who do purchase items from fast fashion companies. In fact, so many brands use unethical practices that it is virtually impossible to consume an item that has not had a negative impact in some form. Instead, the goal of these organizations is to help consumers realize that there is a better alternative to overconsumption; one that does not threaten to destabilize the environment or harm laborers and that leads to a more sustainable and compassionate world.

Sources from ThoughtCo, USA Today, Time Magazine, Greenmatch, Greenpeace, Good on You, and Business Insider