Andri provides an eye-opening article on the dangers of consumerism, which are heightened during the holiday season.

We all love a bargain, but most of the time we’re buying fast fashion items that we can live without, just to follow a trend. Online shopping and social media fuel this addiction as it has made shopping accessible anytime and anywhere (including that very slow 4pm lecture).

Speaking from experience, I used to be a self-confessed shop-aholic with a serious trainer obsession.  

I didn’t necessarily spend a huge amount of money, as I used to wait for the sales and discount code offers, but l loved getting a buzz from browsing clothes online, adding them to my basket and eagerly waiting for my delivery to arrive in my post. This was a constant cycle, and I was accumulating an endless collection of items in my wardrobe.

It wasn’t until I watched the BBC documentary, Stacey Dooley Investigates Fashion’s Dirty Secrets, that my perception of the retail industry changed completely. The episode uncovered the dark side of fashion as it gave a deep insight into our addictive shopping behaviour as well as the environmental impact of consumerism. It opened my eyes to the Western World’s impulsive and disposable shopping behaviour and I was shocked to learn that the fashion industry is the 2nd largest contributor to polluting our planet, after the oil industry (yes- even more than the meat industry!).

Among others, one of the most staggering statistics that the documentary uncovered was that “15,000 litres of water is needed to grow enough cotton for just 1 pair of jeans”. I did the maths to give the stat some context, and that’s the equivalent of running your bathroom tap for a solid 42 hours. This horrified me, especially since one of my main motives for veganism was to improve my environmental contribution. Little did I know that changing my shopping behaviour should’ve been on my priority list.

After watching Stacey Dooley’s shocking fashion documentary, I banned myself from buying clothing items for two months, and it was by no means easy – I even filled up my online shopping basket numerous times but closed the tab last minute! I did find that the longer time passed, the easier it was for me to resist the urge to shop. It was as if I removed the power that all these online retailers had over me as I realised how catastrophic all my unnecessary purchases were on the environment.

Marketing promotions and advertising campaigns like Black Friday, Christmas shopping, and Boxing day sales only exacerbate our shopping addiction with promotional emails constantly flooding our inbox, as well as urgent discount signs being plastered across every shop front.

In the run-up to Christmas, I sense the panic that the industry is causing by pressuring us to find the ‘perfect present’. Whilst I’m not saying that we should all be a Scrooge, I do think it’s time that we reflect on and adjust our shopping behaviour whilst reminding ourselves what the festive season is all about – spending quality time with your family and friends, which is something money can’t buy. 

Andri Neocleous