Band 6+: These days people in some countries are living in a “throw-away” society which means people use things in a short time then throw them away. What are the causes and problems?

Nowadays, in some nations, consumers only use products for a short duration before throwing them away. This is because companies use marketing strategies and quality manipulation to make us get rid of old things and buy new ones and boost their sales. As a result, this trend has detrimental effects on the environment.

Today’s consumerist society is caused by artful business tactics to gain financial benefits. First of all, they utilise advertisements to get consumers exposed to their products as much as possible and arouses our curiosity which will ultimately get us to buy it. This is combined with the fact that big companies try not to improve their products’ quality on new models so that when they release the next one, buyers will be tempted to buy it because of its “innovative” features. For example, Apple introduced the OLED screen to their users on the Iphone 13 and advertised it as a new breakthrough in technologies while this feature had already been done several years before them. These practices are used by companies to encourage purchasing pressure, often leading to compulsive shopping.

This trend of short-term consumption can cause serious damage to the environment. The culture of quick disposals of items can accumulate wastes which usually end up in giant garbage patches in landfills or the ocean. They are the main contributors of pollutants, resulting in air, water and soil degradation. For example,

Many discarded electronics and plastics get dumped in the waterways,polluting the ocean and disturbing marine ecosystem. Additionally, the constant demand of products increases industrial production, which in turn accelerates the extraction of raw materials, deforestation, and global warming. All of which significantly contribute to global environmental crises such as climate change or biodiversity loss.

In conclusion, the modern tendency to discard products quickly is driven by calculated marketing and deliberate product downgrades. While these strategies benefit businesses, they come at a great cost to the environment.