It is widely acknowledged that in several nations around the world, several people believe that the demand for consumer goods among individuals is increasing. Apart from this, that demand is hurting our natural environment. In this essay, I will scrutinize the factors behind it, find the appropriate solutions that help mitigate this phenomenon, and offer some pertinent examples to illustrate the current state of affairs.
To begin with, there are manifold cues behind this trend. One significant factor is that there is competition among factories to produce low-cost goods for their customers. For this reason, they used cheaper materials, like plastic, to reduce their production costs and make them more affordable. As a result, individuals use it for a certain period and throw it into the natural land as garbage, which takes approximately 4000 years to decompose into nature. According to a survey conducted by the World Nature Organization (WNO), in the 21st century, approximately 65% of environmental pollution is caused by the use of plastic products. When people get cheap products, they buy more, use less time, and throw them into the landfill or ocean. That trend badly affects our environment.
On the other hand, actions must be taken as soon as possible to mitigate the negative impacts on the environment arising from the increasing consumption of consumer goods. Firstly, the government should pass some legislation for the organizations that produce plastic goods, as well as encourage companies to find alternative sources of materials, such as paper, bamboo, and jut, which helps to reduce their plastic use. For example, the giant coffee chain Starbucks has recently replaced plastic straws with reusable alternatives made of materials like paper or bamboo. According to a recent study done by the well-known web portal, the Morning Star, those countries saw a good environment when the government forced the public and companies to use alternative materials instead of plastic.
In conclusion, it is undeniably true that the increasing need for consumer goods is bad for our environment. However, we should take the responsibility to solve this problem to gain public awareness about using alternative materials.