Steering Sustainability: Rethinking Consumerism Through Ethics

“Only the unknown frightens men.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery had once remarked on the most fundamental, yet profound truth of life, but the modern consumer would have rendered him perplexed.

Towering at $418 million in revenue in 2024, Pop Mart has sold over tens of millions of blind boxes of the new era’s favourite accessory, a Labubu doll! It has incentivised its purchase with the mystery it brings in itself, and owing to basic behavioural economics, its perceived value increases with a shortage in supply. The same principle applies to the viral Dubai chocolate; the more unattainable the flavour, the higher the desire to possess it. Its assortment is rich in generous sums of chocolate and pistachios, which brings one to a startling observation. On 13 June 2024, cocoa prices hovered at $11,530 per tonne, owing to soaring temperatures and ambiguous rainfall patterns in West Africa, particularly Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The unprecedented bout of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease because of excessive precipitation has already gravely impacted the commercial hubs of these regions, but the demand for chocolate remains elevated at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3-4%.The crunch of the pistachio resonates with the crunch in the consumer’s wallet as well, as US pistachio harvest fails and prices for pistachio kernels climb from $7.65 per pound a year ago to $10.30, as of April 2025. Labubu dolls are projected to end up in landfills like its predecessors, Beanie Babies and Furbies, and further deter climate action with its polyvinyl chloride and polyester fabric structure.

As the curtain rises on the reality of consumerism or over-consumption to materialise social status and aspirations, one must question whether the birth of a social media trend is worth more than the death of the entire civilization?

We have had visionaries like Jane Goodall, whose contributions to the environmental movement have exponentially shaped the pursuit for ethical consumerism. Wall Street Mojo defines ethical consumerism as “mindful purchase of fair, sustainable, and transparent goods and services to promote human rights, environmental protection, social justice, and worker well-being.” Cautious consumption is entwined with the holistic development of a nation, as human capital can only be converted to a resource if there is access to a clean environment. India ranks 99th out of 167 countries that have adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and it is marked a bright orange for SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production. That points towards significant challenges remaining, and the blaring red for SDG 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, indicates major hurdles. Both Goals have stagnating growth rates, and swift remedial measures by organizations, consumers, and the society as a whole may be the harbingers of a greener future.

The UN definition of Sustainable Consumption refers to “the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations”. Fast fashion is an equally burning topic in the field of sustainability, companies like Zara, H&M and Forever 21 scathing the hottest. Luckily, the resale market is excelling in comparison to the fast fashion industry. According to ThredUp’s 2024 Resale Report, the

The second-hand apparel market is expected to reach $350 billion by 2028. This shift in preferences among Generation Z and the millennials is not a mere coincidence, but a direct response to the present ecosystem.

Rapid urbanisation poses a significant threat. Consequently, India is projected to generate 165 million tonnes of municipal solid waste by 2030. According to Current World Environment, India generates 62 million tonnes of the same per year, of which 70% is mismanaged.

A significant challenge for businesses when shifting to the production of environmentally friendly goods is ‘Green Premium’, a term coined by Bill Gates in 2021, that describes the increased cost incurred in the manufacturing process. Consequently, ‘green products’ will easily be outrivalled by its plastic counterparts, which are cheaper by an unmistakable margin. Besides, raw materials for the former are more strenuous to obtain, while readily accessible products appeal to the producers and consumers alike. Furthermore, the complex supply chains involved in the textile and agriculture sectors are difficult to trace by the consumers, which otherwise would have given insight into the environmental and social consequences of the methodology.

From the viewpoint of a buyer, consumerism may naturally be tackled with an incentive to repair and reuse goods by gamifying the landscape in the form of offering points and green scores. Corporations can be recommended bundling unsustainable and environmentally friendly products together to boost the usage of the latter, with more conspicuous branding. While the threat of greenwashing persists, which refers to the advertising of products through deceptive green marketing tactics, incorporating sustainable education into the curriculum and conducting awareness drives will make sustainability a lived experience, and not a mere definition in the textbook.

In economics, the government is often referred to as a benevolent social planner, and to reinforce this idea, policymakers ought to focus on this subject that concerns the entire globe. India banned the use of identified single-use plastic items across the country from 01 July 2022.

This was a major milestone in this direction; other tools like targeted tax reductions, subsidies to ‘green suppliers’ and a budget allocation to invest in sustainable infrastructure and technology will only increase engagement and enthusiasm towards sustainability. At the local level, many society complexes have coloured bins, aiming to minimise errors in waste disposal and this bifurcation allows for efficient waste segregation.

Consumers have begun turning to electric vehicles and purchasing from small businesses, and a rise in local tourism have acted as a catalyst towards a greener future. Social media creators play an integral role as well, as many are reviving the ‘Indian way of life’, that centres itself around minimalist living.

After all, whenever a push has come to a shove, humankind has always found a way to persist.

References -

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9. Harshad Laxman Jadhav, “The Price of Sustainability: Understanding the Green Premium Effect,” ResearchGate (April 22, 2025), https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390989194_The_Price_of_Sustainability_U nderstanding_the_Green_Premium_Effect

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11. Prashant Ravish, “Sustainable Management of Landfill Sites in India: Addressing Environmental, Health, and Socioeconomic Challenges,” Current World Environment (Vol. 20, No. 1, 2025), CWE_Vol20_No1_p_19-34.pdf

AUTHOR -

Urbee Banerjee | Linkedin