CONSUMERISM
Be Informed
What we buy dictates to the market what becomes available, i.e. supply and demand, which means we CAN force change.
A good example of this is motor cars. If the market of say, 1,000,000 motor cars is generally for large 6-cylinder family cars, and ten people buy a small 4-cylinder car, then there is no impact on the market. If 1,000 people buy 4-cylinder cars, the market will notice, but not take any drastic action. If 100,000 people buy 4-cylinder cars, then the market will react. It will have to produce less 6-cylinder cars, and offer more choice in 4-cylinder cars.
This is exactly what happened in Australia as the country became more urbanised, and families became smaller, effectively killing off the local car manufacturing industry because it did not react to the change in demand. Currently, we have an opposite effect occurring, where wealth (or low interest rates) has driven up the sales of large 4WD vehicles to the point that in 2020, over 46% of the top ten sellers were 4WD vehicles, and a further 24% were SUV’s.
The best-selling models of 2020
Ranking, Model, Type, Sales
1, Toyota HiLux, 4WD, 45,176
2, Ford Ranger, 4WD, 40,973
3, Toyota RAV4, SUV, 38,357
4, Toyota Corolla, Sedan, 25,882
5, Mazda CX-5, SUV, 21,979
6, Hyundai i30, Sedan, 20,734
7, Mitsubishi Triton, 4WD, 18,136
8, Toyota Prado, 4WD, 18,034
9, Kia Cerato, Sedan, 17,559
10, Hyundai Tucson, SUV, 15,789
For more on consumers and the motor car market, go to our Politics page.
The above is a good example of how consumers can influence the market, and force change, however in a wealthy country such as Australia, it is now affordable to replace something that is broken or a bit old. The result of that is waste generation, and use of resources for a replacement product.
Generally, we are addicted to consumption, whether it's for the latest phone, the flashiest car or overstocking on food or clothes. Contributing to this consumption is a host of factors such as in-built obsolescence, cheap products that are mass produced but don't last long and marketing, but surely the biggest contributor is wealth. People in poor and developing countries do not generate much waste. Everything that is edible is used, clothing is handed down and recycled, and anything that can be repaired, is repaired.
Old-fashioned media, such as newspapers, radio and television drown us with advertising, because that's where its income is derived from. Similarly, social media is now saturated with advertising, and artificial intelligence will mean more targeted advertising. As bricks and mortar retail declines, social media advertising will only increase.
In 2018/19, Australia generated 76 million tonnes of waste, that is about 3 tonnes of waste for every person in the country (young and old), and was 10% more than 2016-17. See our page on waste.
We needto consume less, change what we buy (or don't buy), and then collectively we can force manufacturers to produce more environmentally friendly goods.