2023 Author: Jessica James | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 03:31
Blogger Leila Meshkova (@leylameshkova) wrote a column for BeautyHack.ru, in which she tells how she switched to conscious consumption.
Leila Meshkova
We hear more and more talk about smart consumption. Humanity has thought about ecology and how each of us affects it. You need to change your attitude to the world around you and your habits. The less we consume, the less human ecological footprint. This is one of the most popular modern trends. In 2017, American Richard Thaler received the Nobel Prize for his research in behavioral economics. In short, he detailed the process of how people spend their money. What exactly makes them save or part with huge sums for seemingly absolutely unnecessary things. And this has become a separate science and philosophy, which I, personally, share.
Here's another example. After one of the economic crises, The 100 Thing Challenge movement was initiated by Dave Bruno. One day he realized that buying things did not bring him the former pleasure, and reduced the number of things to 100, urging others to do the same. Bruno started a blog where he shared his experience. And he responded to thousands.
We quickly get used to things, and they eventually stop being enjoyable. This phenomenon is called hedonic adaptation.
Because of the desire to get a new portion of "endorphins", a person makes purchases over and over again.
Fortunately, the popularity of reasonable consumption is growing every day, which means that there are more products on the market for this demand. We've all seen horrible photos of fish stuck in plastic bottles thrown into the sea on the Internet. But few people thought that these containers are not only from drinks, but also from cosmetics. Shampoo bottles, lipstick tubes, eyeshadow palettes, powder compacts and a crazy amount of all kinds of jars of creams and serums.
My choice
Unless we reconsider our attitudes towards consumption, by the middle of this century - and this is not as far away as you think - the ocean will be able to accommodate more plastic by weight than living microorganisms. By the way, did you know that since 1960 the number of containers with an expired shelf life has increased 120 times? And this is not the limit. For me personally, such static is not just upsetting. She's scary!
A few years ago, as a beauty blogger, I would have been in awe of the rustle of cellophane as I discovered a new face cream. Today all this tinsel seems redundant. Between quantity and quality, I made a choice in favor of the second option. All excesses now look very irresponsible. But I am glad about the changes that have begun in the industry.
For example, the L'Oréal group of companies and Unilever have pledged to make 100% of their plastic packaging reusable or compostable by 2025. Procter & Gamble has a program that puts Pantene shampoo packages in reusable containers and says 100 percent of its product packaging will be recycled or reused by 2030.
What does self-isolation have to do with it?
Self-isolation made us change our view on many things. Including consumption. During the first month of the raging pandemic, the air and water on the planet became significantly cleaner. We have reduced our ecological footprint. It seems that people have finally realized that they need to consume consciously.
In China, for example, it is not fashionable to buy now, but to sell - luxury consumers are organizing sales after the pandemic.
And cosmetics as well. Giving what you don’t need but needs someone is a great trend, isn't it?
I am sure that the period of self-isolation gave us the opportunity not only to spend more time with ourselves and our loved ones, but also to reboot. I opened my eyes to many things - I really rethought my attitude to the world in which I live. And I am sure that millions of people have such a feeling! Everything is in our hands - we just need to become more responsible and remember that all actions have consequences.
