No Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism

Reducing fast fashion - the left wing’s hottest new trend. Having been ignored for so many years in the social justice, and even climate justice spheres, fast fashion is quickly becoming one of the most condemned betrayals of a ‘green’ lifestyle in the 21st century.

Fast fashion is one of the largest polluters in the world, and its impact on the human workforce is pretty devastating, too, so I for one am very glad that fast fashion has come under some scrutiny of late. For example, the carbon emissions generated by the clothing of the average UK household is equivalent to driving an average modern car 6,000 miles. The average person buys 60% more items of clothing and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago. If the industry doesn’t change, its climate impact is expected to increase by 49% by 2030.

Partly as a response to this, and partly growing up working class, I have been charity shopping way before it was cool (if you will), and therefore securing clothing for myself for an average of £4 proved essential to my self expression. In fact, when I peruse the websites of ‘regular’ clothing brands now, I am taken aback by how expensive they are: even mid-range brands like New Look or River Island.

But the environmental impacts have been crucial in my green journey of the last couple of years - I have developed a (usually healthy, sometimes obsessive) fear of bringing new items into the world. If it already existed in the world, it doesn’t matter how much I buy. If something in this world was created just for me, I have done permanent damage to the earth and its people.

Of course, we are probably all doing our best, and no one can be blamed for the mistakes they make on their green journey, but a lot of blame has been thrown about the eco-conscious community, and we have to address the intersections in the green community.

There is a lot of discourse around classism here - everyone is often equally blamed for supporting fast fashion, even though poorer people can often not afford much else. Yes, they could use charity shops and other second-hand options, but these take a lot of time and energy to curate - which someone working three jobs may not have, and the prices are often driven up by their new middle-class audience, who have increased the

demand. Personally this has not been my experience, so I don’t think that asking people to shop consciously is inherently classist, but I recognise that I don’t represent everyone. People with disabilities, some genders, or plus size people also may find second-hand shopping very difficult. I for one have practically given up on Depop, an otherwise brilliant idea for an app, because I am still yet to find one affordable and cute piece in my size.

Another problem with this ideology is that consumerism is a dangerous mindset to be in regardless of whether one’s purchases are second-hand or not. Buying something for the sake of buying something, or for pleasure, is an incredibly new phenomenon, created by capitalism a few decades ago, to overcome the economic hurdle that most classes had everything they needed already. Although living a consumerist lifestyle second-hand is exponentially more sustainable than first-hand, perhaps we should look further than sustainability in our buying choices. I am incredibly guilty of this - I attempted (and failed) a no-buy year, but apart from the fact that in today’s society we are genuinely brought pleasure by buying unnecessary items, the enticement of donating to a charity or supporting a small business doesn’t help at all. What we should definitely focus on as a community instead is encouraging ‘slow fashion’, where you buy good-quality pieces that you will wear time and time again.

I have some pretty radical views on money and the economy, but one thing that is generally accepted in the green movement is that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. This means that whatever choices you may make to make yourself feel better, someone is always being exploited for their labour by the bourgeoisie in order for you to buy that item. We can buy from sustainable or small businesses, we can buy second hand, but this item is still a product of capitalism, and so it cannot be truly ethical.

My opinion on the green movement’s reduction of fast fashion is a little more nuanced. I agree that there is no totally ethical consumption under capitalism, but there are obviously more ethical choices than others. I am still contributing to capitalism by buying from a small business or charity shop, but I am reducing my carbon footprint, and keeping my money out of Jeff Bezos’s pocket. I have made a more conscious effort to stop blaming others for the choices they make, as I don’t know their situation or the complications that may hinder them from buying second-hand, or eating a more plant-based diet. However, I don’t think that the fact that ‘there is no ethical consumption under capitalism’ should serve as an excuse for the majority to not make any efforts towards a more sustainable future.

Above all else, I believe that the true power of the green movement is in systematic change rather than individual change. Whilst I think that wherever possible, the two must go hand in hand in order to be successful, there is no point considering any of these nuances in fast fashion if the companies themselves do not reduce and change their practises.

Today I would like anyone involved with this discourse to think about their own place in the movement, and their compassion for others’ efforts - but most of all, to consider taking a stand against such an unsustainable system of capitalism we have today, in order to make real change.