The true cost of consumerism is an absurd amount of waste

Amidst the holiday shopping madness, you might stop to wonder, “what happens when all of this stuff gets thrown away?”

Companies don’t want us to realize that when we throw stuff away, there is no “away” – instead, all that waste is sent to burden other communities and degrade our environment. Out of sight, out of mind.

But consumers are starting to push back and understand the dark downside to all of this overconsumption. The new Netflix documentary “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” exposes the tricks companies use to keep their customers consuming – and the real impact they have on our lives and the world. 

In the spirit of celebrating the holidays more sustainably, WashPIRG teamed up with Remake, a non-profit organization advocating for climate justice and fair labor in the clothing industry, to host a screening of the documentary on December 19th at Seattle’s Anchorhead Coffee and Bakery.

After the film, attendees talked about what surprised them in the film and how they wanted to take action in their own lives to help break the waste cycle.

The consensus in the room? We should just buy less stuff.

While it’s important to understand what companies are doing behind the scenes to push us to buy more and more, it’s also good to take action to change these practices in the industry.

Sign our petitions below to tell corporations that you want them to be less wasteful and adopt more sustainable practices. 

• Sign our petitions asking H&M and Forever 21 to publicly commit to not trash or burn their unsold, unworn clothes.

• Call on Amazon—one of America’s largest retailers—to stop shipping plastic packaging.

• We all deserve the right to fix our electronics when they break. Tell your legislator that you want the Right to Repair to pass in Washington.