11. Stopping Shopping
Not sure which way you make the most pollution? Find out.
The average American generates 1,700 lbs. of municipal waste each year.
No one can stop shopping entirely, but if you could kick the habit - it would help.
Clothing
Fashion "is responsible for up to 10% of global carbon emissions."
Animal Skins:
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By Nina Bazza - https://www.four-paws.org/, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77747637
Cotton:
“Cotton defoliants are ‘the most toxic farm chemicals currently on the market’.”
Synthetic fabrics:
Garment workers:
The "industry ... employs every sixth person on Earth ...
The apparel trade has exploited labor [and] the environment.”
“Human rights abuses are systemic.”
Colors:
"Textile dyeing is one of the most polluting aspects." (see photo)
The "fabric-dyeing industry ... uses trillions of gallons of water a year."
Fast Fashion:
The "fast-fashion sector … has become notorious," "for chemicals ... in landfills and oceans.”
... "as long as consumers continue to ... buy.”
People "refuse to grasp that cheap clothing comes at a very steep price to other humans."
"‘We’re doing harm ... with a lot of [fashion] business' ... And yet, consumers continue to consume."
Social Status:
"After basic needs are met, consumers [buy] items for social status;
As people try to acquire more ... status, more ... expensive status-products are needed.
Producing all these things generates [pollution] … We consumers are complicit. We demand the products."
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Delivery
Trucks:
“Heavy-duty trucks are responsible for nearly a quarter of the greenhouse gas emissions."
Medium and light-duty vehicles contribute more than their fair-share as well.
It "contributes to climate change, pesticide pollution, and waste"
"The port of Los Angeles...shows apparent increases in NO2 [pollution] in October
2021" due to "record-breaking backlogs of container ships idling offshore."
Ships:
Container ships may be “the biggest and dirtiest machines on the planet.”
Cargo ships "burn some of the world’s dirtiest ... fuels.”
After years of negotiations, the "Net-Zero Framework” was designed to materially address international shipping pollution. In 2025, the Trump administration reversed U.S. agreement to the treaty.
Dumping rubbish isn't great either: "illegal dumping ... is ... ongoing."
Ocean accidents:
“The Sri Lankan … Navy said ... The ship’s crew were aware of [the nitric acid] leak ...
and had sought to dock in Qatar and India but were denied permission." June 2021
"An abandoned cargo ship packed with cars is adrift in the Atlantic Ocean, after a rapidly- spreading fire ..." February 2022
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What To Do?
Recycling?
Except for paper/cardboard, bottles & aluminium, many "recycled" materials get incinerated or dumped.
Reuse or Repair:
Support Right-to-Repair legislation.
Want something fixed? See if there’s a Repair Cafe near you.
Note the clever corporate concept of planned obsolescence:
"The ultimate goal is to make you buy products again and again".
Buy 2nd hand:
You can find good-quality clothes at local second-hand stores,
but they're being "overwhelmed by donations.” "The volume of clothing” is just too much.
Regarding tech items, visit: buying-second-hand-tech
Consult the scorecards:
Compare different apparel companies on an ethical fashion scorecard.
For electronics, go to: ethicalconsumer.org/technology/shopping-guide/laptops
George Carlin:
"Everybody's got ... their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there."
