Written by: Anisha Kolambe

The holidays are always an awaited source of cheer. As students get long-deserved breaks from school, families reunite and cultural traditions are celebrated. However, nothing is wholly smiles and laughter—there are always hidden drawbacks to every scenario. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, the average American household waste increases by 25 percent, while trash (including unwanted food, shopping bags, and packaging items) contributes an additional million tons per week to landfills (Doran & Kidwell, 2016). Furthermore, increased travel and transportation of items across long distances result in a larger carbon footprint in comparison to the rest of the year.  However, it isn’t reasonable to simply stop celebrating these festive times. Instead, society must gradually become more aware of its personal impact on the environment and make conscious, informed decisions that sacrifice neither the needs of the planet nor the joy that the holidays offer. 

The Encouragement of Consumerism

Society’s consumption of products is largely driven by the audience surrounding them, which, in today’s modern world, is often on large-scale online platforms. Globally, people spend an average of 2.5 hours on the internet per day and are therefore exposed to many promotions of goods and services, self-comparisons with other individuals, and societal standards (Frick et al., 2020), which impacts daily life. Due to this digitalization, consumers are often pressured to buy more than they actually need, leading to an excess waste of resources. In general, advertising boosts consumption through the increase of aspiration levels and consumption norms (Frick et al., 2020). Especially since reinforcement fortifies mindset, the repetitive sight of ads convinces people that the promoted item or service is necessary to their life. As a result, businesses have a lot more to gain by targeting their audience through online personalized advertisement rather than traditional channels (such as in printed sources, mail, or on television).

Furthermore, the increased presence of users and content on social media also contributes to added levels of peer pressure. An independent survey commissioned by Greenpeace reported that browsing through fashion blogs or followed friend/celebrity pages leads to impulse shopping and increased purchasing of outfits (Wahnbaeck & Roloff, 2016). The convenience rising from the merging of e-commerce and social media makes it more difficult for individuals to resist the psychological temptation to follow fast fashion trends. This is an important matter to consider, because not only is fast fashion environmentally detrimental due to its use of toxic dyes, cheap fabrics, and short product lifespans, it also is usually a human rights issue since popular brands often outsource labor to regions where workers are exploited. Holiday sales don’t help with practicing sustainability either, because bargains are another external influencer leading to the purchase of items that are often neglected over time. 

Figure 1

A graph depicting factors that influence an individual’s desire to purchase extra items.

Source: GreenPeace (Wahnbaeck & Roloff, 2016)

In addition to clothing, these same concepts also apply to the purchase of other popular items, such as new electronic devices and leisure air travels. Especially during winter, the prospect of gift-giving prompts increased user interaction with sales catalogs and media sources as individuals search for the perfect presents for friends and family. As news and articles push out new and alluring titles such as “Every Holiday Gift Guide”,  “Ultimate Holiday Gifts”, or “2021 Guaranteed Finest”, it’s important to recognize that the best gifts truly are those given with thought—not necessarily those ‘acknowledged’ by the mass market but left to gather dust.

Exploring Greener Alternatives

While society might not want to admit it, most gifts are not those actually desired by the recipient (Root, 2021). Rather than buying an onslaught of gifts for every receiver, it’s much more meaningful (and sustainable!) to find the items that they truly need. Taking advantage of reusing by thrifting items also serves as a viable method of creating meaningful gifts while also extending a product’s lifespan. The standards of gifting can further be challenged by presenting people with ‘experiences’ (such as club memberships or special events) as sacrificing one’s time is often more valuable than a physical item. DIY gifts (crafts, food, mending) are also a personal and eco-friendly option that eliminate the impacts caused by long-distance shipping.

Other than gifts, holiday traditions also include gathering with family. While most families fly or drive to their designated destinations, it might be worth utilizing forms of mass transportation (such as riding a train or even carpooling) for fun and unique experiences that simultaneously reduces one’s environmental footprint. Additionally, most families stock up on extra food to prepare for ‘unexpected guests’ over the holiday season. However, food waste is very prevalent and another serious aspect to consider when planning for special holiday meals. Finally, for families that hang up lights or purchase trees, there is both an economic incentive and environmental benefit to using LED light bulbs and buying potted trees instead. 

Conclusion

The shift in the digitization of services and increased correspondence with social media has escalated the trend of mass consumerism, especially during the holiday season. As communities continue to commemorate old traditions during winter, it becomes increasingly significant to account for the state of the environment. Society will have to think of novel methods of following customs that maintain both their enthusiasm and integrity.

References and Sources

Doran, G., & Kidwell, J. (2016, December 21). Creative Ways to Cut Your Holiday Waste. The EPA Blog. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://blog.epa.gov/2016/12/21/creative-ways-to-cut-your-holiday-waste/

Frick, V., Matthies, E., Thorgersen, J., & Santarius, T. (2020, August 25). Do online environments promote sufficiency or overconsumption? Online advertisement and social media effects on clothing, digital devices, and air travel consumption. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 20(2), 288-308. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1855

Rauturier, S. (2021, July 26). What Is Fast Fashion? Good On You. Retrieved December 28, 2021, from https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/

Root, T. (2021, December 8). How to approach holiday gifts with sustainability, climate change in mind. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/12/08/christmas-gifts-sustainable-holidays/

Wahnbaeck, C., & Roloff, L. Y. (2016, March 8). After the binge, the hangover – Insights into the Minds of Clothing Consumers. Greenpeace. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.greenpeace.de/publikationen/2017-05-08-greenpeace-konsum-umfrage-mode.pdf