You may not realize this but that addiction to online shopping you have is doing more harm to the planet than the harm you’re doing to your bank account. Yes, that piece of plastic you call a credit card generates countless more pieces of plastic each time you swipe.
How? Well for starters, those culottes that were in fashion less than a minute ago that you absolutely HAD to have came wrapped in plastic, then got put into larger branded plastic bags and then dumped into a cardboard box. That cardboard box got put on a plane, a plane that emits CO2. But it had to make its way to you within 3-5 business days, or else what’s the point? So off the plane it went onto a truck emitting more CO2 until it landed up at your doorstep. You tried it on, realized it wasn’t your thing and reversed the process. You got a refund, no harm no foul. But let’s be real, the damage was already done.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t treat yo’self, we here at the ELLE office are huge fans of staying on trend. But we do realize that with great purchasing power, comes great responsibility.
The good people fulfilling orders at ASOS have clearly caught on too. The company posted an image of one of their recyclable packaging bags on Facebook, which looks like any other recyclable bags until you read the caption.
The bag is one of 17,000 units to have a typo printed onto it. Now, ASOS could have dumped the lot in a landfill and started over, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of trying to be more environmentally responsible wouldn’t it? So instead they decided to go ahead and use up the stock, calling it limited addition and saving cost at the same time.
Either way, you come out looking like the good guy. When was the last time your packaging remained intact long enough for you to read it anyway?
While 17,000 units of plastic out there is a terrifying number to think about, we do acknowledge that this is a step in the right direction. Usage is one thing, wastage is a whole other. So let’s treat our shopping carts like we would our body on a cleanse. Mindfulness here is key. Try and club as many items as you can into one purchase.
If there is an option for less packaging, take it.
If you don’t need it expressed, don’t express it.
Shop with a friend, get a friend to bring back shopping when they are travelling abroad.
Every little bit counts.
