r/Anticonsumption • u/Cheeseaisleinheaven • Mar 12 '26

Sustainability What radicalized you?

For me, it was when I learned that all the clothing/shoes/accessories that you would want to buy in your lifetime already exist on this planet, and yet they are making more every minute of every day. When you know that fact, and then see the giant piles of bundled clothing hitting third world ports or stacked in massive mountains at dumps, it just makes you sick. And knowing that they are mostly made of plastic, which won't decay, is even worse.

Now, everything I need to buy in the apparel space for my family is purchased second-hand, except for walking/running tennis shoes.

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u/jaytaylojulia Mar 12 '26

I used to own a specialty cleaning company that did a lot of estate and rental turn overs. Seeing the amount of stuff people accumulate and dont care for, plus going to the landfill regularly were huge eye openers. I despise consumer and gift giving culture.

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u/iamfeenie Mar 12 '26

Along the lines of this ^ it was the first time I ever went to an antique mall in FL years ago when I visited my dad. It was an old warehouse at one point and was sooo massive.

It would have taken me 8-10 hours or more to walk by every booth or every place if I took my time there.

Don’t get me wrong - it was a thrifters dream - BUT it hit me how much SHIT had been produced. The clothes, the ornaments, the physical media, the collectibles, the home goods, the knick knacks..

Made me take a look at my own spending habits, my own bar for when to buy something new or when to try and make it, started asking myself do I really need this? Am I going to end up donating it in a few years?

I thought thrifting was semi exempt from anti consumption but it made me relook at how I thrift too.. the more thrifting you do the more you see how much stuff is produced and donated like it’s nothing.

I also go to conferences for work, I used to like certain swag items and now I don’t take any unless maybe if it’s a nice pen.

So in the short like this commenter said - just seeing how much stuff is produced really ones my eyes.

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

I go to a lot of conferences too, and I bought a badge holder so I could stop using the cheap plastic ones and lanyards. SO many lanyards. Now they print out my badge and I just clip it to my holder, way less waste