Mass consumption activates production booms and the expansion of the manufacturing sector in both industrialized and developing economies. Unfortunately, this unrestricted consumption is depleting resources and deteriorating the environment, and it will be necessary to discover strategies to prevent or reverse these negative effects.
Product manufacturing, processing, and disposal all exert negative impacts on the environment. During the manufacturing process, nonrenewable and nonregenerative raw materials and energy are brutally ripped from nature and manufactured in a highly polluting manner. To facilitate manufacturing, particularly in locations where minimal legal criteria are not always followed, hazardous waste is always produced. Furthermore, dangerous chemical compounds are introduced during raw material processing or the burning of fossil fuels. Additionally, factory expansion is often predicated on planned obsolescence and an increase in waste, which is a concern in and of itself because these wastes are likely to be released into rivers and oceans, posing harm to marine ecosystems and species. Further, the majority of wastes contain toxic or plastic compounds, suggesting that they will be a burden for decades to come.
Despite the fact that we cannot remove what has occurred, there are steps we can take to mitigate the problem. The linear manufacturing system could be replaced by a circular one in which broken or obsolete items are fixed and reused. Businesses could also manufacture environmentally friendly products. Furthermore, the government could impose laws and regulations on the industrial sector, pressing them to construct a waste-disposal purification system in order to meet the requirements. Governments should control the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline, and diesel in order to reduce emissions of hazardous pollutants; at the same time, more energy could be supplied through the creation of nuclear power.
In conclusion, the rising demand for consumer goods has been rooted in the contemporary cultural context. However, it is never too late to identify the existence of a problem, and asking for a more environmentally friendly production method can be realistic.
