When Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album, “Midnights,” back in 2021, a total of thirty-five physical products were sold in the United States. According to Time, there were four standard versions on vinyl of the same $29.99 album, each with its own disc color and cover art, corresponding with four variant CD versions. If you assemble all four, the back cover turns into wall art with the addition of a clock kit that sells for $49. “Collect all four editions!” says her website .
Target has an additional exclusive LP version on lavender vinyl as well as a CD with three exclusive tracks. The album sold 1.1 million copies as a complete package on the opening weekend.
Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” has outdone even that, with a collection of nineteen physical configurations (nine CDs, six vinyl LPs, four CDs – with four physical configurations sold exclusively at Target.) Collectively, the six vinyl LPs combined to sell 600,00 copies on the album’s first day. More merchandise could be released after she announced sixteen extra tracks: a bonus album.
Swift’s clever marketing strategy is yet another ploy of overconsumption, catering to millions of superfans. But really, does one need this much? Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that not every person can or will afford to buy everything available – but a large portion of people still help such artists continue with similar production in the future. Vinyl LPs are made from unrecyclable plastic that is approximately 0.5kg of CO2 per album – the equivalent of driving two miles in a gasoline-powered car. In the larger picture, it may not contribute as much compared to others, but even buying four copies of albums can add to negative effects on the environment.
According to the Guardian, we are consuming the planet’s resources 1.7 times faster than they can regenerate due to population growth and per-capita consumption. In the long run, we need 1.7 Earths to sustain our current consumption levels. Between 1970 and 2021, U.S. consumer spending has increased by 400 percent while the population has only grown by 60 percent, meaning individuals consume more than they used to. Overconsumption (buying more products than needed, wasting resources, and consuming more energy than necessary) beyond what is necessary and sustainable exacerbates negative consequences for the environment.
Excessive use of natural resources such as water, minerals, and fossil fuels can lead to depletion, making them scarce or even extinct. It increases pollution levels through manufacturing processes, transportation, and disposal of pollutants, toxic chemicals, and waste materials that degrade the quality of air, water, and soil, harming our ecosystem and human health. Waste materials include packaging materials, electronic waste, and discarded products, which pollute lands, water bodies, and our natural landscape. Natural habitats destroyed for developmental processes lead to deforestation and land cleaning of species. Similarly, overconsumption of water and plastic pollution has led to scarcity and disruption of aquatic ecosystems.
Overconsumption is linked to climate change due to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with consumption activities that contribute to global warming, rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, and disruptions to the ecosystem. Almost 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been deforested for logging and cattle farming. As a result of this widespread destruction, there has been mass soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and increased CO2 emissions. Deforestation has also killed scores of animals who live in the Amazon and endangered the livelihoods of local people. In 2002, the World Wildlife Fund declared that the Earth will expire by 2050 if we do not change the current consumption rates.
We should shift societal values towards sustainability, responsibility, and the future to address the ongoing issue. Taking practical steps individually to reduce consumption includes recycling, reusing, reducing waste, and practicing minimalism. For instance, using reusable containers instead of disposable ones, taking your bag to grocery shopping in supermarkets, and carrying a metal straw everywhere. Simply spending less money, regardless of what, is an effective method, according to JB MacKinnon, a Canadian author and journalist. When people buy less stuff, the emissions, resource consumption, and pollution levels drop.
We all consume to survive. The modern world is structured in a way that encourages overconsumption of resources. However, the wide-reaching consequences indicate that we are consuming more than necessary, and unless we make a change, it will destroy future generations.
Aahana Rajbhandari, intern, is a Sophomore at Gettysburg College from Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a Political Science major with a minor in English Writing. She works as a writer and co-editor for the Opinions section of the college newspaper, the Gettysburgian, and is a campus ambassador for the Women’s Network. Aahana is an avid reader and enjoys writing in her free time.
I have rarely read an article that asks people to consume less! This is a critical and timely message. It is wonderful to have your voice in our community. Please keep up this excellent work.