According to a new report from Greenpeace, the harmful consumer tendencies encouraged by fast fashion have officially made their way east.
The report, which asked participants from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, “how often they shop, why they shop, and how they feel afterward,” found that 53% of those surveyed in Hong Kong and 51% of those surveyed in China “own clothes they’ve never worn,” and that 37% of those surveyed in Hong Kong and 31% of those surveyed in China “felt empty or bored when not shopping.”
While those types of sentiments are well-documented in the West, a prevalence of like-minded thinking in Eastern countries could lead to an exponential increase in the damaging sociological (not to mention environmental) effects of the industry.
“Almost half of Chinese consumers buy more than they can afford — and more than makes them happy,” the report states, explaining that “around 40% qualify as excessive shoppers, shopping compulsively more than once a week.”
And while any consumer spending is theoretically a good thing, what with the impending Retail Apocalypse™, if after the ashes clear, all that’s left is Amazon, Wal Mart, and a cadre of fast fashion retailers, then we all lose.
You can read more about it at Quartz.
