Q: Shops have recently begun to reopen in my town and the first day saw hundreds of people queueing from the early hours for fast-fashion bargains. The fashion industry is responsible for 10 per cent of humanity’s carbon emission output but, amid the devastation brought on by the pandemic, the impending ecological collapse is falling off the agenda. Consumerism is still eroding our planet and exploiting workers in the Global South, but we’ve become collectively desensitized to it. Having said this, I’m torn over how to advocate against consumerism. News about cancelled retail orders, due to the Covid-19-related slump in sales, suggests that buying Primark could save jobs in Bangladesh. And when families still have growing children to clothe during a recession, how can I continue to campaign on this without sounding so out of touch?
Concerned eco-socialist
