Imagine condensing almost a century of material consumption in less than a decade. It seems science fiction, yet it is our raw reality. According to the Circularity Gap Report 2024, between 2016 and 2021, we have globally consumed almost 6 billion tons of materials, a figure that represents over 75% of the total consumption of the entire twentieth century.
The earth, as of course, is not equipped to support this rhythm: we are consuming natural resources at a rate 1.75 times faster than they can regenerate. If everyone lived as an average American, we would need 5 planets to maintain that global lifestyle.
These frightening data should shake us from our inertia. The problem of excessive consumption, although it seems greater than us as individuals, can be addressed through a collective action. A cultural change is imperative towards a more responsible life on a large scale to ensure long -term safety.
The epidemic of the “more is better” and the dictatorship of the Fast Fashion
We live in a society that, only in 2025, consumes more than ever. The rise of consumption “Fast and Cheap“It has lasted for decades, but today we buy five times more dressed than those who bought it in the 80s. This mentality of the” more is better “, fed by capitalism, pushes us to fear the scarcity above everything. We find ourselves buying” five leaders of the same model “or three stocks of a shower gel for safety. This constant acknowledgment, like sciattoli who stir in a winter that never arrives. daily global.
The spread of social media has further amplified this phenomenon. The various platforms have made the purchases reckless and guided by the tendencies a real epidemic. The overflowing wardrobes of influencers and celebrities who crowd our Instagram feeds teach us to desire excess, while reusing the garments is almost “stigmatized as a capital sin.
For many young people, this is the only known consumer model. It is estimated that an average resident in a country with high income consumption about 28 tons of goods per year, a “shocking” given.
The roots of the problem: instant gratification
The difficulty in resisting this model lies in the search for an “instantaneous gratification”, which in Fast Fashion is both a psychological and aesthetic pleasure. We are used to a world where everything is immediate: a Thai meal delivered in 20 minutes, for example. Convenience governs every aspect of our life and renouncing you seems difficult.
The irony of this situation is profound: consumption in continuous growth will only lead to the scarcity of essential resources such as water. The unstoppable growth of the consumption of resources is alarming, with the extraction of materials tripled in the last fifty years and intended to increase by 60% by 2060. This model is the main cause of the “triple planetary crisis”: climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution.
The way out: responsible consumption and circular economy
The good news is that “normal consumption levels are not difficult to reach”. The circular economy offers a means of “falling back the rooted linear practices that no longer serve most people or the planet”. It requires a profound rethinking of production and consumption systems and the application of structural changes.
Adopting the principles of circular design and sufficiency is fundamental. The sufficiency, according to the definition of the IPCC, is a set of daily political measures and practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, land, water and other natural resources, while guaranteeing human well -being within the planetary limits. It means drastically reducing consumption in high -income countries.
Your daily weapons against waste (and to save money)
uona news? You don’t need to die of hardship, just consume with head. The circular economy can be the only way out: designing, repairing, reusing, recycling. It means rethinking our production systems to the end. The sufficiency – according to IPCC – is to practice policies and habits that avoid waste of energy, water, materials … everything, but guaranteeing well -being within the boundaries of the planet. It is drastically reducing consumption in rich countries.
• You don’t need every offer: don’t buy just because it costs little
• Use to the end: wait for a product to really end before buying another
• Buy second hand: Try to buy second -hand articles instead of buying new ones
• Quality vs quantity: a leader that lasts is worth ten US-e-springs
• Repairs and russes: a small gesture that lengthens the life of objects
• The rule of 30 times: Prhyme to buy a garment, ask if you wear it at least 30 times. If the answer is no, you probably don’t need it: If you don’t wear it 30 times, it’s not a need, it’s a whim
It is not enough to recycle
Recycling is useful, but useless if we continue to extract, use and throw. Already the 2021 circularity gap report had shown that we could live very well using only the 70 % of current materials returning to the consumption levels of the seventies
Reduction does not mean giving up: it means choosing better, living better. The planet thanks, and your wallet as well. It is time to write a new chapter – a chapter that really works for everyone, now and for those who come later.
Sources: Circularity Gap Report 2024 / Circularity Gap Report 2025 / Circularity Gap Report 2021 / relationship 1.5 -Degree Lifestyles (Hot or Cool Institute, 2021)
Don’t you want to lose our news?
