TSL025 – ACADEMIC WRITING

ASSIGNMENT 1 (CAUSE & EFFECT ESSAY)

TOPIC: GREEN CONSUMERISM

NAME: SITI NUR ALYA MAISARAH BINTI MOHD

SHUKIMAN
STUDENT ID: 2021687868
GROUP: T07
LECTURER’S NAME: MADAM NUR NATASHA ELIANA
ABDUL RAHIM
 GREEN CONSUMERISM

As stated by Kukreja (n.d.), green consumerism is when consumers request products and
services that have gone through an eco-friendly production process. Some examples of
environmentally friendly production processes are by using sustainable materials, reducing waste
and lowering gas emissions. However, we may wonder about the reason and the exact outcomes
of this demand. Apparently, due to the increasing awareness on the importance of environmental
sustainability, more people are practising green consumerism as it will result in less pollution,
efficient use of energy and healthier eating habits.

Without a doubt, green consumerism is highly influenced by the awareness of the

importance of sustaining the environment. As time passes by, more people start to realise the
environmental damage that has been done by consumerism. Especially with the existence of the
Internet, most information can effortlessly spread like wildfire. For instance, the topic that caught
people’s attention recently is how the fast fashion industry instils a need to purchase and discard
clothes at a faster rate which contributes to climate change (Azubuike, 2021). After this issue
surfaced, people started to donate their clothes instead of throwing them away. Similarly in other
industries, people are constantly looking for ways to live without harming the planet by being
better consumers. Hence, the awareness on the importance of environmental sustainability has
driven people to participate in green consumerism.

This cause has led to three significant effects which will be discussed below.

Firstly, green consumerism can lessen pollution. This outcome is crucial as consumerism
is one of the major contributors to overall pollution on Earth. However, an environmental harm
from this industry that we must address is plastic pollution. Mass production of plastic packaging
has caused issues such as littering, killing wildlife and more. Accordingly, green consumerism
encourages consumers to buy products with less packaging waste, which can combat these
problems (Kukreja, n.d.). Some manufacturers have also taken part in this movement. As an
example, they have started to produce compostable packaging to attract green consumers as they
are made with non-toxic renewable materials that can break down through composting (World
Centric, 2019). This way, the number of plastics on our planet can slowly decrease over time.
Therefore, it is obvious that pollution can be reduced by practising green consumption.
 Moreover, energy can be used more efficiently because of green consumerism. According
to Teba (2021), energy consumption is important for the manufacturing industry as it refers to all
the energy used to perform an action, produce something or occupy a building. The energy
includes electricity, gas, or any energy needed in a production process. Energy inefficiency is
responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions which have boosted global warming rate. Hence,
manufacturing companies continuously search for better methods to perform their industrial
processes with less energy intensivity. For example, green consumerism condones replacing
fossil fuel with renewable energy such as biomass, solar thermal system and electrification (Kim,
n.d.). Any products that are produced with little energy can be considered as eco-friendly, which
is good news for green consumers. Thus, it is clear that efficient use of energy is a result of green
consumerism.

Lastly, green consumerism also promotes healthier eating habits. Kukreja (n.d.) states in
his article that green consumers tend to eat food that is organic as a way to take care of the
environment. This is due to the production of organic food which is less environmentally
harming than conventionally produced food. To illustrate, artificial chemicals such as synthetic
pesticides are forbidden when producing organic food as it ruins the quality of the soil.
Additionally, multiple research shows that organically produced food is healthier in many
aspects. One of them is that organic meat products have more omega-3 fatty acids which can
help with reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (Brown, 2021). Consequently, it is
apparent that a healthier habit of eating is one of the effects of green consumerism.

To conclude, it is proven that the reason behind the implementation of green

consumerism is the awareness on the importance of environmental sustainability and it causes
pollution to decrease, energy to be used more efficiently and healthier eating habits. Hopefully
the information given above has enlightened our view on green consumerism.
REFERENCES

Azubuike, M. (2021, January 26). The Price Of Fast Fashion: How Consumerism Fuels
The Climate Crisis And Threatens Human Rights. Retrieved from Human Rights
Pulse:
https://www.humanrightspulse.com/mastercontentblog/the-price-of-fast-fashion-h
ow-consumerism-fuels-the-climate-crisis-and-threatens-human-rights

Brown, M. J. (2021, September 16). What Is Organic Food, and Is It Better Than
Non-Organic Food? Retrieved from Healthline:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-organic-food

Kim, P. (n.d.). How Manufacturers Are Developing and Using Renewable Energy.
Retrieved from Smart Cities Dive:
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/how-manufacturer
s-are-developing-and-using-renewable-energy/1175001/

Kukreja, R. (n.d.). Green Consumerism: Importance, Examples and Strategies. Retrieved

from Conserve Energy Future:
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/green-consumerism-importance-exampl
es-strategies.php

Teba, C. (2021, March 16). What is Energy Consumption? Retrieved from Dexma:
https://www.dexma.com/blog-en/energy-consumption-definition/#

World Centric. (2019, February 28). Compostable Plastics: The Next Generation Of
Plastics. Retrieved from World Centric:
https://www.worldcentric.com/journal/compostable-plastics-the-next-generation-o
f-plastics