Task 2b: Sustainable consumption

After watching the videos" The story of cosmetics" and "The story of bottled water", I had a strong feeling that consumers are cheated by manufacturers by various ways of marketing today.  Advertisements and sales people draw a beautiful picture for consumers and persuade them to buy more. However, the real quality and the fact behind the products are forgot by the consumers. 

In the system of sustainability, people, natural resources and money capital influence each other. Manufacturers use unrenewable sources to produce bottles and cosmetics packages, and then the cosmetics are toxic to people, finally most of the bottles and packages go to landfill and impose growing burden on the earth. This is a vicious cycle which is inefficient and harmful to human being. 

I think consumer's perception towards cosmetics is that using them will get better skin health, even though they know the truth that cosmetics are toxic to them. This is because people like young ladies don't want to have wrinkles when they get old, they can't live life as people in poorer areas, where cosmetics are rarely used. Getting beautiful is more valuable for them when they do not experience the disease bring by the toxic cosmetics. This is actually breaking the rule of nature as people are using cosmetics to slow down aging. There is conflict between urbanization and environment. People want higher standard of living, which means that the requirement of technology, materials are higher, but this living standard does not benefit the environment. It is said that carbon footprint is the lowest in the world's poorest areas. It is difficult to cut down the need for things when people's perception changed.

For designer, we should rethink the whole system and encourage people to use less or buy less. In the case of bottled water, a good design of portable water container could reduce people's buying bottled water, after they know the fact that bottled water is no difference to tap water. Water station can be provided. In the case of cosmetics, the standardization of cosmetics is important as well as reducing the impact bring by cosmetics packaging. We could design a reusable package or reduce the materials used in package. Various ways and solutions, and we are on the way to find out them, bearing in mind the pursue of sustainable living.