Drivers of the Economic Growth Model By: Baylen Edwards-Miller & Olivia Bell

Blog Post 3 – Drivers of the Economic Growth Model 

By: Baylen Edwards-Miller & Olivia Bell

     The economic growth model is currently in an unsustainable form, as it requires continuous economic growth. However, continued growth is not feasible and will result in an Ecological Footprint that is greater than the world’s carrying capacity (Robertson, 2014). In the past, the urgency to address this issue has not been present as the excessive rate of damage was not as prominent. In the past, population size was lower, and use of machinery and electricity was also lower. However, over time these all increased. Now these factors, as well as rapidly increasing climate change, pollution, lack of water and land destruction are all making it clear that the current economic growth model must be modified.

     The current model results in the well-off minority gaining most of the wealth, whilst the incomes of the poorest people decreases, creating an even more dramatic gap in socioeconomic status. As happiness has a direct relation to income (Robertson, 2014), continuing to have lower class people lose money will only result in decreased wellbeing. Change in the economic growth model must take place so the developed world moves from excessive consumption to adequate consumption, and the developing world moves to having an equitable distribution of goods. As Malia Brown pointed out in her Climate Reality presentation, in the developed country of the USA alone, 11 million tons of textile waste is thrown away and we consume 80 billion new pieces of clothing a year. This highlights the fashion industry as a major area we over consume in. Furthermore, the current economic growth model doesn’t acknowledge that natural systems have limits, failing to include the price of exhausting or damaging natural systems. For example, future costs of climate change are not included in the cost of petroleum (Robertson, 2014). At the end of the day, our natural resources are finite.

     The fashion industry is directly related to why the current economic growth model is so flawed. The fashion industry is one of the biggest consumers of natural resources, being the second most polluting industry. According to Margaret Roberston in her book, Sustainability Principles and Practices, much of what is consumed consists of once-through, disposable, or short-lived products, increasing the rate of production and the flows of materials and waste (Robertson, 2014, p. 53). The fashion industry has contributed to this by creating “disposable” clothing from major fast-fashion retailers such as Zara, H&M, and Forever 21. Continuing down the path we are on will only lead to the extinction of natural resources. Therefore, change to the current economic growth model and the practices of the fashion industry are both necessary to ensure the protection of natural resources and human wellbeing. 

A helpful tip that can help preserve our natural resources that are being consumed by the apparel industry is to take part in the “wear it 30 times” challenge. We challenge all of the readers of this post to only purchase things that you will at least be able to wear 30 times. This will not only be a better investment for you as a consumer, but, it will also make you a better global citizen by helping our shared home preserve its natural resources one garment at a time.