I am ashamed to admit the amount of excitement I felt when the package arrived. The familiar ding on my phone made my heart jump and I hurried to the door, trying to hide the growing smile on my face. I opened the box, gingerly removing each brown-paper-wrapped gift: glass spray bottles, cleaning solution concentrate, and bar soaps, shampoo, and conditioner. I sighed out loud, an audible manifestation of how proud I felt to be one step closer to plastic-free.

Motivated by a New Year’s resolution to purchase environmentally friendly products, I invested in cleaning supplies from an eco-conscious online retailer that provides sustainable solutions for all your home and personal care needs. The company sent me a free starter kit to help kickstart my sustainable consumption journey, including the cleaning supplies and bar soaps I eagerly unwrapped. 

Purchasing and subsequently using these products made me feel good. While a few bars of soap and vials of cleaning solution are drops in the sustainable choices bucket, I still felt like this one purchase was a victory. Every time I washed my hair or cleaned the counter, I was reminded of how easily I had reduced the plastic use in my home. Each soap bubble represented a conscious consumption decision that avoided the use of plastic bottles and wrappings. 

That thought brought me joy. Apparently there’s a name for such a joyous feeling: the Greenconsumption Effect. The happiness I felt naturally sent me back to the website, yearning for more ways I could consume to reduce my emissions. That thought progression made me pause: could consuming more products actually reduce my impact on the earth? I wondered the extent to which the Greenconsumption Effect could support the continuation of status quo emissions. 

Lucas Peterson, shared with permission.

The joyous feeling I experienced when using my new green products has been scientifically tested and studies found that using green products enhances the consumptive experience. Researchers looked at how the use of green products affected user enjoyment, sense of worth, perceived quality of the product, and experience of a “warm glow.” It was found that study participants listening to music through headphones made from recycled materials, for instance, enjoyed the music more than those who listened on conventional headphones. Similarly, participants who cleaned dishes with eco-friendly dish soap reported that it worked better than conventional dish soaps. Results were consistent across the board: “the perceived increase in social worth leads to warm glow feelings and a subsequent enhancement of the accompanying consumption experience.” In essence, it was scientifically proven that people are happier when using green products over their conventional, potentially harmful, counterparts. 

After the heavy dose of Greenconsumption Effects provided by my green purchases, I was eager to spread the news so others could experience the glow. I shared discount codes with family and friends, talked at length about the surprising effectiveness of bar shampoo, and looked for any excuse to bring up the amount of plastic that could be spared if all our soaps came in little cardboard boxes instead of big, wasteful bottles. 

And then the emails started coming in.

My inbox was bombarded with bolded, capitalized letters, screaming at me to buy more, more, more! “30% off when you order now!” “Claim your free gift!” “Your monthly subscription is activated!”

I felt increasingly deflated with each incoming email. Did I purchase enough to truly make a difference? Do I need to buy more than what I originally felt like was what I needed? I didn’t think I needed a monthly subscription of glass cleaner, but now I was wondering if, in fact, I did. This company was making me believe that to be an eco-conscious consumer, I needed to, well, consume. Not only would it increase my happiness through the Greenconsumption Effect, but it would also keep them in business. It got me thinking, can companies truly be environmentally friendly in a capitalistic society?

“This company was making me believe that to be an eco-conscious consumer, I needed to, well, consume. Not only would it increase my happiness through the Greenconsumption Effect, but it would also keep them in business. It got me thinking, can companies truly be environmentally friendly in a capitalistic society?”

Even sustainably sourced products have an emissions price tag from production, packaging, and transportation costs. While a company may choose to use less harmful chemicals than their competitors, pay for carbon offsets, and use recycled packaging, these choices still have emissions, albeit smaller than their competitors. Extracting natural resources and generating waste and emissions are necessary for the production of nearly all products on the market. Some green products might even have greater upfront emissions. For example, the glass spray bottles designed to be refilled with cleaning concentrates require more energy for production than their plastic counterparts. In a few years, when I have continued to utilize them instead of buying new plastic bottles, they will prove their sustainable worth. The trick is ensuring the continual use of such products. 

With greater business success, the natural resources extracted and wastes and emissions generated are bound to increase. More sales yield higher profits, so naturally companies are marketing their products to encourage consumption. “Buy more and save!” In the case of environmentally conscious products, not only save, but “Buy more and feel happier!” Eco-friendly producers are still producers motivated by profits. It seems nearly impossible to be motivated genuinely by both profits and sustainability.

Therefore, changing the paradigm of consumption is ultimately a challenge for consumers. This “shop to save the planet” mentality can be replaced with “shop smarter and shop less.” Reducing consumption, while making the choice to be mindful of the products consumed, is a much more sustainable lifestyle. Perhaps there is even a way to experience the “warm glow feelings” provided by the Greenconsumption effect by reducing consumption. 

“Buy less, choose well, make it last.”

-Vivienne Westwood

Could there be a Reduction effect? A similar warm glow could be experienced when buying local or in bulk to reduce emissions and packaging. Choosing to share, borrow, and loan items amongst friends and neighbors could provide a sense of fulfillment. Using products we already have instead of buying something new can be something to celebrate. One study conducted at the University of Arizona found this may indeed exist and reported increased wellbeing and decreased stress for participants with reduced consumption patterns.

I canceled the membership and subscription for which I was automatically enrolled with the retailer. Despite the many emails that followed encouraging me to renew, I have no need to fall into the cycle of consuming. I revised my New Year’s resolution from one of consuming green to one of consuming less. What I purchased in that first order of sustainable products is quality and will last a long time – and that provides plenty of warm glow feelings.