The Chicken or The Egg
I’m sure we’ve all heard the question, “which came first – the chicken or the egg,” and grappled with its potential answers. Those whose answer is the egg vehemently believe that chickens hatch from eggs, so the egg absolutely must come first. Those whose answer is the chicken vehemently believe that you can’t have an egg without a chicken, so the chicken absolutely must come first. In fact, some people argue that they began at the same time. It’s got something to do with cells and evolution and a bunch of other science-y stuff that I don’t really understand. Honestly, I’m not sure what I believe; but I could most definitely argue any side. It could be the chicken. It could be the egg. It could be both. There are valid arguments to all the answers.
Last week, I had a meeting with one of my thesis committee members – Sarah Angold. While going through her comments on my thesis proposal, she brought up an interesting point. At one place in my proposal, I state, “this research recognizes that the responsibility to be sustainable lies not only in the hands of the fashion industry, but also in the hands of consumers.” Sarah stated that what I said isn’t exactly wrong, but there’s quite a lot of debate surrounding that statement. Government officials, industry experts and consumers are grappling with the answer to this question: who is actually responsible for sustainable fashion and consumption? The government? The industry itself? The consumers? Or maybe all three?
In one section of my literature review, I discuss Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s “Nudge Theory.” Basically, nudge theory encourages “[making] it easy” for consumers. In their book Nudge, Thaler and Sunstein (2008) stated, “by knowing how people think, we can make it easier for them to choose what is best for them, their families and society” (para. 6). Behavioral economists argue that humans are not “rational” beings – we don’t always make the most “optimized” choice. As it pertains to sustainable fashion and consumerism, it could be argued that Thaler and Sunstein would take on the viewpoint that it’s the government or the industry’s responsibility to “make it easy” for consumers. If the government required supply chain transparency and sustainable practices, then the industry (theoretically) would have incorporated sustainability from the start. The consumer wouldn’t even have to make a choice between sustainable and unsustainable purchases. The choice would be made for them.
It’s clear, however, that consumers are overwhelmed with options on options on options when it comes to fashion. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog post called, “The Patience Challenge.” In that post I discussed how people struggle to resist what’s readily available to them rather than waiting for a potentially better, more optimized choice. While it may be true that humans aren’t necessarily the most rational beings, we are independent actors. In my opinion, we absolutely can educate ourselves on sustainability as it pertains to the fashion industry. We can choose to become more aware of the impact that our purchasing decisions have on the environment. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I like to believe that people are inherently good. You may roll your eyes and criticize me for being too optimistic, but it’s true – I like to believe that people will ultimately do not only what’s best for themselves, but also society and the overall environment.
Overall, I think I believe that the responsibility to become more sustainable lies in the hands of all three – the government, the industry and the consumers. I believe that truly implementing sustainable habits will require conscious work from all three parties. The government must require transparency and ethics as it pertains to the industry’s sustainability practices. The fashion industry must implement sustainable supply and production practices and make its consumers more aware of what it’s doing to protect the environment. Lastly, consumers must educate themselves on sustainable consumption and, perhaps most importantly, practice patience. Goodness knows it wouldn’t hurt us all to practice a little bit of patience.
So… which comes first? The chicken or the egg?
Bye for now,
McGee
Chu, B. (2018 January 13). What is ‘nudge theory’ and why should we care? Explaining Richard Thaler’s Nobel economics prize-winning concept. Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/nudge-theory-richard-thaler-meaning-explanation-what-it-nobel-economics-prize-winner-2017-a7990461.html