I was doing research for my blog when I stumbled across a staggering amount of evidence that an increasing number of brands are deliberately trashing their own products to create scarcity and drive prices up.
We’re talking about an incredible carbon footprint that goes into creating products that go straight to landfills.
How is this even legal?
I think the answer is no, they shouldn’t be banned. What should be banned is this practice of artificial scarcity through trashing perfectly good product. They should either produce less of them or lower the price to match the demand.
The problem stems from the fact that brands want their products to be made readily accessible to anyone who wants to order with next-day delivery, which means there needs to be a surplus to satisfy customers’ cravings for instant gratification… but a surplus would drive prices down, which is why they mass-produce products, then immediately trash whatever is not sold.
It sickens me to know this is even a thing. But what can be done to prevent it?