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The Rise of Overconsumption as the Norm

12 minutes ago
4 min read
Woman in sunglasses holding shopping bags in a grand mall, looking up thoughtfully.
When self-esteem declines, individuals may turn to excessive consumption as a way of compensate for their perceived inadequacies. PHOTO: Andrea Piacquadio

France is putting a cost on ultra-fast fashion. Since 1 September 2026, clothing and other products classified as ‘ultra-ephemeral fashion’ can face a penalty of up to half their retail price. The charge is capped at €12 per item in 2026 and is set to increase to €19.50 by 2030. The rules target products with very little incentive to repair, particularly marketed by brands offering a very wide range of products. Serge Papin, France’s Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, says France is the first country in the world to implement such a system. “We fought, we persuaded, we built this legislation with the industry. From September 1st, ultra-fast fashion will pay the true price for its damage to the environment, to our businesses, to our regions. It is a worthwhile fight, waged with committed parliamentarians, who championed this legislation and enabled its adoption,” he says.

Why We Keep Consuming


The measure raises a bigger question of why buying more has become so normal. Overconsumption is not simply an individual choice and can contribute to environmental damage, social inequality, financial and health-related consequences. Beyond the Monolith: A Systematic Review of Overconsumption Through Contextual and Temporal Lenses, published on 5 June 2026, identifies factors behind it including individual psychology, marketing, culture, policy and technology.

It suggests that the relationship between self-esteem and overconsumption is complex. “Lower self-esteem can lead to lifestyle-based depletion, which in turn contributes to overspending. When individuals experience a reduction in their self-esteem, they may engage in excessive consumption as a means of compensating for their perceived inadequacies,” it says.

Technology Makes Buying Difficult to Refuse

According to Beyond the Monolith, algorithm-driven and frictionless systems can make it harder for consumers to control their buying. This is reinforced by findings from Social Media Usage and Compulsive Buying Tendencies Among Consumers, published on 26 August 2026, which suggests that social media has changed the way consumers make decisions while exposing them more frequently to social comparison and materialistic values, potentially increasing the risk of compulsive buying. 


“Both the duration of exposure to digital content and specific nature of the platform utilised (with particular emphasis on the visually and image-oriented Instagram) correlate in a highly statistically significant manner with the propensity to lose control over spending. Social media reinforce consumerist attitudes by exposing users to content that promotes specific lifestyles, the influence of influencers, and mechanisms of social comparison, which leads to an increase in purchase intentions and behaviours associated with conspicuous consumption,” it says.


Bright luxury mall interior with Dior, Louis Vuitton and Salvatore Ferragamo storefronts; a few shoppers walk among beige balconies.
Consumers are becoming more selective in their purchases, while the systems around them continue to make buying easier. PHOTO: Wendy Wei

Systems Making Buying Easier

Consumption has never been easier. Consider how little stands between wanting something and having it today. Credit, buy-now-pay-later options, constant availability and low prices and systems designed to reduce the effort between wanting something and getting it.

Beyond the Monolith says these financial and digital designs reduce psychological awareness of spending and facilitate higher consumption and increasingly function as drivers of overconsumption. “For example, Buy Now Pay Later mechanisms expand consumer debt while reducing the psychological salience of spending,” it says.

McKinsey and Company’s report, State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide, published in 22 June 2026, says for years, digital tools have been changing the consumer purchase journey noting that social media is now increasingly relevant across all stages of that journey and has become the most important channel for Gen Z.

Consumers Aren’t Just Buying More

But the story is more nuanced as consumers aren't just buying more. According to State of the Consumer 2026 report, consumers are becoming more resourceful. It says that 82% of consumers globally say they are using items longer before replacing them, while 69% are repairing products rather than discarding them, and 68 percent say they are actively reducing waste.


“Trading down is no longer a behaviour confined to lower-income households. Higher-income consumers, who account for a disproportionate share of total spending in most markets, are also adopting ‘make do’ habits, not out of necessity but by choice,” it says.

Overconsumption, therefore, cannot simply be explained by a desire for more. Consumers are becoming more selective in their purchases, while the systems around them continue to make buying easier.


New Rules to Change How We Consume


The European Union is beginning to address overconsumption at a systemic level. Since 19 July 2026, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation has prohibited large companies across the EU from destroying unsold clothes, clothing accessories and footwear, except in limited circumstances.

The regulation requires that businesses must prioritise keeping products in use by selling them, including through discounts or alternative markets, donating them to charities or social enterprises or preparing them for reuse. It aims to reduce waste of valuable products and resources used to make them.

Furthermore, from 27 September 2026, new EU rules under the Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition will give consumers more information about the durability and reparability of products, alongside their legal guarantee rights. The directive also strengthens protections against greenwashing and practices that can lead to products becoming obsolete too quickly.


Challenging the Culture of ‘More’


Perhaps the real question isn't why we don't buy less, but why buying more has become so ordinary. If we want to address overconsumption, changing consumer behaviour is only part of the solution, we also need to change the systems that make constant consumption possible.


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