Consumption based on Mindful Mindset: A Solution to Plastic Pollution

Abstract

Plastic pollution is one of the most visible problems in many regions, especially in developing Asian and African countries, which lack of proper garbage collection systems. Everyone in societies need to work together in dealing with plastic pollution. The purpose of this article is to examine how plastic pollution effects human and environmental well-being, to study the influence of mindfulness on consumption behaviours, and to explore how mindful consumption contributes to the reduction of plastic pollution and brings ecological sustainability. Documentary study and literature review were used for data collection. Plastic pollution has become one of the most serious problems around the world, especially during the spread of COVID-19 due to the increase of single-use plastic waste. Results showed that plastic pollution causes many major long-term effects to human and ecosystem including the food chain changes, contagious diseases and respiratory diseases, polluted land, water, and air due to toxic chemicals residue. With mindful mindset, individuals will have a sense of caring and thinking about the future and the consequences of their actions towards themselves, community, and nature, so they behave and make decisions with the aim of increasing a consumer’s personal, economic, and social well-being to an optimal level. Mindful consumption, consciousness in thought and behavior about the implications and consequences of consumption, is a consumption framework guiding consumers to make their choices with the care of self and community while conserving environmental, personal and economic well-being. Thus, mindful consumption can be considered as sustainable consumption pattern and it can make a great contribution to reduction of plastic pollution and sustainable development.