https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants#Plot_summa...
"Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that the quality of life is improved by all the products placed on the market."
I also came across this nice video: The History of Stuff [1] that describes ncely the current production - consumption model and why it is not sustainable.
It is 20mins long but I found a great educating value to it.
People got caught up in the wave of recycling with the idea that somehow we could actually recycle all these materials with anything approaching reasonable effectiveness. Outside of aluminum, it's basically worthless - and in the cases of recycling paper, it has led to Superfund sites and terrible pollution.
Rainforests are regrowing [0] as at least America has forced companies to actually care about replanting and not just widespread logging with no consequences, but China doesn't give a shit. It's important to note in the blame game that America has done an incredible amount to reverse CO2 pollution, rampant logging, and reverse other environmentally damaging practices in surprisingly quick fashion over the last two decades, but it hardly matters, since industrial Eastern countries have essentially zero environmental regulations.
[0]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rainforests/tropical-rain...
I started bringing my own containers when shopping for groceries. Reduce my trash to 4-5 kilo per week.
It's all about owning more and constant economical growth, it has very little to do with social or ecological progress, these might benefit from capitalism from time to tie when their goals are aligned but that's all.
Recycling is like everything else, it's done when it's economically profitable (via state/country funds, tax returns, &c.)
"At the heart of capitalism is a vast and scarcely examined assumption: you are entitled to as great a share of the world’s resources as your money can buy. You can purchase as much land, as much atmospheric space, as many minerals, as much meat and fish as you can afford, regardless of who might be deprived. If you can pay for them, you can own entire mountain ranges and fertile plains. You can burn as much fuel as you like. Every pound or dollar secures a certain right over the world’s natural wealth."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/15/capita...
Everything else is considered a failure.