As you mentioned, price is a huge factor in driving the consumption up and a large part of that is the decreased price of goods and the increased cost of labour. If it costs $30 to repair a shoe, and it costs $30 dollars to buy a shoe, most people will buy a new shoe. High labour costs are in the overall scheme of things are an enabler for us to have good lives though high income, but it changes the way we produce and consume.

Moreover, the demand for “quality” from consumers and the policies of companies is certainly wasteful. How much food gets wasted because a small part of an order was wrong in a restaurant? A great deal! Once one company implements such consumer practices, it’s a matter of time before everyone does. And now we expect such “service”.