While many are excited for the new Wicked movie, some are critical of the advertising surrounding it. We're not talking about posters or movie trailers here; eagle-eyed shoppers have encountered a bizarre and wasteful array of products, starting with… a curling iron?
What's happening?
A Redditor posted in r/Anticonsumption about the phenomenon. "It all started with this Wicked x Shark Beauty ad," they said. "I stopped to look at it because I couldn't figure out what it was at first; then I realized it was a collaboration."
They shared screenshots from the ad, which show a curling iron clutched in a green, clawed hand. The ad comes from Shark Beauty and is for a "limited-edition Wicked X Shark FlexStyle" that comes in a Wicked-themed box.
"The next day, I went to Target to grab something, and saw Wicked collaborations all over the place," said the original poster. "And now my phone advertisements are flooded as well."
The examples they shared include a range of Starbucks cups and water bottles, Advent calendars, nail polish, branded clothes, bedding, skin care products, headphones, toys, hair accessories, and fuzzy, mismatched slippers.
Why is this line of products a problem?
This isn't the first movie to sell merch, and a few themed T-shirts would be relatively harmless. But the original poster pointed out a big problem with the volume of products.
"I know there's plenty of franchises that have gotten way too many unnecessary collaborations, but this is just one of the most egregious examples I've seen in real time," they said. "So much junk, fast fashion, and waste. So many unnecessary products. How much do we think will end up clearanced out and sitting for months?"
When companies produce products that don't sell, they often end up dumped in landfills. Consumers pay the price for the waste, as the cost of other items is inflated from the beginning to cover the expected losses. Meanwhile, the waste of resources and the pollution from items decomposing in the dump is hard on the environment. Plus, many of these items — including the fast-fashion clothing — are made from plastic, which pollutes the environment with microplastics.
Is the company doing anything about this?
The many Wicked products aren't coming from just one business but from deals with many production companies. Universal Pictures, which produced Wicked, ultimately belongs to Comcast.
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Comcast has said that it has reduced its heat-warming air pollution by 30% since 2019 and that it's on track to be carbon neutral by 2035. It also says it is putting effort into creating products that are recyclable and made from recycled materials.
However, if those products are unwanted junk that ends up in landfills, sustainable product design doesn't fix their impact on the planet.
What can I do about wasteful sales practices?
The best way to dissuade companies from producing this kind of merchandise is to refuse to buy it. Instead, look for quality items that you can use for a long time — especially plastic-free alternatives.
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