Sustainability and ethics may not be the first topics that come to a college student’s mind during spooky season. With fall in the air and midterms to conquer, many students are looking forward to a break in their busy schedules. Many may be eagerly ordering costumes, buying plastic spider webbing and stocking up on candy for trick-or-treaters and parties, as Halloween is a time when many consumers, not just college students, are making purchases for the occasion. 

This year, the U.S.’s total Halloween spending is predicted to reach $12.2 billion — a record high, according to the National Retail Federation. Unfortunately, mass consumption has serious environmental consequences for our planet and its inhabitants. 

Our current capitalist economic system relies on consumerism. Research from the e-waste recycling organization, Hummingbird International, estimates that 35 million Halloween costumes are thrown away each year, 1 billion pumpkins end up in the landfill and Halloween candy packaging contributes up to 30% of plastic packaging waste in the U.S. 

Individual consumers — especially students who, on average, earn $13.7/hour in Missouri and may feel that their income traps them into purchasing cheaply made, disposable products — cannot change the mass consumption model by themselves. Still, collective individual actions such as buying fewer disposable products, reusing materials already in existence and avoiding environmentally harmful brands can pressure corporations to do better and shift humanity toward less wasteful lifestyles. 

Activism is an imperfect process, but doing something is better than doing nothing. Those who love Halloween and the planet should bear in mind the ecological impacts of the holiday.

In the spirit of Halloween and environmental preservation, here are s several ways in which all consumers — whether they are hosting a Halloween party, donning a costume, or simply decorating their front porch — can celebrate the occasion by making meaningful, eco-conscious choices. 

Conscious Costumes

According to Good On You, a fashion rating site that reviews brands for sustainability, Halloween’s biggest carbon footprint results from millions of mass-produced “fast fashion” costumes. Many mass-produced costumes are cheaply made from synthetic materials like polyester, which can take years to biodegrade. Fast fashion is also notorious for its exploitation of garment workers and its poor labor standards. One of the best ways to combat fast fashion’s overproduction model is simply to buy fewer clothes that you do not need. When you do need a new garment (or perhaps a Halloween costume) consider these creative ideas instead of buying from unethical brands:

• Incorporate clothing you already own into your costume! Here are some great tips from The Sorry Girls’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhJrTPdWDKU  
• Sew your own costume! Pin Cut Sew’s video on YouTube has basic tips for sewing costumes that will last and are relatively inexpensive to make.
• Borrow Halloween props and clothing from family and friends.
• Use baskets and reusable shopping bags if you go trick-or-treating.
• Buy second hand clothing.
• Look into non-toxic face paints like the ones from Natural Earth Paint. The cosmetic industry often uses mica to create sparkly paints and makeup products. Some evidence suggests that supply chain workers may face health risks such as lung scarring from long-term inhalation of mica particles. In addition, child laborers pose an ethical concern for mica production. 

Decorations Done Right

Like costumes, many mass-produced Halloween decorations are made from plastic and other non-biodegradable materials that will eventually end up in landfills. Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to degrade, and as it does, it can leach toxins into the soil and water, according to the UN Environment Programme. The small bits of degraded plastic that end up in ecosystems are known as microplastics. These plastics affect mites, larvae, and other producers at the base of food chains. As more microplastics accumulate and harm species across ecosystems, the risk of toxicity to humans increases as well. 

Instead of buying single-use plastic decorations, invest in longer-lasting products that you can reuse from year to year. However you choose to decorate, make sure to consider how your choices impact the environment. Below are several options to consider as you decorate for Halloween:  

• Buy pumpkins and gourds from local farmers to reduce emissions created from transportation and production. To maximize the sustainability of your purchases, try roasting the seeds or cooking with parts of the pumpkin for a yummy snack. Once your pumpkin starts looking squishy, you can even compost it instead of tossing it in the garbage!
• Create your own upcycled decorations using materials in your house (think cardboard boxes, old sheets, and toilet paper rolls). Here are some great examples from Our Upcycled Life’s YouTube video.
• Check out BBC Good Food’s 12 ideas for reusable, eco-friendly decor to lessen your waste this Halloween.
• Thrift decorations or trade with family and friends to find something “new to you.”

Tasty (Low-Impact) Treats

In addition to costumes and decorations, plastic-wrapped candy is another major Halloween pollutant. Supply chain research shows that large companies like Hershey’s, Cadbury, and Nestle have been known to source their chocolate ingredients from West African countries that use child labor and have inhumane working conditions. Producing chocolate also contributes to deforestation, which can destroy ecosystems and further harm the environment. Chocolate’s colonial history is unfortunately not a thing of the past, and systemic change is necessary to reshape the industry. Although such changes require legal interventions and major sustainable shifts on behalf of corporations, consumers can support brands that are making conscious efforts to protect workers and the environment. Below are some great ways to have more sustainable treats this Halloween:

• As with any holiday, you can make your own treats instead of buying plastic-wrapped items that have been shipped from other parts of the country or world. This page includes over 45 vegan Halloween recipes!
• Purchase candy from sustainable brands. Here are 13 eco-friendly Halloween treats from Earth Friendly Tips’s blog. If you are looking for sustainable chocolate, check out these brands.
• Decrease the amount of candy you buy, and try to find options packaged with less plastic.
• Consider handing out non-candy goodies to trick-or-treaters (non-candy options can make Halloween safer for those with food allergies while also being a more sustainable option). Some ideas for kids include fun pencils, eco-friendly craft supplies and finger puppets.

No matter how you celebrate Halloween this year, remember that even small choices can have a large impact if enough people take part. This holiday doesn’t have to be scary for the environment — there are ways consumers and corporations alike can cut back on unnecessary production and spending. Those of us who are able to take action to protect our planet should do so, or we will continue to see the consequences of our overconsumption.

Edited by Tierney Kugel | tkugel@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight