Netflix’s Broken documentary shines a light on consumer cultures and the consequences of mass production and goes into depth and detail that has the power to shift people’s thinking and possibly behavior.
Broken was released November 13, 2019 and produced by Zero Point Zero productions, known for its famous food shows Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and Rotten. The four-episode series covers the counterfeit cosmetics industry, big tobacco, furniture industry, and the petrochemical industry.
By the end of the series, you are left wondering if other industries have similar issues, unknown to the public.
David Mettler, Co-executive Producer of Broken stated in an interview with FastCompany.com, “People have really intimate relationships with what they buy, yet we know very little about where it came from or where it goes after we use it.”
The first episode of the four-part series is Makeup Madness, entails the world of counterfeit cosmetics. It exposes the harm that unregulated factories create by making products containing superglue, construction and plumber products.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) states on their website, the “CBP seized more items that pose health and safety risks than ever before. The top three categories were personal care, pharmaceuticals, and consumer electronics.”
Big Vape, the second episode, focuses on the unforeseen consequences of big tobacco getting a hold on the e-cigarettes market: teenagers.
An epidemic of teenage smokers was created while teens believed JUUL was simply water vapor when in reality, they were filling their bodies with nicotine.
“Reported use of vaping nicotine specifically in the 30 days prior to the survey nearly doubled among high school seniors from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9 percent in 2018.” stated the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2018 Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th and 12th graders in schools nationwide.
Episode three, Deadly Dressers, uncovers the issue surrounding creating regulations and laws in order to protect consumers from the unexpected result of buying cheap furniture.
According to the 2019 report of Product Instability or Tip-Over Injuries and Fatalities Associated with Televisions, Furniture, and Appliances from the U.S. Consumer of Product and Safety Commission (CPSC); there were 21,500 reported cases of furniture falling over that resulted in injuries.
The CPSC also stated, “Of the 556 fatalities, 459 (83 percent) were among children…”
This episode especially tugs at the heartstrings of its viewers since children are generally more affected by furniture tip-overs than any other age group.
The final episode, Recycling Sham, dives into a topic Mettler says, “no one had really gone deep on it.”
The topic being, companies mass-producing single-use plastics that lead to an abundance of pollution. China and later Malaysia started running recycling factories that would profit off of every country’s plastic.
Throughout each episode, Broken, keeps its viewers entertained and informed on an array of topics that commonly affect the public. Other reviewers have said it is the kind of series that may change the way you look at what you buy and use, and that is definitely the right sentiment.
