About a year and a half ago, I made a decision to become a conscious consumer. What exactly does that mean? It might mean something different to everyone, so I can only speak for myself. For me, it meant asking myself these questions before I actually purchased something:
- What am I buying? Do I actually need this?
- Who makes the products I am buying?
- What is this product made of?
- Is this brand doing anything to help others?
I have never been a shopaholic, but I am definitely guilty of indulging in retail therapy and emotional buying every now and then. Don’t get me wrong… I think it’s perfectly fine to buy something you want. I realized I had too much stuff. Did I need this stuff? Usually not.
This got me thinking. It prompted me to start thinking more critically about all the stuff in my life. I knew that I wanted to live more intentionally. But, in order to do that, I knew I needed to understand my WHYs. Only by being clear on my WHYs would I be able to commit to being a long-term conscious consumer. So… without further ado… here are my reasons for being a conscious consumer.
Advocate For The Environment
This is a biggie. It’s the one everyone talks about. Unless you live under a rock, I’m going to assume you have at least some inkling of how our consumption impacts the environment. From plastic to fast fashion to deforestation to toxicity in our food, cosmetics, cleaning products, the environment is the big loser.
For me, all it takes is a photo of sea turtle trying to eat a plastic bag or a landfill full of unwanted clothing to convince me that we need to start taking better care of our planet. Our desire for cheap convenience and material status override the health of the planet we live on. We choose cheap and excessive over sustainable and minimal. We forget that all that stuff has to go somewhere. Landfills are full of items that will literally be there forever. There are millions of tons of plastic floating around in the ocean. We neglect the fact that deforestation caused by product demand leads to poverty.
I know that I cannot even come close to doing justice to this issue. But I believe that simply being aware of a single purchase’s long-term impact is a great start. I believe that small changes can make a big difference. We have a lot of work to do to clean up our planet.
Support the People Who Make the Products
Yes, there are actual people making the products you buy. They do not just show up on store shelves. To put it into perspective, there are approximately 40 million garment workers in the developing world today. They are mostly women with few, if any, rights and are not paid even close to a living wage. There would be outrage if this happened in the US. But for some reason, we seem perfectly fine with allowing it to happen in other countries, as long as we are the beneficiaries of cheap goods. It’s very much out of sight, out of mind. We aren’t outraged because we don’t see it. Thankfully, more and more people are raising awareness of this problem.
Many industries use child labor because guess what? It’s cheap! And we love cheap goods, don’t we? But would you still want it if you knew a child made it? There is something truly unsettling about a business that thinks it is OK to use child labor. When we choose to buy from such businesses, are we not complicit in allowing that practice to continue? We have been conditioned to look for a good value, but I am willing to pay more to know that the individual who made the products was paid and treated fairly.
Own Less Stuff
I seriously have too much stuff in my life. I’m not a packrat and have purged large amount of things many, many times. Yet, I still manage to accumulate more. When I started down the conscious consumer road, I had to ask myself “Do you really need this? Like REALLY need this?” The answer was almost always a resounding NO. There is something truly freeing about not having too much stuff.
I feel like clothing is one category we all tend to overdo. Granted, I understand that not everyone will embrace the capsule wardrobe idea. I personally love it. I love not having to actually think to hard about what to wear everyday. Instead of buying cheaper fast fashion items, I bought a few higher quality pieces made in small batches by workers who are treated and paid fairly. Does each individual piece cost more? Usually. However, I also found that these pieces are well-loved, well-worn, and well worth the price. And on those special occasions when my fairly basic wardrobe won’t cut it, I turn to services like Rent the Runway that allow me to be a fashionista for a few days. Then I return the items and no clutter!
The Win-Win: Helping Good Causes
This one might be pretty unique to me, but I love finding brands that help the planet and those living on it. It’s what I like to call “social good retail”. It’s where my capitalist brain and my socialist heart come colliding together. Recently, I’ve noticed more brands committed to giving back to the planet and those living on it. We often like to vilify the evil corporation that only cares about the bottom line. But what if companies were able to make a profit AND give back to causes that help others? That’s a win-win in my book.
I go out of my way to try to support such companies. It’s the reason I started this website. Perhaps I am overly idealistic, but I believe it is not just possible, but perhaps even necessary, to be a for-profit brand that gives something back to the world. As consumers, we all want to see our dollar stretched a little farther. As citizens of the world, most of us I dare say, want to contribute something and serve others. Social good companies help us bridge that divide.
For myself, trying to become a conscious consumer has become an wonderfully inspiring endeavor. I am encouraged to find so many brands that are producing amazing products and giving back. I fully acknowledge that my road to conscious consumption is a work in progress. But as I mentioned before, I truly believe that small changes can make a big difference.
To find Social Good brands, check out Shop Social Good’s Directory!