Photo by Artem Beliaikin from Pexels
When buying any item, whether it is electronics, clothing, or food, there can be a lot of options to choose from, which are both great and at the same time overwhelming. If you have these options, it becomes harder to pick just any item because you feel like the risk of making the wrong choice is higher. It can help if you have certain values that guide your purchases, and which consequently make it easier to inform your choice. One such guide can be ethics, and if you wish to learn more about if and potentially how you can become an ethical consumer, then you have come to the right place.
When it is difficult, where do you start?
Firstly, it is important to acknowledge that consuming ethically is not exactly straightforward, and there are many aspects to consider. While a lack of transparency from the company’s side can make it difficult for you as a consumer to understand how their products are produced and whether they align with your values, the fact that you are thinking about ethics in the first place before buying an item is a step in the right direction. While it is impossible to get it right, there are certain things you can think about before buying an item.
Guidelines
There are several aspects that you can use to guide your purchases. For instance, you might want to consider where your item was produced, what the material is made of, whether the working conditions were fair, and if the workers were paid enough. The type of material of your clothing is both important in regard to its environmental impact during production, in addition to its maintenance. As such, synthetic fabrics are estimated to release tiny plastic particles into the water, thereby contributing to overall pollution.
If you know that the country you are living in has good labor laws, then opting to purchase locally manufactured items can be another aspect of consuming ethically. Choosing an ethical t-shirt supplier over a regular retailer is consequently a conscious choice that you can make if you aim to consume more ethically.
Watching out for established quality trademarks is also an important indicator of ethical production, whether it is clothing or even food. Furthermore, when you are buying food, research some of the established and trademarked standards and keep an eye out for them while doing your groceries.
Acknowledge what you can do
Becoming an ethical consumer is indeed complicated due to the many facets behind the products available and limited ability to check every step in the supply chain and materials used, so it can be a bit frustrating. However, you should also recognize some good in what you are doing. If you start to consider ethics in your purchases gradually, you can approach the situation one step at a time. Most changes do not occur all at once. Allowing yourself to educate your values and understanding of the products you consume can already be beneficial. It can start by choosing an ethically and locally produced t-shirt over a retail item of a similar price and further pave the way for more similar choices like it, both through your own habits and by setting an example for others.
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