Steps to becoming a more conscious consumer

People like Lord Browne, Paul Polman, Fred Kofman and the team running this years Meaning Conference, are driving us to wonder why and how business can be more conscious in their behaviour, more meaningful, and more responsible for contributing to a better society.

But before we can demand this of business, shouldn’t we also demand it from ourselves? And if so, how?

1. Take responsibility: we don’t need to wait for business to decide to improve society, consumers can also take responsibility for making better decisions. Nothing persuades business to change quicker than a decrease in demand and sales, after all.
2. Take action: I’m going to start with myself and take a look at how I can be more conscious in my own purchasing behaviour. After all I’m sure there are plenty of areas where I might support badly behaved brands by buying from them, or where I prioritise low price or brand image over impact on the world. So I’ve set myself the challenge of trying to become a more conscious consumer over the coming year by changing my shopping habits in one category each month for the better.
3. Be realistic: As I want to do this in a way that is actually achievable for the average person, and to make this new behaviour a habit that can be incorporated into anyones existing lifestyle, there need to be some ground rules:

• Don’t pay excessive amounts for information, anyone should be able to do this.
• Don’t start spending 10 times more on a product than I used to. As much as I want to reduce my negative impact on the world, the practical realities of day to day budgeting remain.
• Find products that are easy to purchase, e.g. can they be bought on the high street, or online easily?

And finally, take it one step at a time: I’m starting with Amazon this month and will keep you updated…