The Power of Your Pound
With Christmas looming, Associate Caroline Hickson (April 2015) looks at how you can remain social AND festive.
Consumerism gets a bad name — especially around this time of year. To some degree (alright, largely), this is justified. It’s hard to look at footage of people fighting over cut-price TVs and conclude that humanity is getting better. And admittedly, it’s also sobering to think about the amount of new stuff we buy each Christmas — and in fact all year round — and its impact on people and planet.
But actually being a consumer can be a force for good. In a world where it is easy to feel a tiny insignificant speck amongst 7 billion other specks, where we choose to spend — or not spend — our money is powerful. In the UK, the latest poll from YouGov estimates we will spend nearly £22bn on Christmas this year, or £796 per household.
Choosing to “Buy Social” (i.e. from a social enterprise) this Christmas is a great way to use your hard-earned cash to support positive change in the world. Buying some fragrant hand lotion from On Purpose placement The Soap Co. helps to support employment for disabled and blind people, while drinking a Two Fingers Beer supports Prostate Cancer UK. With the social enterprise market growing, it’s getting easier each year to support businesses that reinvest into social causes (for more ideas, see http://www.buysocialchristmas.org.uk, Charity Bank’s Alternative Christmas guide, Nesta’s Christmas List 2015 or Joanna Hamer’s Alternative Black Friday List).
Even if you can’t buy from a social enterprise, there’s a growing market of ethical, organic and FairTrade goods out there where your money will go to paying workers a living wage in an environmentally sustainable and healthy environment — and isn’t that already some positive social change? The recent introduction of B-Corps into the UK, a certification for companies wishing to benefit society as well as their shareholders, should also help consumers to make more socially responsible choices.
I’m not going to lie — I’m sure some of these products will cost more than high street brands like Primark. However, not only are they better quality, but arguably we should just be buying less (but better) anyway. Buying socially or ethically, while undoubtedly what we should be aspiring to, does not absolve us of the need to ask: Do I need it? How long will I use it for? What happens when I’m finished with it? (and more practically, can I afford it?)
A more radical decision is not to buy any presents at all. Think about the presents you normally buy — how many of these are unnecessary, given merely as a sort of exchange amongst friends? Moneysaving guru Martin Lewis actually found when he proposed a gift embargo back in 2009, readers embraced the concept rather than calling him a Scrooge. While this is a noble ambition, I have to admit I do enjoy buying thoughtful gifts for my friends and family, with various Secret Santa schemes keeping the overall number of presents to a minimum.
Whatever you decide to do this Christmas, just remember your pound has power and thinking mindfully about how you spend it could benefit both society, and your own wellbeing. Christmas is a time to spend with others, after all, not just a time to spend.
