Responsible consumption
There’s a lot of talk about sustainability and climate change these days. It feels like a larger-than-life problem. Maybe even unsolvable. And even though it feels that way, it isn’t. Some change begins with governments and corporations, but some starts with individuals.
So what can we do, as a single individual, to help drive the change for a greener future?
Hidden Costs
The other day I was surprised by something a lady from my favourite organic shop said: customers are asking for organic, regional grown and produced goods — but as soon as they are in the store, the same people complain about the prices they have to pay for it.
Isn’t that strange?
Of course it’s frustrating to compare the costs of the organic products with conventionally grown ones — but mostly because we can’t see the real cost of the product.
To illustrate what we mean lets have a look at the real and hidden costs of a shirt. Thanks to fast fashion you can buy a basic t-shirt for around 14$. Choosing a t-shirt like this leaves you with more money in your wallet, but a product that cheap cannot possible cover costs like:
- Adequate wages
- Good working conditions
- Usage of renewable and ecological textiles
- Environment friendly dyes
Only the use of hazardous chemicals and exploitation of our planet and the factory workers makes these low prices possible. (A great documentary elaborating more on this is The True Cost, available on Netflix)
This principle of hidden costs does not only apply to fashion items, but also to our food. Is paying less money for pesticide-laden food worth it, when your health and the planet has to cover the rest?
Another example is the meat industry. One hamburger-patty, which you can get for only 1€ at McDonalds, hides the following costs from you:
- The production uses ~2.500L water, which equals 2 months of showering for the average person
- It contributes to deforestation, as animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of it
- It causes immense pollution — a farm with 2.500 dairy cows produces as much waste as a city with 411.000 people living in it.
- Inappropriate working conditions and wages for farmers, butchers and restaurant workers
The list goes on, but this video nicely summarizes the hidden costs of a burger in America:
The Power of the People
As demand for these product creates the supply, choosing what we buy has a big influence.
However, it can be extremely hard to figure out what’s sustainably produced. The best we can do is choosing based on certifying labels, like Global Organic Textile Standard.
Hopefully being more aware what we’re buying will give rise to more transparency from the companies. But it’s not an easy problem to solve.
Just remember, if it seems too cheap to be true, someone else is paying the price.
By being aware and conscious of the real price of products, we might come to the point that we’ll buy less and instead repair, trade or upcycle our current goods. A nice guide to this
is the Buyerarchy of Needs.
Every action should be based based on using what you have, and if you want something else try borrowing before swapping or thrifting it. If all else fails — buy it (sustainably)
Responsible Choices and their Effe
We’ve talked about how we as consumers influence the market, and that different items have different hidden costs. We’ve also talked about how it’s hard to figure out what those hidden costs are.
To help you out, we’ve made a list of domains where your choices matter the most
- Transportation is a crucial factor for the well-being of our planet. Take the bike instead of the car if you can. And never, ever fly. Cutting out flights is probably the most significant choice you can make for the environment.
- The effect of beef on our planet is massive. When you start minimizing your consumption of (this kind of) meat, you’re making a significant difference. You don’t have to go all vegan, just start with one day a week. You can always scale up later.
- The fashion industry is another large sinner. When you start raising your standards when buying clothes ala “buying less but better”, your actions have a dramatic impact. Buy GOTS certified clothes made out of natural materials. They’ll last longer, look better, and emit less microplastic.
- Cutting down the use of single-use-plastic is another important point where you can easily act responsible. As it takes up to 450 years to decompose a plastic bottle you can make an important difference by using reusable, sustainable alternatives — like a refillable metal bottle.
Of course, not all the adjustments might work for you — so find the ones that are easy to start with for you. Let’s do try to do what’s right — even if it isn’t always easy.
Further interesting readings:
- Consuming Responsibly: Exploring Environmentally Responsible Consumption Behaviors — Richa Agrawal & Sudhanshu Gupta
- Handbook of Research on Sustainable Consumption — Lucia A. Reisch & John Thøgersen
