When it comes to shopping, making responsible choices is all about considering the potential impact of any products that we choose. It’s about weighing up the potential harm to ourselves or others, as well as the environmental impact of any products that we choose to buy.
Shopping ethically can be tricky but with a bit of effort and research, you can start taking smaller steps towards being a more responsible shopper. The world will benefit from the positive impact that your new shopping choices will make and you can enjoy the feeling of knowing that you are trying to fix a problem rather than contributing to it. Here are our top tips to help you get started.
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Start small
Trust us, shopping ethically can be extremely confusing. It requires a lot of research to find out what you can about a company or a product before you can make a decision about whether it matches up with your ethical values.
You might even find instances where a company meets up with your values in regards to one ethical dilemma but fails when it comes to another issue. The world has a lot of problems to contend with and it is difficult to try and fix them all in one go. Our suggestion is to start small.
Decide which issue matters most to you and then research the best way to shop in response to that problem. For instance, if stopping animal cruelty is something that you feel passionate about, work on finding the best products that do not partake in animal testing or use animal products in any way. There are many cruelty-free brands out there for you to try.
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Support brands that do good things
One of the key things that we should do if we are aiming to shop more responsibly is to support brands that are working towards making the world a better place. Many brands out there, for instance, are recognising that for many customers a purchase is about much more than the product.
They understand that many customers want to make a positive impact and so they will offer to do things such as donate goods to a charity or plant more trees. Where you can always reward these types of initiatives. it will serve to encourage more and more brands to get on board with offering more when it comes to positive and ethical solutions.
Also, look for brands that are open about their commitments towards ethical issues. Debenhams, for instance, is great when it comes to animal cruelty, having made a commitment not to sell animal furs and to ensure that their products are cruelty-free. They are also great on sustainability, in 2018 alone they diverted 97% of their waste away from landfill.
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Plan your purchases
Many of us fall into the trap of shopping emotionally. We buy things as and when we think we need them, rather than planning our purchases. Allowing emotions to take over puts us at risk of buying the wrong things ethically because we are purchasing what is there rather than choosing the right product. It’s not only that emotional shopping that puts you at risk of choosing the wrong things, you also need to start to be more proactive with your shopping.
Don’t wait until you need something, because at this stage you will end up having to go with whatever is available, rather than the product which is the best ethically. Start to think about what you will need ahead of time and anticipate your purchases so that you can give yourself the time and space you need to make the right choice.
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