Being an ethical consumer

 
Women sewing in sweatshop

Recently I have come to think about my impact as a consumer.  This has been brought to my attention by a couple of books I have been reading.  These were not books I deliberately picked out on the subject, so this topic has rather come out of the blue.  (Or maybe I was being lead...)

We live rather complacent lives in the modern Western world.  We have a huge range of goods available for us to consume and on the whole we do so because ....everyone else does!  Sometimes when you start to think about how these products have made their way to you it can be a little, well, frightening.  I don't mean to upset people here, but did you know that many of those cheap clothes from China or India are cheap because of child labour, forced labour of political prisoners or just plain exploitation of the poor?  Or that cheap meat is the product of intensive factory farming which results in physically and mentally sick livestock?

This is not to suggest you never again buy something from China or India, or enjoy a burger!  However, I think we need to be a little more aware of the consumer power we have and think about where most of our spending is going.  Here are some thoughts:

1. Buy organic meat; animal welfare is taken more seriously, as is the general quality of the meat.  Humans may have the right to eat meat; they don't have the right to torture millions of animals to produce a substandard product and damage the ecosystem at the same time.  If you can't afford organic then at least have one day a week when you don't eat meat or make one change, for example stop eating battery farmed eggs.
2. Think twice before buying anything surprisingly cheap.  Either it's rubbish or whoever made it has been exploited.  Primark and Walmart both sell goods made in sweatshops.
3. Buy local products and go to small independent shops before they all disappear.
4. Don't run to the doctor whenever you are sick and demand drugs.  Investigate natural cures and plenty of rest.  Leave the big guns for when you really need them.
5. Go for products with the Fairtrade icon which gives a guarantee that producers in the third world have not been exploited.
6. Use cosmetics which have the minimum or no chemicals, and which have not been tested on animals (look for the bunny logo).
7. Consider buying less!  Do you really need it?  If you see something you really want, consider having "time out" to test just how keen you really are.  
8. Don't use plastic bags unless the supermarket recycles them; they don't decompose.  When you go shopping, take a cloth bag.
9. Don't support companies who use unethical marketing.  Really, what is more immoral than modern advertising when you really think about it?  The classic examples is Nestle who promote their formula baby milk over breast milk in developing countries, causing a number of unnecessary health issues.   How about advertising during children's programmes on TV for sugar or salt filled snacks with no nutritional value?  And how often is sexual innuendo used to promote a product?  
10. Have a look at the consumer boycotts list to see which companies or countries are being targeted for unethical practices.  You may or may not agree with some of these boycotts, but I for one will not be eating Kentucky Fried Chicken again. 
11. Support a charity such as Christian Aid who work to raise the profile of workers' rights in developing nations.

Comments

[e-Mom]

I like your attitude Buffy. You've raised some very good points. Certainly there is much to learn about the ethical practices employed by Asian manufacturers. Many jobs have been lost due to global competition, and some economists predict that the U.S. "middle class" will disappear as a result... yet another negative consequence of foreign manufacturing.

We avoid visits to the doctor whenever possible, by first investigating natural remedies--and living healthfully to begin with. We've saved bundles!

Thanks for giving me pause... ღ

[Susan]

Apparently battery eggs are being phased out in the UK - I can't remember the time scale but I think it's within the next couple of years.

The problem I have with clothes is that it seems like expensive clothing is just as liekly to be made in sweat shops as the cheap stuff.