Like us, you’ve probably heard the word ‘sustainable’ chucked around like biodegradable confetti at a millennial wedding. (No shade on biodegradable confetti, you get what we mean…)
Despite having heard this word a million times, you’re probably a little hazy on the exact meaning and so are we. Because… drum roll please… you are supposed to be. You read that right. We are ALL confused about what sustainable really means. It’s been slapped on every marketing campaign, a word that’s been stretched to mean so much that it really doesn’t mean anything at all. Sure, it’s comforting to see ‘sustainable’ on a tag, it momentarily relieves us of some of the guilt we have had so purposefully piled onto us empathetic consumers (let’s come back to this in a bit), but it is often no more than an overused term that’s long been stripped of it’s impact (like the word ‘awesome’ or ‘amazing’… but that’s a topic for another day).
So let’s simplify things here, and accept that ‘sustainable’ is, in essence, unattainable, and not all that appealing anyway.
Let’s talk ‘SHOPPING BETTER.’
Let’s talk about our purchases being driven by a commitment to decisions that have positive social, economic, and environmental impact. Let’s talk about backing the businesses who take this impact seriously, who try their damn hardest to create quality, lasting products while investing in the environment around them, building into their local communities and economies and reducing their footprint. This is the real stuff.
So how do we spot ‘the real stuff’ when everything we see is so carefully crafted and neatly wrapped in a perfect little marketing package designed to draw us right in? Well, we get clued up… we learn which questions to ask… we take small, practical steps in a good direction. (Before you start firing shots like Greta Thurnburg in a room of 50 something year old CEO’s and accuse me of not being drastic enough in my approach to shopping better, may I remind you that we must first learn to walk before we can run.)
Perhaps we are the same and you (like me) are still finding your feet in these emotionally charged and profit motivated waters. (If you already know exactly what you are doing, have vowed never to buy plastic again, and resigned yourself to a lifetime of thrifted clothing, riding your bike come rain or shine to the newest niche vegan establishment, and saying things like ‘this band sounds so much better on vinyl’ … well then, by all means fire your shots, you know you want to ;)
As I said previously, we are going to simplify things, because we all know this can become a heated arena, and what better way to simplify than with a list? Sounds simple enough. And it is (kind of).
1. Buy less
I watched Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things on Netflix a while back. Impressed and inspired, I resolved immediately to become a minimalist. I wasn’t sure how exactly, because as with so many ideals out there, there was no practical guide. After 10:30 pm one can be quite easily convinced (I don’t know what it is, but the late hours make it easy to believe that the morning will bring a disciplined diet into practice, or the start of a new gym routine). Yet it seems that when the sun rises, it saps one’s conviction and replaces it with an ‘I’ll begin tomorrow’. Well, my new found resolve held firm until a little past lunch (at least a few hours after sunrise), the following day when I checked out my Superbalist cart. I was once again, firmly in the camp of ‘consumer’, and, on the whole, pretty chuffed with my purchases.
My failure was disheartening, would I always contribute to the scourge of consumerism? The documentary served not to convince me that less is more, but rather I came away thinking ‘none is more’. And who can survive off ‘none’? It was too daunting, failure was inevitable and I gave up before I even began. With so many inspiring people, films, or movements, we as the onlookers often feel the standard is unattainable, and ask if our small part could even make a difference? Well, I’ve now adopted a different, more sustainable approach, if you will. I am not expecting to reverse climate change by showing up at my local Nude store, glass jars in hand, ready to stock up on chickpeas and mung beans, forever turning my back on the comfort of a Woolworths aisle… I’m just choosing to Buy Less, more often. Small, practical steps, remember?
2. Shop local
This is easier said than done, and for good reason. Let’s not pretend that there aren’t a few hoops to jump through here but I promise, the hoops are worth jumping because the grass on the other side is pretty darn green! (Speaking of green, how do you feel about ‘greenwashing’? How do you feel about being guilted, manipulated, and down right lied to for your buck? It just ain’t right. Keep that in mind, because we aren’t getting on the guilt train here, sure guilt is an effective motivator, but that puts one in victim territory, so let’s steer clear of that type of manipulation and instead talk of all the great reasons to buy locally… to get you excited, not guilty.)
So let’s get back to those ‘hoops’ I mentioned…
Less variety and higher prices. I know, because I have those thoughts too, but it’s not quite what it seems. On first thought, we may assume shopping local means we don’t get the same choice as we do walking through the doors of an austerely lit H&M, with some doof doof music playing, and anxiety-inducing change rooms that make me think that cellulite cream may just be worth the waste of money. But (as with many ‘first thoughts’) upon reflection, it isn’t really like that – the variety is out there, and it’s worth any extra time it may take to find exactly what you’re looking for.
It needn’t take any extra time if you simply use Shopfox, but this isn’t an ad, we are talking as friends (but as your friend, I’d recommend Shopfox ;).
Instead of guilting you with threats of your latest Zara haul having supported the child labour industry in Bangladesh (because who knows what really goes down), I’ll tell you about how your local purchase may be supporting the guy in the coffee queue in front of you, or the woman across the street who has always dreamed of being a ceramicist but never believed anyone would buy her pieces (she’s damn good by the way).
That’s the reality of shopping local, it’s quite literally close to home.
You have the power to actually make a difference, something we all want to do and often don’t know how. But this makes a difference right in our backyard, we get to create jobs, we get to build our communities, to back our own. I see the mum with a little one on her back that I drive past every day and think, ‘I am not doing enough to help’, but I also don’t always know how to help. If we are going to spend, if we are going to make the purchase anyway, why don’t we do it where it has the ability to change lives right here, where the supply chain is made up of people just like you and me, who are giving it their best go. There are so many (and I can’t stress this enough), creatives, entrepreneurs, real go-getters who have done all the things and, instead of sinking cash into the abyss, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our own economy.
Your local buy has a snowball effect, it becomes so much more than just the individual ‘buy’ when we see the big picture and really consider what we can bring to the table. Then shopping local isn’t a duty, it’s not something motivated by guilt, it is exciting. It’s a flipping privilege.
3. Break it down
This point is pretty much self explanatory and needs little elaboration but still deserves to be included. Sometimes breaking things down into bite sized chunks just makes things so much clearer, and when we are being accosted with skewed information and there’s an agenda around every corner, just waiting to pounce, it is important to break it down (we are simplifying, remember).
When you’re deciding which purchase to make, and are unsure of which is the better shopping option, these are some good questions to ask yourself:
- Which one will last me the longest? (Quality is king. Quantity? that’s so last year).
- Which one has the most transparent supply chain, am I willing to support that supply chain?
- Which item will give me the most use, the most often? Yay, for transeasonal clothing!
- Which one has the potential to do less damage to the environment? Hmmmm, this is a little more contentious, and we will probably have a much longer conversation about this in the future. But for now, use your pip (my father has always said this instead of ‘brain’, and I think it has a rather nice ring to it, don’t you?).
Examples of questions to ask when you’re using your pip:
- Is this packaging hella plasticy or more of the papery nature?
- Is this recycled? Can I recycle it after use?
- Are these natural fibres or synthetic?
- Is this the most ‘natural’ version of this product I can find?
I know we have spoken about rather a chunk here, and I hope that I haven’t done a Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things on the crowd 😉 I hope that shopping better seems doable and not just intimidating… and, more than that, I hope shopping better excites you.
I hope that guilt isn’t going to factor into your buying choices, and that you know you’re equipped to make a call without needing some label of approval slapped onto a product to direct you.
I hope you know that ‘sustainable’ is more of a myth than anything else and that the part you play does make a difference.
I hope you feel empowered, because in a system that seems too big for one person’s choices to really make an impact, you should know that when you buy, you’re using your voice, after all, money talks.
And we all know it’s easy to talk a big game, but when it comes down to it, we have to be willing to put our money where our mouths are.
xx
