What to consider before buying ANYTHING?
There is no way to stress out how important this one is-
Do I really need this?
The simplest, most efficient way to minimize our negative footprint is to buy less. Whatever you purchase used up energy and resources to be created. It required water, electricity, materials, and often packaging and shipping. One day, it will need to be disposed of, creating waste and possibly requiring shipping or transportation again. Not less importantly, it will take up room in your home and maybe even in your heart or thoughts, depending on how much attachment you will have to whatever you choose to buy (check out my Marie Kondo process to realize just how much energy can be in stuff). And it will always require you to spend more money than when not buying anything.
When buying ultimately any item, there are so many factors to consider, making not buying the easiest way to avoid “bad” choices. And it is a pretty valid one, one that we tend to neglect. We all have more than we need. And there is definitely more than enough in the market that can be reused by buying second hand or swapping with friends, family, or your community. Or even simply borrowing or renting things you’ll only need for a short period of time or a few uses.
Check out some online fashion options.
But what should ask yourself to make your next purchase as kind as possible?
Who made what I’m about to buy?
Every item that is made, anywhere in the world, required someone to make it. This question has many sub-questions, but the idea is simple; who do I wish to support, and who am I keen on protecting?
There are many companies out there worth supporting. Companies that do their best to deliver quality long-lasting products which enable you to buy them less frequently. Brands that choose to support positive causes through different methods. Planting trees for every purchase, donating a sum of money to a cause or organization they believe in, or giving away their products to those in need. Each brand can make a huge difference by choosing eco-friendly manufacturing, packaging, and shipping. And every company should be accountable for their workers, their health, safety, and ability to live in dignity. It’s a complicated subject because it is far from being transparent, but different certifications state just how fair the brand is to its employees. There are a few thumbs rules to help you determine their likely effect;
More than 150 million children worldwide are victims of child labour, with nearly half forced to work in hazardous, unhealthy conditions that could result in death or injury.
Products locally made in western countries usually require companies to hold higher standards, and impossibly low pricing usually requires an impossibly low manufacturing cost. This leads to the next question you should ask yourself;
What is the true cost of what I buy?
We all want nice things at affordable prices. And we all often feel things are overpriced for branding or factors we should not be paying for. But the truth is that many things are underpriced, creating products at impossible costs to meet the market’s demand. And the profit of a brand is hardly where the cut is made to meet that desired price. Workers already receiving low salaries and no social rights will receive an even lower salary and worse living conditions to allow that T-shirt you are buying for 5$ to leave a profit still. The materials will be synthetic and cheap, creating a huge toll on the environment and the people working with them. Those processes are highly toxic, and we already established these workers’ lives are undervalued, to say the least.
So what does that mean? If something is suspiciously cheap, there was probably a high cost paid along the way, by someone less fortunate than you, and quite likely by this planet. The only one we have to live in. at least for now.
What materials are used?
Natural materials require the use of natural resources, some of which are scarce. But natural materials are made by nature, and they can go back to nature. Synthetic materials, such as plastic and polyester, will take hundreds of years to decompose. And they will emit toxins in that process, the same way they do in manufacturing. Plastic has been a blessing allowing for a major shift in our world, but it comes with a heavy price. Some things do not have an alternative at the moment, such as computers and pills. But we have the ability to choose smarter and kinder in many other fields.
These three major questions are obviously tightly linked. The price is determined by the production cost, meaning but not limited to materials and labor. We can choose cheap products and buy higher quantities of them, but we must understand the inevitable costs linked to that cheap price tag.
For years the fast, cheap industries have led us to believe that we need way more than we do. We are constantly bombarded by images of bloggers changing outfits three times a day and influencers receiving a new phone or blender every time a new feature is introduced. But not only do we not need that, but there is also no way for that level of consumption to be good for the environment, including the people in the process.
