BalanceJulyIssue17 - 32

Work /Life

YOUR GUIDE T O

CONSCIOUS
CONSUMERISM
You're desperate to do the right thing with your money,
but it's increasingly hard to figure out how. To help,
here's our discerning 360° manual for all your needs
words by
LO UISE D O NOVA N

rom an anxiety-inducing
number of Fairtrade
coffees to expensive
organic cereals, one
glance around your
supermarket tells you
all you need to know: social responsibility
sells. And while Whole Food's costly peanut
butter might induce a solid eye roll, ethical
shopping isn't simply confined to the walls

F

of your local any more. Increasing awareness
around issues such as human rights, equal
pay and sustainable development, to name
a few, has led to a rise in what is known as
conscious consumerism.
There's a movement of people seeking
out ways to make positive decisions about
what to buy; they've got money to spend,
but they sure-as-hell want to know where
that money is going.
Jukka Aminoff, author of Buying
Revolution, explains: 'The digital world has
boosted our consciousness, and everyone
has a voice. If the working conditions of a
brand are terrible, we're going to a) be much
more aware of it and b) have the power to
effortlessly spread the word.

32

1

FASHION

'Conscious buying' has significantly affected change
in the world of fast-fashion - namely, shops which
offer low-priced, usually low-quality products while
also producing huge amounts of waste. This has put
real, tangible pressure on brands to become more
environmentally sustainable.
A good example is H&M: the Swedish retailer had
stated it will use material from entirely recyclable,
renewable or sustainable sources. But here's the rub:
it has launched ethical fashion ranges, sure, but was
also recently in the news for 'turning a blind eye'
to toxic factories in which its clothes are made. So,
yeah, ethical shopping is even more complicated and
difficult than you might think. But there are ways.
The production processes of smaller, locallysourced brands tend to be more transparent.
SZ Blockprints founder Sarah Zellweger, for example,
works with local artisan block printers in Jaipur to
create one-off printed dresses and scarves. Profits
help educate and empower girls and women in India.
From SeaSalt, which manufactures its clothes
locally in Guernsey, to leather shoe company Beyond
Skin lowering its carbon footprint by using local
factories in Spain, this is more than simply a fad.

BALANCE July 2017

The low costs
and disposable
nature of high
street fashion
means much of
it is destined
for incinerators
or landfill sites.
The UK alone
throws away
1 million tonnes
of clothing
every year.
(Waste Online)



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceJulyIssue17

BalanceJulyIssue17 - 1
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