Be A Better Human By Practicing Conscious Consumerism
By: Klarrisa Arafa
Tags: Climate Action, Culture, Environment, Activism, Fashion

Who loves fashion? Raise your hand! The ability to give yourself a make-over and let your personality shine like a Broadway star is pure magic. Also, I won’t lie to you; I find retail therapy very effective. So, I won’t pretend the sustainability issue surrounding fashion and consumerism is black and white. It’s not. Consumers expressing themselves at the expense of others; however, is worrisome. The World desperately needs us to be socially responsible and correct the systems we live by.

That we can easily ignore our impact on others is an abuse of privilege.

Let’s be candid; sometimes it’s difficult to make the right choice. To add to the predicament, it’s not always easy to know what the right choice is. So this list gives you 5 ways you can challenge the internalized messages that influence your habits. Okay, I think we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and begin practicing conscious consumerism.

1. Learn How Capitalism Changes The Way Businesses Operate

Some defining features of a Capitalist:

Wanting to maximize profits.

They historically have ignored the social consequences of their business structure.

Capitalists may not be afraid to consider greenwashing if it will earn their customers’ loyalty.

Capitalists depend on us being avid consumers. Capitalism has birthed the controversial theory of Capitalistic Consumerism.

Capitalistic Consumerism appeals to the questionable ethics of mass-marketing techniques. The business objectives of a capitalistic brand are said to utilize deliberate and coordinated manipulation of consumer demand. Brands are fueling our need for instant gratification.

Big budgets for branding, advertising, and Influencer budgets all illuminate how crucial it is for a brand’s survival that you continuously shop. 70% of the United States GDP in 2017 was based on household consumption.

Our economy perseveres on our faith that can achieve fulfillment with our next buy.

The American Department store is ground zero for Capitalistic Consumerism. The ‘Captains of Industry’ or business leaders of the 19th century maximized profits by honing in on what makes shoppers tick.

These Captains of Industry would change the way we thought about shopping forever. Why we shop was longer about satisfying our needs, and instead, our ‘why’ became ‘I want.’ And what drives our desires can quickly be overpowered with effective marketing.

2. It Will Help To Learn What Consumerism Means

Consumerism is a concept that attempts to explain what motivates our shopping behaviors in the 21st century. It shines a light on how the market uses psychology to increase the consumption of goods and services.

Consumerism leads customers to believe their fulfillment is conditional to their ability to obtain material possessions.

Fulfillment is a sticky area. It’s not wrong to want to feel satisfied. However, attaching your wellbeing to material possession will probably bring you suffering (as the Buddha puts it.) But Buddha doesn’t say the desire for wealth is bad, but in fact, that wealth can allow you to do good for others.

In the essay, Capitalism, And Consumerism Of Society, UKEssays argues that the birth of big-industry has made social responsibility an after-thought.

We’re more concerned with maintaining our material possessions than social welfare.

Photo by Flora Westbrook from Pexels

To be a part of the solution, you’ll shockingly have to get personal.

Challenging internalized messages you have about your self-worth and individuality can effectively alter the way you spend. And yes, a person’s self-worth and the welfare of the planet are uniquely linked by consumerism psychology. “The gauge of self-worth is always buying power.” — UK Essays, Capitalism, And Consumerism Of Society

3. Use Consumerism To Support Those In Need

You can do good by shopping. Some companies are structured to support those in need. When you shop with these brands, you’re supporting artisans or helping to alleviate poverty.

Not all consumerism is bad.

Want to know more about brands who do good? These two resources are indispensable to find out who the real change-makers are in the fashion industry and beyond:

Certified B Corporation

3,522 companies around the world are Certified B Corporation approved. Businesses that adhere to the standards of bcorporation.net means they have legally accepted responsibility for all aspects of their business and supply-chain. B Corp aims to “balance purpose and profit.”

My favorite B Corp Brands? Patagonia Works and Ben & Jerry’s for the win.

Open Secrets

This resource is indispensable for individuals who want to dig deeper into the connections between money, politics, and business. (*Cough* Cough* aspiring investigative journalists)

Here’s their mission statement: “OUR MISSION is to produce and disseminate peerless data and analysis on money in politics to inform and engage Americans, champion transparency, and expose disproportionate or undue influence on public policy.” — Open Secrets

4. Help Spread The Word About Brands That Do Good

Word-of-mouth marketing creates around $6 trillion of annual revenue for brands. It is one of the most effective ways to grow an audience. And you are even more effective than an influencer with 10k + followers. Why? Because people trust you more than someone who is paid to say good things.

Let me reassure you that it is entirely within your immediate capability to become an influencer for good. Even if you share an inspiring story with only three people, any one of them may share it. A chain of recommendations can erupt from your short but honest review.

5. Think Twice Before Making A Convenience Buy

When we place comfort above social responsibility, it hurts everyone, even you. To change the world, we have to change the way we think about shopping. Everyone on this planet is interconnected, everyone has the power to affect the person next to them and thus the world. What’s convenient for you isn’t always convenient for the person who made it or the landfill it ends up in. And it comes full circle; we’re all playing a part in global warming.

Always pause before you make an impulse buy.