We all want to change the world, but we don’t know how. We all also go shopping, because buying things is a requirement to living. So what if we could help better our world by simply tweaking the way we shop? "Saving the world" sounds like an impossible task, but if we all stick together, we can make even the impossible, possible. By making minimal changes to your shopping habits, you can help make the world a better place. Little things like what you buy and where you buy it can have a greater effect on many more people than you can imagine. Money is a powerful tool, and where you decide to spend it helps determine the state of the world we are living in today. To help make the world a better place, be conscious about your buying habits, and change them for the better.
Buy fair trade.
What even is fair trade? It seems like it’s always associated with hipsters and coffee. Well, the actual definition is “trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.” Many of the stores we shop at have been accused of having their products made in sweatshops or toxic factories. In these environments, workers are kept under terrible conditions and are hardly compensated for their work. Many of these terrible conditions include child labor. Today, 168 million children
Buy green products.
Shop for things that are eco-friendly. Green products are recycled or renewable materials that are toxic-free and non-harmful to the
Buy cruelty-free.
We all love animals. Okay, that might not be true, but we all wouldn’t wish a terrible fate on any animal when that terrible fate wasn’t even necessary. Researchers have found that animal experimentation doesn’t even work because animals do not react in the same way humans do to different chemicals. Yet still so many brands test on animals. There’s no need to explain why pouring toxic chemicals that burn the limbs of animals is a terrible thing. So next time we go shopping for our cosmetics, let’s make sure that the item we’re buying says “cruelty-free.”
We all want to change the world, but we don’t know how. We all also go shopping, because buying things is a requirement to living. So what if we could help better our world by simply tweaking the way we shop? "Saving the world" sounds like an impossible task, but if we all stick together, we can make the impossible possible. By minimal changes to your shopping habits, you can help make the world a better place. Little things like what you buy and where you buy it can have a greater effect on more people than you can imagine. Money is a powerful tool, and where you decide to spend it helps determine the state of the world we are living in today. To help make the world a better place, be conscious about your buying habits, and change them for the better.
Buy guilt-free fashion/sweatshop-free clothing.
This is very similar to buying fair trade, but this focuses more on clothing. Many companies have been criticized for the terrible environments in which they keep their workers to produce their product. But many have not. It’s all about making a conscious decision to stop supporting companies that exploit their workers, and choosing companies which have not been known for their exploitation. For example, Gap has had a bad rap about using sweatshops to produce their merchandise but ASOS has not found itself in these allegations. The department store Sears has found itself in hot water for its use of sweatshops, while Nordstrom makes sure its clothing is made on American soil.
Buy from companies that provide equal opportunity despite race, gender, ethnicity, etc.
Inequality is a common theme in many workplaces. When shopping, try to visit stores which support equality, and are adamantly fighting against inequality. For example, although women are not in as many leadership positions as men, H&M is fighting that by having women in 71% of their management positions and has a 50-50 board of directors. Meanwhile, Urban Outfitters has zero female board members.
Buy from places that support causes and give back.
Think of Always’s #LikeAGirl, or Dove’s Love Your Curls campaigns. These companies use their influence for good causes, and by buying from
Reduce, re-use, recycle.
The saying you’ve memorized since you were little. It might sound silly but when you go the extra mile when it comes to these three things, it really makes a difference. Try to make sure you are recycling a bag of recyclable material instead of just throwing it in the trash. Try to use less plastic bags at the grocery store. All of these little things can make a bigger impact and help our planet.
We all care about human and animal rights, and we all care about our planet. By simply editing our shopping habits, we can help make the world a better place!
