BE A GOOD PERSON.

That’s what the companies ask. It’s a good order, for sure, and I’m so glad we’re at a point as a society where businesses can begin to gently pressure consumers to act responsibly.

But acting responsibly also means ensuring that such companies are guiding us in the best possible directions. This is where we can rely on the effective altruism movement. It calls us, essentially, to become “good people” by engaging in actions that definitely create good rather than those that merely sound right. It suggests that we look at the true consequences of our good actions.

Unfortunately, it’s extremely easy for businesses to use our strong desire to “be the good guy” to promote the wrong cause. This is not always their fault, but it’s important that we educate ourselves as consumers if we truly value altruism.

One glaring example of this is “greenwashing” marketing schemes. One large way this has been accomplished is through certain companies’ suggestion that consumers go green by going digital rather than using paper. The problem here is that if paper is obtained from managed forests, it does not contribute to deforestation. In fact, if we use (sustainably sourced) paper, we provide more of a market for those who do manage forest farms, which encourages them to continue rather than opening up the market to less sustainable options.

But this can be taken another step further. Sometimes we are made to feel good about ourselves for changing our actions around one specific product when a massive issue remains largely ignored. For example, many make-up companies remind us frequently that they use natural products. But what if you can’t afford the often more-expensive sustainably sourced make-up brands? Well, activism pushing for regulatory policies is probably significantly more effective than buying a different brand as a single consumer.

Finally, some companies’ “good” works are actively creating problems. For example, some companies send items to other countries to communities with a need. However, these items may end up taking away from a local business and serve only to exacerbate issues the community must face. This is not sustainable altruism.

So our job as consumers is not to simply trust what looks like a “good work.” To be effectively moral people, we are called instead to work for a truly good result. Morality has never been passive, and even when companies offer to simplify the process, this must remain the case. It’s our job to determine how to best be a good person.