By Ashley V.
I know we are all tired from the election. We have been told repeatedly how important it is to vote – and it absolutely is – but that is not where our power ends. Sure, we cast our votes for who we want in political power, but we are casting votes with our dollars every day. When you decide to purchase something, you are giving that business your hard-earned dollars. You have cast a vote for that company, saying, “I support you and what you are doing.”
However, brands do not advertise their misgivings. For example, Amazon does not tell you how dangerous their warehouses have become. Every year, one out of every 10 workers suffers an injury at work that is so severe the average injured worker is forced to miss 6.5 weeks of work, and in a number of cases this caused the employee to become homeless, unable to work or be without income.1 The constant relentless pace is so stressful in some Amazon facilities that employees experience mental health crises.1
What about companies like Nike, H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Victoria Secret? Did you know that they have been caught burning their clothing items that didn’t sell?2 These companies did not want to discount their unsold items because that would lower their prestige, so instead they burned perfectly good items. How is that sustainable or fair to the planet and the workers who created those items?2
How about Coca-Cola? It is the number one producer of plastic waste on our planet, using 3 million tons of plastic annually.3 This plastic ends up in our water ways, destroying our oceans, and harming innocent wildlife. Coca-Cola want us to assume the responsibility for recycling when they are the ones creating this plastic in the first place. Nice try, Coca-Cola, you are not fooling anyone.
Bought any Tyson Foods products lately? Did you know that they are the second-largest meat processor and second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the global food industry?3 This makes them one of the largest single sources of greenhouse gas emissions on our planet.3
These facts are never widely advertised because then we wouldn’t support them. It is up to us to uncover the truth because these companies are certainly not going to tell us themselves.
Every purchase you make, you are casting a vote saying you support that business’s actions whether or not you agree with their social, environmental, and ethical practices.
So what does this mean for us? It means we need to slow down and give more thought to our purchases. Here are some questions to think about the next time you go shopping…
Do I really need this item? When I’m done with it, where will it end up? The landfill, compost bin, can I donate it?
Can I buy this item locally and support a local business instead of a large corporation?
Did this item have to be shipped overseas? Can I find it somewhere closer?
Who made this item? Were they paid a decent wage to make it?
What kind of environmental impact did this item have? How is the company working to make this item more sustainable?
Is the business transparent about their supply chains, and how was the item made?
By slowing down and taking the time to research and ask ourselves these questions, we become more informed and aware of what stores, companies, and corporations are doing to their employees and the environment.
By being more aware and thinking about these questions, you become a conscious consumer who casts votes for products and companies that align with your values. I know this seems daunting and time consuming, but overtime it will get easier as you find brands that you love and want to support. Start small and do what you can because every dollar invested into sustainable and ethical practices makes a difference. By choosing to support companies that align with your values, you will be casting votes for the future you want to see.
We (the consumer) hold more power than we realize. Instead of waiting for companies to tell us what we want, let’s make our voices heard and tell them what we want.
Actionable Tip:
Slow down your shopping process. Take the time to look at the company you are supporting. Look to see if they are taking any sustainable or ethical action, if they are, they will proudly display it on their website. If you cannot seem to find the information then they are probably hiding it because they don’t want you to know. Be more aware as you shop and let’s all become a little more sustainable.
Be sure to check out our recommendations for sustainable and ethical companies in our Sustainable Spotlight section!
Resources:
1- Packaging Pain: Workplace Injuries in Amazon’s Empire
2- Why fashion brands destroy billions’ worth of their own merchandise every year
3- Coca-Cola, Pepsi highlight the 20 corporations producing the most ocean pollution
Sustainable Saplings 
Are artificial Christmas trees or real trees better for the environment?
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Great question! Simply put, real Christmas trees are better for the environment than artificial ones. I know that may sound counter-intuitive but artificial trees are made from un-recyclable materials and most are shipped from overseas, creating a hefty carbon footprint. Artificial trees can not be easily disposed of at the end of their life and they wind up taking space in a landfill, taking a very long time to breakdown – if ever. However, supporting local tree farms means a smaller carbon footprint as it is traveling a much smaller distance, and it helps support small tree farm businesses. It is their job to create and maintain healthy forests for the success of their business and we need those healthy forests to pull carbon back out of our atmosphere. Plus, at the end of its life it can easily return back to nature and biodegrade, restoring nutrients back into the environment. Just be sure to not send your real tree to a landfill, this negates the nutrients going back into the environment. Hope this was helpful!
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