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What is Conscious Consumerism: Making Ethical Choices for a Brighter Future

Every time we make a purchase, we make a decision that affects more than just ourselves. Our consumer choices have a ripple effect that can ultimately impact the environment, workers, and the overall economy.

No wonder more and more people are becoming aware of their role as consumers and the power they hold over businesses. This growing trend is commonly known as conscious consumerism.

In this blog post, we will delve into what conscious consumerism means and how it works. We’ll also highlight some of the ways you can become a more responsible consumer and the benefits it offers.

Conscious consumerism is a movement that encourages individuals to make informed choices when purchasing goods and services. These choices take into account the environmental, social, ethical, and even political impact of the products they buy.

benefits of conscious consumerism graphic

These responsible consumers typically prefer products that are sustainably produced, have a positive impact on society, and have reduced carbon footprint.

In order to become a more ethical consumer, it’s important to identify your values and find businesses that align with those. For me it’s supporting small businesses that are doing good, have transparent supply chains, and consider their environmental impact.

6 Benefits of Conscious Consumerism

These are a few of the benefit conscious consumerism has!

Support Small & Local Businesses

By choosing to be a conscious consumer, you can use your spending power to support small and local businesses. This can help your local economy by helping to create jobs, encouraging small businesses to expand, and reinvesting money back into local communities.

I love supporting small businesses! A fun way I like to do this is by attending local craft fairs and farmers markets. It’s a great opportunity to build relationships with local makers, crafters, farmers, and entrepreneurs.

woman shopping at small business boutique

By building these relationships it makes my purchases that much more meaningful!

Social Responsibility

While large companies often use the term Corporate Social Responsibility and have some official statement, small businesses can have it ingrained in their practices. Social responsibility is about making decisions that take into account other people, the planet, and sometimes giving back.

A lot of times we see this in the materials used to make a product, wages paid to employees, carbon footprint, compostable packaging, or donating a portion of profits to a non-profit.

By using conscious spending choices to support these businesses making responsible choices, we’re able to make a statement with where we spend our money.

Valuing What You Have

One of the benefits of being a conscious consumer is learning how to appreciate what you have. Since I purchase with my values in mind now, I buy less stuff. Since I’m buying less I’ve learned to value what I have more. This is so important.

woman reusing containers to store food

We’ve recently see the underconsumption core social media trend gain popularity. This highlights people using what they have and getting creative with upcycling, reusing, and other sustainable practices.

With the rise of fast fashion and mass produced goods, we often see people viewing items as disposable. However, underconsumption encourages people to use what they have for the entire lifecycle of the item. This is a wonderful practice to live more sustainably. It can also save you money!

Higher Quality of Goods

Typically small and socially responsible businesses take price in the materials used to make their products since they’re not mass producing disposable goods. This can result in a higher quality of goods. I know that since I became a conscious consumer, a lot of the items I purchase last longer.

woman looking at closet

Sustainability

Conscious consumerism promotes sustainability on multiple levels.

When we are mindful of what we’re buying, we’re probably going to be purchasing less. This means we can lower our own individual carbon footprint.

On another level by supporting businesses who choose to use sustainable materials and are conscious of their overall environmental impact, this makes an impact too!

woman with sustainable products

The more big companies see us supporting smaller brands with sustainable practices, the more pressure they will feel to make responsible decisions too. *hopefully*

Supports Ethical Practices

Another benefit of conscious consumerism is that it supports ethical businesses. Businesses that operate ethically are committed to following fair labor practices and protecting human rights.

Conscious consumers support these businesses by choosing to buy from them, which in turn, allows the business to grow and thrive while maintaining its ethical standards.

As consumers, we have the power to shape the global economy and influence social change. Adopting conscious consumerism is one way we can make a positive impact.

By being mindful of the products we buy and the companies we support, we can help create a sustainable, ethical, and equitable world, both for ourselves and for future generations. That’s a pretty powerful thing!

BENEFIT OF CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM
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