We live in a society where we’re encouraged to buy all the ‘stuff’ – to wear the clothes that are in fashion that season, to own the latest versions of all the tech, to fill our houses with things we’re led to believe will enhance our lives. It’s worth stopping to consider how much these things genuinely add to your quality of life. We are all persuaded by those clever marketing people to buy things that we really don’t need and to part with our hard earned money without stopping to think about how important ‘the thing’ is. Do you ask yourself – would you actually be ok without it?
If you know you really do need to buy a product, please be aware there’s a better option for everything you buy. When you stop to think about what it’s taken to produce every single item in your home, it’s quite an eye opener. Everything in existence has required materials to be produced – either natural materials from the Earth or material created by humans. It’s then been manufactured, which uses energy, then packaged – and then transported to whatever part of the world it’s due to be sold in. Placing more value on the items in our home – and looking after them so they last as long as possible is a great mindset to have as this results in you having to replace things as often – reducing waste and saving your money. In the UK alone, we produce 222 million tons of waste annually – which all has to go somewhere. Any reduction in that figure benefits us all as less landfill and incineration results in cleaner air.
Here’s a helpful guide on how to ‘buy better’ –
PRELOVED
If you’ve decided that you really do need to purchase something, it’s highly likely there’s a preloved version available. There are so many places to easily source something Preloved, whether it’s Ebay, Vinted, local Buy and Sell Facebook groups or your local charity shops. And they sell a lot more than just clothes. Doing something that’s better for the planet that also saves you money is a real win win. This website contains links to some gorgeous small charities that sell lovely gifts. https://www.charityexcellence.co.uk/online-charity-christmas-presents/
RECONDITIONED
Technology has a huge impact on our planets resources. As well as requiring extraction of metals and minerals through destructive practices, there are serious ethical issues around the use of child labour and unfair pay, as well as poor working conditions. The carbon emissions produced by the tech industry is equivalent to aviation – and growing year on year. Then there’s the e-waste issue. Bearing in mind all the stages required for producing our devices, to then only use a phone or a tablet for a year or two is simply not sustainable by our planet.
And where does it all go? Around 55 million tons of e-waste is created globally every year – another figure that’s increasing all the time. Buying a reconditioned device is another way of saving yourself money and reducing your impact on this planet. Ask yourself how badly you need the very latest version of something – or whether you’d actually prefer to have a few extra pounds in your pocket by buying reconditioned.
I recommend https://www.backmarket.co.uk/ for reconditioned tech as they’re transparent about the condition and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee as well as a 1 year warranty. You can also part exchange your existing tech, which also helps to reduce e-waste!
ETHICAL BUSINESSES
There are many many businesses that focus on selling products that have been created in fairer circumstances, that pay a fair wage, that use sustainably sourced materials and that give back to communities that aren’t as well off as we are. Looking out for a business with a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy is an option, but potentially quite time consuming to find. There are other ways of identifying businesses dedicated to more ethical practices. One of my favourite places to research a business is https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ as it’s a real time saver, they’ve done all the research for you.
And there are accreditations to check for – in particular B Corp which means a business has been rigorously vetted for ethical, social and envrionmental practices. Their prominent B Corp logo is easy to spot on product labels and a businesses website. https://bcorporation.uk/
Looking out for businesses that give back to communities and charities will also guarantee your money is in safe hands. Initiatives such as 1% for the Planer allows business to share their profits for good causes so is a good indicator of better ethics. https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/
Then simply looking out for logos on a label that shows it’s vegan, organic or cruelty free is another simple way to check you’re buying better.
SMALL BUSINESSES
I’m a big fan of supporting small UK businesses. Not only does this mean the transportation of goods has less carbon emissions, as a general rule, smaller businesses have a smaller carbon footprint. They’re less likely to be powering huge warehouses and using massive fleets for transportation. It’s also more likely you’ll get a higher level of customer service as your business is so much more important to them. I’d much prefer to spend my money with a business that’s likely to remember my name. How many small independent businesses are there on your local high street that could probably do with your support right now?
Remember that reducing your consumerism is better for your bank balance and puts less pressure on our planets resources. In 2024, we marked Earth Overshoot day on August 1st. This is the day when we have used up all the natural resources that the planet can sustainably provide for that year. We hit that mark in just 7 months. It’s just not sustainable, so starting with our shopping habits and looking for those better options is a simple place to start.