Why buy from sustainable businesses?

5 reasons why buying from sustainable businesses will make your life so much better.

It is always a good time to become environmentally conscious. Firstly, I want to assure you that this is beginner-level information and suggestions, so don’t worry, you won’t have to start growing all your product or solely use a bicycle for transportation, just yet.

There are different levels of commitment and habits that can go into changing what you do to benefit the environment, and it can be overwhelming. But for those looking for a place to start or a refresher, I will key you into a really easy way to change what you shop for or who you shop from. It is very important that we all begin to reflect our concern for the environment in the way we purchase. In this article, we will explain the 5 reasons why buying from a sustainable business will benefit the environment (spoiler alert: it will also benefit you!)

Why is Responsible Consumerism Important?

Consumerism can often carry a negative connotation, especially within environmentally conscious groups. Rightly so, as many industries now take into consideration the best interest of their consumers, they manage to be industry leaders with as little cost to them.

What does this mean to us? Companies are producing cheap, large quantity products at the expense of not only the environment but also the people that work for them. Now more than ever, it is difficult to not be an overconsumer, especially with free shipping platforms, an abundance of product supply and the costs getting lower from large corporations. Choosing to shop against what is convenient can be challenging. It will take more time on our part to find companies that are in the same fight to make a difference, but it will allow us to still purchase our goods without contributing to unethical business practices.

1. Contribute to a Better Earth

Let’s think about local resources for a moment. Many countries specialise and produce many natural resources that are later exported and then they receive imports from other countries' resources. Due to the different climates and the benefit, it provides to the global economy, the trade of goods like foods, oil, etc. has created more pollution from its distribution.

However, we can mitigate the problems like the one above by buying locally. Most sustainable companies, use natural resources that are also local. Many small organic farms don’t have a need for chemical fertilizers as the demand is lower, the appearance isn’t for a storefront and the preservation isn’t a necessity. So, by buying locally, you are now eliminating harmful chemicals from these fertilizers, the shipping pollution, and the health consequences to humans.

Now for those who maybe do not have access to local farms or organic markets, that’s ok! You can still do your part by ordering from companies online that have the same vision for preserving the earth by the way we get our food. A company that I always like to look to is Misfits Market. They are an online subscription box where they ship to your home organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and many pantry items that would have been wasted in store. They specialize in the informed non-GMO produce that is not to a supermarket standard in appearance but is perfectly fresh and edible. They also focus on eco-friendly packaging and providing honest sourcing to customers.

2. Healthier

As many products we find online are convenient to buy and are cheap, that’s quite what they are: CHEAP. Products we purchase online from large retailers are made and sourced internationally from countries with fewer environmental restrictions on production. Like China, many countries use harsh chemicals to produce plastics that hold our items or paints with lead which can cause serious health conditions.

Shopping from sustainable companies gives you immediate peace of mind that your products will be produced in a safer, eco-friendly fashion. Plus, most sustainable companies cite their natural resources and give you the confidence that they care about what happens to the environment and you.

3. Understanding Your Product

Today there are so many terms that are so easily thrown onto labels like green, eco-friendly, and sustainable that it is difficult to trust and understand what you are supporting when you buy. Let’s get some of the details about what companies are defining themselves as.

Green

To just be green is not as helpful to the environment as one may think. The products only need to be partially made from/with renewable resources. It can be easy to label something to be green as it describes almost anything that pertains to an environmental benefit compared to its competitors. So, the inputs are more naturally resourceful, however, the deriving of the resources by just “green companies” can be more harmful. Their practices can cause more pollution and detriment to the areas they extract from.[3] It also doesn’t put the responsibility on the effects of the product's output on the environment. The products do not have to be biodegradable or in non-plastic packaging because companies can do the least to have labelled green products, hoping to feed off the environmentally conscious consumers.

Eco-Friendly

Eco-friendly can be most easily described as something that isn’t harmful to the environment. This can either be greatly easy or difficult depending on the industry. A product manufactured from renewable resources is considered eco-friendly but still can take up a lot of energy to produce and cannot be disposed of correctly.[4]

Sustainable

This is the key term that combines the benefits of the other two terms before and some. For a company to be sustainable, they are focused on the future. It means the items or actions are generating environmental, social, and economic benefits.[5] At the same time, unlike many “green” companies, they are not using up too many resources that cause detriment to the environment. So, yes, this includes eco-friendly activities, and their products are green, but they overall care beyond just the product and business.

4. Ethical

Another major concern with doing business with companies that aren’t sustainable and forward with their practices is their ethics. Beyond just the environmental impacts, we must think about what else we are supporting by purchasing from random retailers. Labour laws and practices range per production location meaning that your 5 euro t-shirt may have been stitched by someone much younger than you, in a terrible factory, with unsafe working conditions. Not only do these sweatshops source their materials from unfavourable practices and cause pollution from global transportation, but they are also exploiting the labour of the local population.

With sustainable businesses, not only are you receiving high-quality products that you know are eco-friendly, but you can also trust in their labour practices because they tend to place a higher emphasis on the planet and people before profit? FIND LOCAL COMPANY TO MENTION AND LINK TO HERE

5. Actually Saving Money

Circling back around to the importance of responsible consumerism, we must realize that many of the large corporations produce at such high volumes with such low costs to us, so we over consume. We are offered free shipping if we purchase 35+ euros on clothing online which seems like a good deal for us because more clothing for less money is always better, right? In reality, we are purchasing much more than we need and at low quality. The clothes are not made to last, and we end up throwing them away as soon as they become hole ridden and must purchase more.

With items like this, furniture, clothing, etc. it is better to spend the money upfront. In the price, we must see the benefit of purchasing from a sustainable business isn’t just for the environment, but you are also receiving a better product. Long term, you will be saving more money because you will have exactly what you need and not more. If you are unable to invest in the higher-priced items right now, again, that’s ok! Thrift stores and flea markets can be a great way to recycle those items that have already lasted so long. It is better to continue to use the old than support an environmentally destructive new.

Congrats! You have successfully completed the next step in making the place we all can call home better. With these 5 points to keep in mind, it makes it easier for you to take a second glance at who you are purchasing from. Globalization and online access, it has made it much easier to get comfortable with thoughtless consumerism. But now, you can use the internet to find sustainable companies or more resources to fine-tune your new environmentally conscious self. Plus, you are on the uptrend of a world of people becoming more aware and changing their habits. With “96% of people feel[ing] their own actions, such as donating, recycling, or buying ethically, can make a difference,”[7] you too can contribute to a generation of good for the planet. So, become a part of a trend that is way more worth the effort than bangs ever was and accomplish the feeling of making a difference.