What Does it Mean to Shop Ethically?

When it comes to today’s consumer culture, one thing is for certain: it is no longer the 1950’s. Consumers are demanding much more from their companies than what they used to. One of the newest concepts in this day and age would be the idea of shopping ethically. Basically, this means that consumers are looking to buy products from companies that specialize in items that are “traceable” and “sustainable.” In a nutshell, consumers are realizing that their purchasing power can literally change the world and force companies to care about more than just their bottom line. Today’s consumers are making these companies realize that they had better care about their issues, or they will not be getting any business from them. Here are some more details about this new type of shopping culture:

Sustainability

First of all, shopping ethically means looking for products that are sustainable. This means that what you are buying is fully concerned with the resources that have been utilized to produce that product. Moreover, these products should have been made with the idea of the life cycle in mind and how it might affect climate change. According to doTERRA, consumers (especially millennials) are demanding more and more to buy products from companies that are not only socially responsible but truly produce sustainable products, traceable products. So, it is becoming much more than just having a catchy CSR program as a company. Simply put, people are becoming more aware of these issues.

Traceability

Something that goes hand-in-hand with sustainability would be traceability. Of course, ask someone in decades past what they thought “traceability” meant and they would probably immediately tell you that it has a lot to do with product recalls. While this is still partly true, today it means quite a bit more than that. It also means that more companies today will be able to tell where a product’s raw materials, packaging and ingredients came from. It also can tell you about a product’s supply chain, with information coming from sensors, bar codes, and batch numbers. According to Ourz, this creates enhanced product visibility for more efficient supply chain management. This is a great way to tell a consumer where a product came from, how it got to the shelf, what is in it and how it should be properly disposed of.

Buying Things Online

Another way to shop ethically and thereby reduce your “carbon footprint” would be to purchase items online as much as possible. This is especially true for the garment industry, simply because we might go to 3 brick-and-mortar stores before we actually purchase an outline. When we purchase products online, we are reducing our impact on the environment.

In conclusion, it is up to us to do our part in shopping ethically. This not only means being good to the environment, but it also means avoiding companies that are not very good at social causes. Keep all of these things in mind, and you are well on your way to shopping ethically.