5 Ways to be a Conscious Consumer
Every day, we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, the climate and other species. More and more people today are addressing social issues in their dialogue as they realize how interdependent the two ecosystems of humanity and the environment are. Making a conscious choice before producing or consuming anything gets us one step closer to thinking about how we are contributing to the planet – negatively or positively. Here are a few ways you can make your purchase patterns greener!
1. Support Brands with a Focus on Sustainability
Opt for cruelty-free and environmentally responsible brands. Look for items that aren’t tested on animals. It seems like a small effort, but showing your support by standing up against animal cruelty can end it for good. You just need to know which labels to look for and there are a lot more options than you might think. A small step like this will make a big difference to the animals involved.
2. Choose Reusable Packaging
Seed paper eco packaging is a zero-waste solution for products that require traditional paper packaging. The paper used in the packaging is biodegradable in nature that is made with post-consumer materials and embedded with seeds. As and when the paper is planted in a pot of soil, the seeds grow and the paper composts away. All that is left behind is flowers, herbs or vegetables, and no waste. When you use seed paper packaging, you are really giving something back to the Earth. Brands like MAYU incorporate this special eco – friendly paper into their packaging and contribute towards giving something back to the environment.
3. Repair, Don’t Replace
A little wear and tear doesn’t mean your clothes are bound to be in the trash can. Transforming your clothes into something unique works more rather than discarding or recycling them. Not only do you reduce the amount of waste you produce but also you reduce the amount of money on replacing items. Make sure to keep your products circulating and recycle or upcycle them when you really can’t fix it.
4. Join the Slow Movement
Beware of fast fashion business models that are known to be key contributors to the pollution of our planet and the abuse of garment workers. Choose quality over quantity by buying fewer products that are made to last. Question the brands as to what are they doing to tackle climate change. Most fast fashion garments are made with inexpensive, petroleum-based fibres that don’t easily decompose taking up landfill space for decades. Don’t let your choices exploit workers or our land. Be a responsible consumer.
5. Look for Companies that Give Back
When making your buying decisions, try to look for products made by companies that give back to the society and the planet. TOMS is a great example of this – when you buy a pair of shoes or sunglasses, TOMS is committed to giving a pair of shoes to the needy and to contribute to the visually impaired. At MAYU, we are also committed to giving 1% of our profits to environmental and social causes. Stay tuned to checkout our second ‘Social good’ drive for this year just ahead of World Environment Day on June 6th.
Be a part of the change, start small and you will be rewarded in so many ways that you will be well on your way to making big changes! Remember, being a conscious consumer is all about ecology, economy and equity.
#MAYUreads: As always, here’s our recommended book this month — How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum! It talks about how we can all change the world, one plastic bottle at a time!