As consumers, we need to be making intelligent, responsible and ethical choices in our daily lives. Companies depend entirely on their customers' goodwill; if you and a few thousand other people let a company know that you think their attitude is rubbish then, if they have any sense, they'll change it. The same goes for supporting companies that you believe are doing good- they'll keep it up.
An increasing interest in ethical produce companies have begun to successfully capitalise on the green market by launching new product lines. Unfortunately, a few token 'green' gestures & 'natural' ingredients invariably mask their usual unsustainable practices & chemical cocktails.
Supermarkets
80% of the British grocery market is controlled by supermarkets. Supermarkets wield dis-proportionate buying power which they use to secure low prices and exclusive deals at the expense of producers & smaller retailers. By buying in small independent shops, co-ops, or in local markets you are helping the local economy and keeping money in the community rather than with big multinationals. Buying from local producers and shops is also often cheaper and is definitely more environmentally friendly.
Animal testing
This is a serious issue, with companies continually competing with each other to find new products, that aren't really much different to all the others on the shelves. Check to see if it has been tested on animals & if alternatives exist. If not then maybe write to them and ask why.
Guides
Ethical consumers - www.ethicalconsumer.org –
comprehensive boycott list if you are interested in wrongdoers, and ethiscore's – www.ethiscore.org – research comparing brands
LUU also has a list of goods/ organisations banned from the union and companies/ organisations not banned but frowned upon.
- Do you really need:
those new shoes, that new mobile phone or yet another pair of jeans?
- Can you fix it?
Repairing items can be cheap AND you get to use your imagination…
- Second-hand
- Freecycle Leeds – a free, local version of e-bay (and virtual version of a swapshop) to subscribe freecycleleeds-subscribe
yahoogroups [dot] com Or www.groups.yahoo.com/group/freecycleleeds
- Swapshops – bring what you don’t need and take what you do need. Browse the one in the Peanut Gallery SC in LUU or set up your own!
- Charity shops and Jumble Sales You’d be shocked what students throw out after term finishes
- Freecycle Leeds – a free, local version of e-bay (and virtual version of a swapshop) to subscribe freecycleleeds-subscribe
- Buy items from a socially and environmentally responsible source.
Choose local independent businesses and co-ops (see map on pg. 16) over supermarkets. And try to buy things that last.
Second-hand
Buying second-hand can help charities and you can even make friends with your neighbours by getting (or giving) useful things, see Flow-chart. There is no place for a bargain like a car boot sale
Some ethical brands:
Chocolate: Plamil and Traidcraft (Plamil specialising in tasty vegan & sugarfree chocolate!)
Tea and Coffee: Zapatista, Equal Exchange, Traidcraft, Clipper, Essentials
Make-up: Beauty Without Cruel
Clothing: Ptree, No Sweat Apparel, GossyPlum, Antiform, Shoes: Vegetarian Shoes
Fairtrade
Whilst Fairtrade certification is undoubtedly benefiting many growers and producers, it is important to still be aware of the issues. Traditionally Fairtrade was only ethical but it is not questioning if it should be ‘green’ also., see
www.newint.org/features/2006/11/01/fairtrade/
Fairtrade in Leeds
Leeds was awarded the status of Fairtrade City in March 2004 after an increasing number of shops and other outlets began to stock Fairtrade goods. For more information see www.fairtradeleeds.org. For more information about Fairtrade and the Foundation check out www.fairtrade.org.uk. Also look out for events and stalls around the University and Leeds during Fairtrade Fortnight which is the 1st-14th of March every year.
Links
• [[http://www.leeds.ac.uk/about/environmental/fairtrade.ht|Leeds Fairtrade University]]
• [[http://www.maketradefair.com|Oxfam]]
• [[http://www.tjm.org.uk|The Trade Justice Movement]]
• [[http://www.newint.org/features/2006/11/01|Ethical shopping from the New Internationalist]]