How to Make Effective Ethical Decisions
Hello everyone!
Today I want to cover something that resonates with all of us! Reminding and educating ourselves how to connect with our own values when shopping is a great way to feel and look good.
So let’s break this down for you in a smooth way. Thanks to research conducted by the department of finance at the University of California of San Diego I was able to put great content together for you to easily process.
How to make effective and ethical decisions when shopping:
Ethical decisions generate and sustain trust; demonstrate respect, responsibility, fairness and caring; and are consistent with good citizenship. (See image at bottom)
Effective decisions are effective if they advance our purposes. The goal is to avoid unintended purchases that don’t match up with our desired results. The key to making effective decisions is to consider the choices in terms of their ability to accomplish our most important goals and align with our values. In order to determine our most important goals we most understand the difference between short and long term goals.
When I shop nice and trendy clothes, I stop and think about Making The Best Ethical Decision. In order to do that, I follow these steps:
Clarify goals! Before you choose your garment think: is it a short-term or long lasting piece? The goal is to make the most ethical decision possible in considering the product’s life cycle. This will help you decide if the product is worth the cost. If you chose the lower priced short term item you ultimately buying into the throw away culture. Ever heard of the saying, every time you spend a dollar you are casting a vote for the type of world you want? Once this ‘new purchase’ because somewhat ‘old’ it will be tossed into the bottom drawer, or to the bottom of your closet. Eventually this short-term product will land in the landfills, releasing harmful gases. However if you purchase the long-lasting product you can most likely resell the product to a second-hand shop, or even other people using apps such as Poshmark. You can also donate or recycle these products since their quality is higher than the short-life cycle product. The more ethical decision would be to purchase the long-lasting item.
Determine facts! Look for garments that match your values and find transparency within your brand. For example: Where is their supply chain located? In each garment label it shows where the product was produced. China? India? Turkey? Having transparency should alleviate the investment you are making by knowing their production source.
Develop options! There are so many fashion forward eco-friendly brands and designers, that even the big corporate fast fashion giant H&M is trying to come forward with a new sustainable and eco-friendly business model. H&M is the only fast fashion retail, taking real action after what happened in Bangladesh in 2013. So if you have old clothes you don't use anymore, bring those bags of garments to your nearest H&M store and they will take it off your hands in exchange for 20% off discount on your next H&M purchase (this promotion runs until May 31, 2017).
Consider consequences! Many consumers don’t account for the impact their purchasing power has. Purchasing from brands that use heavily dyed textiles, or unethical practices is financing an unethical, unsustainable model, and is contributing to the problem.
Choose the right brand! Demand transparency from the brands. Ask where are their products made, who are made by and what are they made out of? If the answers can't be found it most likely means that there is an unethical supply chain. Choosing the right brand and buying eco-friendly textiles has a positive impact on the environment, where as buying heavily dyed textiles leaves a negative impact on the environment. Buying from brands that support ethical sourcing production can have a big positive social impact. Think sustainable and chose wisely!
Monitor! Always make sure your favorite brand is true to their standard by demanding transparency. After all, if the company has nothing to hide they should not have a problem with sharing information, such as where they textiles are sourced and produced. For example: I used to buy A LOT from ZARA must see, but I realized that Zara is one of THE BIGGEST supporters of modern slavery in 2016, as well Walmart, GAP, and many others that include children under age slavery. Zara tried to cover their actions by signing a contract with the Greenpeace movement for Toxic Free garments in order to be considered a "green" clothing line, but they still cannot call themselves an ethical brand when they are creating a much bigger problem in our global society and not taking action to address the issues they are causing. At the end of the day the consumers have the power to demand transparency and change.
Hopefully this post can help you make better choices towards your shopping decisions and will bring more transparency to your fashion lifestyle. Check out the cool chart I made just for you!
The goal is to see transparency with ethical standards from the fashion industry and the world. Thank you for being part of the fashion revolution!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Alejandra Carrero
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