Through our everyday choices and purchases, we encourage companies to make products and provide services that make our lives easier. Until recently, I would define myself as one of those people who just consume. Although I have a few extra pairs of shoes and clothes sitting in the closet, I have never gone to extremes. In fact, I am currently learning how to adapt to a world where everything is available and it doesn't take much effort to get it. So taking a more minimalist approach in everything I do is one solution to dealing with modern consumerism, limiting the choices I make.
But how would such a decision of mine affect companies that have multiple customers and markets to sell their goods to? Although this practice of mine sounds like I am alone in this transformation process, the truth is that more and more people are striving for a more conscious and sustainable way of life, where they have access to clean air and nature and opportunities for development of your skills. For this group of people, concern for the environment is paramount, and so the choices they make are related to how products are produced, what the carbon and water footprint of their production is, and what resources are used to produce a product. Others focus on the economic aspect, how to make business more sustainable and better for people and the planet. The latter group represents people like me who put people at the center.
Our choices and actions
Lately, I've been taking more conscious actions to become more adaptive and resilient for the future. I also make smarter choices about my purchases that extend beyond the aromatic coffee I drink each morning or the piece of chocolate I enjoy in the afternoon. I wonder how many lives are affected by these choices of mine? But until now, I have always believed that my choices support the economy, create jobs and thus contribute to the improvement of people's living standards.
My naive view has changed and today I ask myself: "How many vulnerable people were involved in the production of my fragrant cup of coffee and delicious chocolate?" I will hardly stop enjoying the things I love, but I definitely feel a greater power like consumer and I will be more proactive in seeking answers to the manufacturing processes and how my choices today ensure that there is no exploitation and discrimination of vulnerable people in the supply chain.
More and more often I find people like me who share my philosophy of "less is more" and apply the principles of "reducing choice". Whether consumer rights are part of human rights is a topic that requires further analysis. The bottom line is that through our choices today and exercising our rights as customers, we have the power to contribute to positive change and responsible business behavior that is focused on caring for the planet and respecting people.