In a world that’s noisier than ever, how do we make sure our voices get heard? How do we get anyone to do anything about what is important to us? Could conscious consumerism hold the key?
Throughout our lives, we’ve donated, volunteered, laced up our shoes and marched; we’ve voted to support the issues we care about. However, we seldom are encouraged to be conscious and intentional about the ways in which we shop, or to investigate the brands we support every day, even though shopping is one of the simplest and most effective agents for change we have today.
Business runs the world; it impacts nearly every facet of our lives. We work, we shop, we depend on businesses to keep our world running. Businesses also influence regulations, policies, and elections by participating in the political process.
The thing is, all of their power comes from us—the customers. If we want the causes we care about to be heard we can join together and let businesses know where we stand, and what matters to us the most.
This starts by engaging in conscious consumption and consumerism — by becoming acutely aware and conscious about our consumption habits and understanding the power that our collective buying decisions have. Then, we need to turn that awareness into action.
In the last decade, especially in our pervasive digital world, companies have become increasingly quick to react in the face of conscious consumerism. We have all seen Coca-Cola, Uber, H&M, and Nike take dramatic actions in response to the voices of their consumers. Meanwhile, conscious consumption has amplified the success of companies like Tom’s Shoes and Patagonia because their social impact missions have resonated with consumers.
Companies are listening — and now is the time for us to join together and speak up.
By taking the time to educate ourselves and consciously choose to support companies that act consistent with our beliefs, we can be heard and accelerate the impact we want to make.
Here at Consciously, we’ve created a tool that does the hard part — finding out where companies stand on causes that we all care about. Seventy-nine percent of Americans shop online every month. Our easy-to-use browser extension can help you navigate the market to find brands that best align with your values. No more questions, no more guesswork. It’s all right here for you, one click away.
Now, it’s up to you. The next time you’re about to click the ‘purchase’ button, take the time to ask yourself — is this a product or company I really want to vote for?
In a time where many of us are eager to see more opportunities around causes we care about conscious consumerism offers us an effective way to be heard, to have real collective power — and to use it — one purchase at a time.
Ready to shop consciously? Install the browser extension now.
