What do we need in order to be responsible consumers? suppose for an instant that everyone understood the importance of responsible consumption and we all decided to start consuming in a way that didn't damage the environment and respected workers' rights At that moment we are going to come up against three big problems The first is when we go to the supermarket The products on the shelves don't have enough social or environmental information for us to know if with our purchase we are contributing to the contamination or destruction of the natural resources or violating workers' rights To put it bluntly, we don't know what we are buying The second problem is that the products which today ARE considered responsible, like fair trade products or ecological or organic products, ARE NEITHER ENOUGH NOR EASY TO OBTAIN for most people. The third issue is that the sustainable products which we have today tend to be more expensive.
DO YOU HAVE TO BE RICH TO BE A RESPOSIBLE CONSUMER No, it's our right! ! We should all have the possibility to consume products which don't damage the environment and which respect workers' rights.
For this to happen, we need major changes from all the segments of our society Governments, Companies and Citizens! ! !
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! ! We need to swap the rules of the game for ones that defend and promote sustainability.
It's not enough with just an individual change or by 'buying green' So, what do we need to do in order to be responsible consumers? Clean and responsible production from businesses. Education in every school about responsible consumption and sustainability.
Civic participation in organizations that defend the environment and workers' rights. Buying only what we need, prioritizing local products. Rejecting planned obsolescence and demanding products that last and are sustainable.
Information from companies detailing the ecological footprints of all the products that they sell. We need government politicians that both defend and give incentives to sustainable production.
