Is your green heart beating? If you listen carefully, you will hear it.
It is time to take advantage of our power as consumers. That power is huge and crucial for a faster transition to a more sustainable society.
Sustainability. The word on everyone’s lips. Now when the effects of climate change are so obvious, it’s becoming increasingly clear that our planet, we as humans and the precious animals are paying a way too high a price. By opting out and choosing with a green heart — ethically and sustainably — you as a consumer can be involved and influence faster changes towards a more sustainable society with fair wages, climate-smart processes where economic values are not the only thing that governs where great care is taken to protect wild-life. It’s time to take back control of your money and not be lured into unsustainable consumption where individual interests make huge gains at the expense of us all.
We must see the connections and create the right conditions for sustainable trade and production. Trade is basically something very good that gives people the opportunity to earn their living. But we must steer towards seeing connections, thinking ethically and sustainably and the time when only financial interests are a measure of success is long gone. It’s time to take advantage of your consumer power, “aka” your wallet, and let your values and actions become one. You have been kidnapped by companies driven by economic interests where the planet, with all its magical creatures, and your well-being is not included in the calculation.
On Monday, November 29, 2021, the report “How the Fashion Industry is Linked to Amazon Rainforest Destruction” was released. Stand Earth, which is a grassroot movement founded in 2000 with a focus on protecting sensitive forest and land areas, has analyzed almost 500,000 lines of customs data and found that fashion companies such as Prada Group H&M ZARA SA adidas Nike and Fendi etc, have several links to the Brazilian leather exporter, JBS , whose activities contribute to deforestation. Tragic and horrific on so many levels.
Image credit Rhett A. Butler — Amazon Rain Forest
Source; Nowhere to Hide: How the Fashion Industry is Linked to Amazon Rainforest Destruction.
By the way, did you know that over 30% of all the food produced is thrown away? Wasted. It’s an extremely upsetting thought that all these animals are mass-produced and then discarded of? All that land was destroyed for no good. Yes, it is horrific, and it is painful just to have to write these lines. It’s of course a very complex chain and research projects have been made by, among others, EAT, The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health — EAT Knowledge , which is valuable to read. The conclusion of these reports and research remains the same. We throw away just over 30% of the food produced. How is it related to the fashion industry and animal leather? The forests in the Amazon are being cleared to make room for grazing animals and food production for those animals such as soybeans! Only a few percent of the world’s soybean production turns into food for humans. The rest goes to feed these cows that are now wandering in the former rainforest. Their skins then become leather. It is when you start to see how incredibly abused and destroyed our entire habitual system and economy is that you feel very, very sad. And then we have the indigues people living in these lands, what ever happened to them? Nothing good. The land belongs to them.
It is also in these equations that many of our young people develop strong climate anxiety and mental illness which is further exacerbated by the constant quest against very unhealthy ideals in, for example, social media. Earlier in October last year, we were able to follow the whistleblower, Frances Haugen, a former product manager on Facebook, testify before a panel in the Senate Commerce Committee in the US where she described research she said showed that the company (Meta) prioritized profits while spreading division, undermining democracy and damaging the the mental health of the youngest users, especially young women. Haugen shared Facebook’s (Meta) internal studies with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Wall Street Journal.
Source: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/whistle-blower-decries-facebook-s-free-pass-for-bad-behavior-1.1661953
So, black numbers on the bottom line and quarterly reporting with VC companies whipping on — governs us. Is this really the kind of society we want? It feels like we have painted ourselves into a corner and here it’s crowded, it’s not possible to breathe and we sink slowly but surely. Hopelessness sets in. We must now all forcefully get out of here, much faster than it normally takes to change behaviors. Meaning, you dear conscious consumer plays an important role.
Now, some encouraging facts and movements. We can change this. In fact, it’s as simple as stopping buying unethical and unsustainable products. Unfollow. Opt-out. Shake off your and our’ kidnappers’ grips on your wallet. See them as vermin. Parasites. Take back control of your brain. All of our actions online, and even in physical stores, become someone’s data. That data is then used to feed algorithms that chase us into an endless consumption loop. We simply have to stop and take a big step out of this loop. The more of us who choose a more sustainable and ethical way forward, the faster this development will go. Together we can force change faster.
We see that on several levels, development is actually going in the right direction. New trends and behaviors are beginning to take shape.
We have looked at the following trends in more sustainable consumerism:
New innovative materials see the light of day such as Pinatex — an alternative type of leather from pineapples. Also applewaste, corn and mushroom are great examples of new innovative ways of making leather fabric used for clothes, shoes, accessories and more. Plastic waste is becoming a new material such as SEAQUAL® YARN and ECONYL® mainly used for active wear such as swimwear. Cellulosa from ethically farmed woods is taking a bigger part in raw material productions such as Tencel. Look for certifications. Many times these materials are produced on leftover residues making the circular approach even stronger.
Leather from cactus & new innoavtive ethically produced materilas
**Upcycling, recycling and Made to Order. **This is a strong trend in several different industries and also in fashion. Residues and old textiles become new products and it’s of course a great environmental benefit — as very few resources are used for the products that are manufactured — in comparison with a product made of completely new materials and from scratch. As an example, we can mention the Spanish company InfinitDenim, which makes Denim collections from recycled jeans. Customers hand in old jeans then they are turned into new Denim collections in different shapes and forms. Several liters of water and emissions of environmental toxins and slave labor in the cotton production, never happen in this circular production chain. In addition to the environmental benefits, InfinitDenim also works with ethical principles such as diversity and inclusion, which adds another dimension of sustainability to this brand. Also, a very good price point.
Gone is collection fashion
We also see that many more sustainable fashion brands have completely abandoned collectible fashion. News every week will feel as stupid as smoking or eating red meat from a cow. The sustainable fashion houses work with the circular and sustainable in all “touchpoints”. Of course, what is produced should also maintain a high degree of fashion, but the “Buy less, choose well & make it last” attitude dominates. It’s even so that the production of the garment takes place after the purchase has been completed. All to reduce unnecessary overproduction at all levels, so-called **Made to Order. **The new luxury will be the exclusivity — the collections are small and the waste fabric used is an endless resource. No mass production and speed is not a factor. We can wait. For this we want to wait.
Foodtech is booming like never before. Meat is 3D printed , insect protein sees the light of day on a large scale and there are many innovations. It’s of course incredibly exciting and clearly there are many good enthusiasts who work hard to change the very broken food system. And, bare in mind, in 2050 we have to produce 50 % more food than we are doing today.
Circular production processes with recycled material that become new products
We see many fantastic initiatives where already produced material becomes a completely new product. Swedish Reused & Remade is a very good example of this. They make shopping bags, hair bands and cotton pads from sheets and towels that have already lived a life in hotels. At Reused & Remade, they take on a new form and enable a more ethical and sustainable alternative for you as a consumer. Disposable items in particular contribute extremely negatively to environmental degradation and the fact that by 2050 we will have more plastic than life in our oceans. Heartbreaking.
Preloved is booming!
No purchase can ever be as sustainable as buying a preloved piece. Today there are many great initiatives like Swedish re-adventure and Squid Stockholm. Sellpy really deserves a shout-out.
There are numerous great initiatives that enable us to be more conscious consumers. Dear consumer, you need to find them. Support them with conscious actions. We really have the power in our hands. Our decisions matter. We need to learn what things actually cost. And what price we will ultimately have to pay. Buy less, choose well and make it last as Vivienne Westwood said.
Here are our tips on how to become a more enlightened and conscious consumer.
Only shop when you really need to
Use platforms and contexts where you get help to choose more sustainable and ethical products developed by brands that are driven by their values. Looking for them can otherwise be hard and greenwashing is a fact
Reuse. Regift.
Say no to dairy and protein of animal origin. But! Just because it’s vegan, it does not have to be good. Read the list of ingredients, choose locally and certified. Natural foods with few ingredients.
Buy Second Hand.
Change into something new for yourself! There are many good apps that facilitate this. Also you can rent and borrow clothes, accessories and shoes.
Phase out the plastic and disposable packaging from your life — at least your bathroom. There are lots of nice brands where plastic is completely removed
Choose locally grown food and eat in season. Buy organic as often as you can.
Remove all social media that does not give you inner happiness
Nurture your soul, your heart and your brain.
Athurs Note April 2022 —
The thirld world war is on our doorstep. Also here the obvious fact shows the connection between unsustainble business and power hungry evil creatures and it is just too horrifing. We must all act with as much as we can. Saying no to anyting that feeds the oil industry is one way of showing that we care and that we want a greener, cleaner and kinder tomorrow.
To be Conscious Consumers! That should be our New Year’s Resolution.
And remember. The good actions spread — one greener heart at a time.
Nobody can do everything but everyone can do something.
**Therese Lundquist **— CEO & Founder** Green Little Heart **— An Impact Platform & Sustainable Lifestyle Universe focused on inspiration, knowledge and community. Today more than 100 ethical & sustainable brands are connected to our impact platform to make it easier for you to become a conscious consumer.
Amanda Thorén** — CEO & Founder and**** Lotten Wijkström**** partner & COO Bencha – The comparison service where you bench to make the right choice according to your preferences and the Earth’s conditions. Today you can compare over 750,000 products from 8,500 brands. The platform also has over 20,000 pre-owned products.**