To align your shopping with your social values, begin by paying attention to where you spend your money. Buying from companies that support the things you care about can help ensure you’re spending at the right places.
[States Are Lagging on Sustainable Development Goals]
What Social Values Can Guide My Shopping?
If there’s a cause you care about, it’s likely there’s a company that cares about it, too. A few common values that companies are working to promote include:
— Diversity, equity and inclusion
— Environmental impact
— Animal rights
— Human and worker rights
If you want to make sure the companies you support care about the issues you do, take the following steps:
1. Research the Company’s Sustainability Reports
A company’s sustainability reports can help you evaluate if it’s doing what it says it is.
“Consumers who want to take a deep dive on the sustainability of a particular company can find environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings and reports at Sustainalytics, MSCI,GRI and others,” says Justin Bean, author and sustainability strategy and solution innovation lead, environmental business division at Hitachi.
“These help to understand how companies are rated, and what they prioritize so we can make more informed decisions about where to shop and what to buy this holiday season,” Bean says.
Katrina Caspelich, chief marketing officer at fashion accountability nonprofit Remake, wrote in an email that the brand’s site can be telling, too. “The first thing I do when I discover a new brand is to head to their “about” page, find out how the brand started, how they grew, their values and how the materials are sourced,” Caspelich says.
And if you’re still left with questions, it’s worth asking before buying. “If I find any gaps in the information I am looking for, I will email the company and ask,” Caspelich says.
[GLOBAL SURVEY: Countries Seen to Provide Sustainable Living]
2. Look For Third-Party Certifications
Third-party certifications can help verify a brand’s claims.
“One of the easiest ways to find more sustainable options is to look for third-party rating and verification agencies,” Bean says.
There are several certifications Bean recommends looking for, and they vary based on what you’re buying.
Here are a few that are worth looking at for those who are environmentally conscious:
— Climate Neutral Certified
— Forest Stewardship Council
— ENERGY STAR certification
— Rainforest Alliance Certified
— bluesign APPROVED
For those interested in human and workers rights, check the following certifications:
— Certified B Corporations
— Fair Trade Certified
And for those interested in animal welfare, two certifications stand out:
— Responsible Down Standard
— Responsible Wool Standard
[READ: U.S. Climate Bill to Help Farms, Forests]
3. Learn to Spot Greenwashing
If you want to shop according to your values, watch out for companies that use sustainability as a marketing tactic.
“More often than not, brands deceive, exaggerate or lie about their environmental and social sustainability … aka greenwash,” Caspelich says.
“A telltale sign of an unsustainable product posing as a green one is when you notice a contradiction,” Bean says.
“Maybe it’s a package covered in leaves and forest animals, but covered in large amounts of nonrecyclable plastic or packed full of Styrofoam peanuts,” Bean says. Looking for discrepancies like these can help determine whether a brand truly aligns with your values.
Incorrect or incomplete phrasing in terms of its third-party verification is another greenwashing red flag. “There may be a word that sounds close to the certification but is just ‘off’ a bit, such as ‘Organic’ instead of ‘USDA Organic,’ or a green seal without a certified marking,” Bean says.
Last, pay attention to the way a brand markets its recycling tactics. Many fashion companies take old products back to recycle and simultaneously sell new products at a discount.
“While this may sound promising, the reality is that these brands are exploiting ‘secondhand’ to encourage more consumption, which in turn benefits their bottom lines,” Caspelich says. “This in no way addresses the overproduction that fuels overconsumption.”
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How to Shop According to Your Social Values originally appeared on usnews.com
