Decisions That Make a Difference
responsible purchasing
/rəˈspänsəb(ə)l/ /ˈpərCHəs iNG//
the process of considering environmental factors when making decisions about what you buy
Our purchasing choices have a significant impact on our environment! Everything we buy has a journey before it reaches our hands. Some of these journeys are simple, like the produce we buy from a nearby farm. But other things have a more complicated journey before reaching us that consumers rarely have access to seeing.
These longer processes can include an unimaginable amount of harm to our environment from massive amounts of air and water pollution to the health risks for the people involved in the manufacturing process. The good news is that we can all make a positive contribution to the well-being of our planet by what, and how, we make purchases.
Since everything is not created equally, it is worth putting in the time to make sure a purchase lines up with our shared saving-the-planet values.
What Does Responsible Purchasing Mean?
Responsible purchasing can best be narrowed down to the process of considering environmental factors when making decisions about what you buy. This includes not only physical products but services and experiences too.
The ultimate goal of responsible purchasing is to source products, services and experiences from brands whose business and manufacturing practices have less impact on the environment, as well as human health.
Responsible Purchasing Decisions Start with Awareness
Making responsible purchases is all about slowing down the decision-making process. That can be hard to do with nearly everything imaginable being only a click away!
Think of the process most people go through before making a huge life decision or large purchase. It usually involves some research and weighing out of options over a period of time. This is something we rarely do for our routine, day-to-day purchases.
But by pausing and becoming aware of what we are purchasing, where it is coming from and the process it goes through before reaching us, we can become more mindful consumers.
This can seem like an overwhelming task having to research the sourcing of materials, manufacturing processes and shipping tactics of everything from the paperclips and home décor we buy to the socks we wear. No worries! That’s why California Minimalist is here: to share ideas on simple ways to support sustainability from within your chosen lifestyle.
So, to answer the question on how to become a responsible purchaser…the answer is to do it slowly. Start by identifying the areas where you make the most purchasing decisions. We all make purchases unique to our lifestyles, but a few common purchasing categories, for example, are food, clothing and household goods.
“Tip: If you have a super-long list of categories, the Minimalism page has some useful information and inspiring ideas on how to narrow your focus and identify the perfect balance of wants, needs and essentials!”
Making this list will serve as the awareness that will become the fuel to keep you motivated and focused on making more responsible purchases.
How to Start Making Better Purchasing Decisions
We’ve talked a bit about what responsible purchasing is and how you can start to identify your own purchasing habits. Now it is time for action.
While it isn’t an overnight transition, or the goal, to become an infallible eco-responsible purchaser, we can all make minor changes in how we consume that will make a significant positive impact on our environment.
When I look at my list of buying trends (which I still do a couple times throughout the year) I always lean on eliminating some not-so-useful items to get started. Think of it as an ego-booster for making progress! For example, if you have the habit of buying books you don’t read or shoes you don’t wear—those can be the first group of regular purchases to cross off the list.
Once you are satisfied with a more accurate list of your specific needs, essentials, and wants (yes, wants—they are important too!) for your lifestyle, you are ready to start finding new, sustainable ways to source these purchases.
Streamlining Purchases to Satisfy Your Inner Consumer
There are a few major ways to shift the way we source our purchases.
Buy local – Buying things from local businesses eliminates processing and packing pollution and substantially lowers the transportation carbon footprint of shipping. It also opens the door to starting an authentic, face-to-face relationship with the people making the items you purchase. And buying local goes beyond just fruits and veggies from the farm down the road. You’d be surprised how many small businesses are hard at work in your local community.
Purchase directly from sustainable brands - Going straight to the source can allow you to become completely familiar with a brand from their motivation for starting the business to their dedicated efforts toward sustainability. The best thing about brands and companies that are authentically eco-friendly is that they aren’t shy to tell you all about it! When you are getting ready to make a purchase online or in a store, check out what that brand is boasting about first on their website or social media. I always like to follow up by reaching out to their customer care team to let them know I’m a potential new customer and would love to hear more about their products, manufacturing and overall approach to sustainability.
Source from trusted suppliers - It can be overwhelming to take on the task of researching everything you buy from toothbrushes and toilet paper to home appliances. One way to cut down on hitting the pavement and researching individual brands is to source the bulk of your purchases from trusted places that have already vetted the items they are selling.
Second-hand shopping – My favorite! Although you can’t buy a used service or experience (that would be awkward), the best eco-friendly physical purchases are the ones that already exist on our planet.
Bottom Line
No matter how you prefer to make purchases, or even what you are buying, you always have the opportunity to make responsible choices that benefit the health of our planet, and the humans (and animals) that live in it.
While it may take up some of your free time to get started, once you’ve begin making responsible purchases, you are going to love it and feel good about it! In fact, you’re going to so feel good that you’ll want to tell everyone you know about it. That is how we come back to the conversations that change perspectives and inspire actions. Welcome to the loop!
To give you a head start, California Minimalist has already made some headway in sourcing a few sustainable go-to brands. Here is a short list of some of the eco-minded brands I partner with or simply just love to use because of their unwavering dedication to change the way we consume:
EarthHero (affiliate link)
Who Gives A Crap (affiliate link)