Our privileged position in the globalized world carries with it an intense responsibility to be conscientious consumers. In order to ensure that our actions do not have harmful impacts on the others we need to become more aware of the actual costs to produce and charge prices that cover these costs. This not only an essential component of ensuring that we are not taking advantage of our privileged position, it is also essential for the caring for the planet and securing worker safety.
Cutting corners to provide consumers with everyday low prices is not good for humanity, and it is not good for the planet either. The photo above is of a factory that collapsed in Bangladesh (The True Cost Documentary). The factory was not certified for worker safety and as a result thousands of lives were lost in an attempt to cut corners and reduce costs of goods in order to reduce the price for consumers. When we purchase products we should be expecting to pay the appropriate price that covers the actual cost that is associated with producing the good. In fast fashion we notice that the nature of a fashion product life cycle involves moving quickly from the introductory phase, to growth, maturity and decline. This means that trends are quickly changing, which results in mass disposal of products. This is not good for the earth. It is not a fluid cycle of materials, but rather results in the mass production of materials that consolidate in land fills.
The production and disposal of products, from food production to automobiles and clothing is posing an enormous threat to our environment and to the world at large. We cannot continue to consume in this way, because it is not sustainable, we will use up our resources, we will run out of space and we will destroy our planet.
We have an obligation to our planet and to each other. By changing the way that we consume we can transform business. Consumers have the power to drive business demand to respond to what consumers claim to be valuable. If we are able to create the demand for caring for our planet and those who inhabit marketers and businesses will respond to those demands. Eating seafood should not result in a barren sea. Eating chocolate or drinking coffee should not mean that the forests are destroyed. We should not burn the rainforest to graze cattle for hamburgers. We should demand more sustainable practices, because if we do not, the implications on the planet in our lifetime will drastically deteriorate.
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