What is responsible consumption?

Traditionally, our purchasing decisions have been made on the basis of quality and price. However, with the growing concerns for the environment and human rights around the world, more and more consumers are now evaluating their purchases with added social and environmental considerations. This new approach to shopping is called "responsible consumption".

How can I become a responsible consumer?

By asking yourself questions while you shop. For example: Is this product tied to a local economy? Is it locally produced? Is it packaged efficiently and is it recyclable?

Making good choices often involves looking at existing alternatives. Certified organic products, for example, were grown without the use of toxic pesticides, while products with the Fair Trade logo have come from producers that were paid a just wage for their work.

In addition to fair trade and organic products, the two well-known classes of "responsible" products, there are also those that are produced by cooperatives, where workers share a greater amount of profits and responsibility, and local products, which require less transportation and, as a result, generate less climate-changing greenhouse gasses during shipping.

Where can I learn more about responsible products?

To help you make responsible choices and find out more about the subject, ethiquette.ca hosts a database of over 600 responsible products and services that can be browsed for free.

Let’s shop responsibly and help our planet, one small step at a time.