Five viable steps to becoming a coherent consumer.

Spoiler alert: start consuming less

In the second decade of the 2000s, even primary school children are more environmentally aware than many adults born at the end of the last century.

Knowing that we are at the limit of resources and the possibility of repairing the damage done on a large scale in the last 100 years, we are also more or less familiar with the idea that our individual choices contribute significantly to the destruction or solution of world problems.

So let's move on to the next point: what can you actually do to reduce or even reverse the negative impact that your simple presence on Earth promotes?

DO NOT BUY

When the traditional clothing and sporting goods brand Patagonia published an anti-advertisement in the main North American vehicles recommending that you not buy anything from them on Black Friday, it was once again making an important gesture.

Known for being an activist before being a businessman, the brand's founder, Yvon Chouinard, is deeply involved in environmental causes, has always supported the non-consumerism bandwagon and uses the company itself to spread this message. The ads, from 2016, had an impact and questioned the stance of brands and consumers, demonstrating in practice how important it is for both sides to take a responsible stance towards consumption.

The part that belongs to us? Not buy.

REFLECTS

Ok, it's practically impossible to live in large urban centers and be 100% carbon free. But it is possible to pose a serious question with every purchase impulse: what do I need to have? How many? For what purposes? How long does it last? Can I borrow something from someone, recycle something I already have, share it with my neighbors?

Most of the time we come to the conclusion that we live very well without 80% of what we have at home. Make this exercise a daily practice, like a meditation. You will end up valuing more the things that really make your daily life better and clearly see the excesses you are committing.

SEARCH

Make a list of what you tend to consume most frequently – those supermarket items that you can't miss, for example. It's also worth looking at your bank statement and checking the sectors in which you invest the most money.

With the list ready, research the brands you usually choose and think about them from the point of view of the origin of the products, whether due to the raw material, the impact on nature or the entrepreneur or company that is selling. Transparency is usually the first strong indication of a brand's commitment to responsible standards throughout its production chain (which has you as an integral part).

There are certificates that guarantee these positions. The most comprehensive of these is the B Corporation seal, granted to companies verified and approved by the international, non-profit organization B Lab. To receive the certificate, you must undergo an extensive assessment of all aspects of production, from raw materials to internal work policies, from energy expenditure to disposal. There is a link to search for B companies in your city and country. From there you can check how many of the brands you usually consume fall into standard B, to begin with.

In your next purchase, prioritize brands that are committed to generating as little impact as possible or, even better, that are capable of neutralizing this impact through actions that return part of what they use to produce to communities and the environment. This way we collaborate, as consumers, towards an ethical chain with a positive impact.

CALCULATE

With your homework done, look in your cupboards at the types of products you now have at home. What are the packaging like and the materials they are made from? Synthetic fabrics, paints and plastics have a very heavy environmental footprint. Read the labels of cleaning, beauty and processed food products (in fact, this is a good opportunity to exclude synthetic food from your kitchen).

Heavy metals, pesticides, dyes, stabilizers and perfluorinated compounds are some of the poisons present in many objects we use and the food we consume, with a heavy impact not only on the environment but on our health. Calculate the negative externality costs (social, environmental, health and cultural costs that other people will pay every time you buy the wrong product) and also take the opportunity to estimate your carbon footprint: how much carbon emissions your way of life generates to the world?

The energy used for daily activities, the use of cars, the amount of food, the production of waste: all of this has a cost to the environment around it.

MINIMIZE

After studying the ABCs of conscious consumption, look around and practice letting go by making physical and mental space for yourself. We accumulate unnecessary, disposable things and ideas that take up dead space at home and in our minds.

Living in a minimalist way has immense ethical and environmental value, but it also helps us see things more clearly and make better decisions, adding pleasure to our simpler attitudes and coherence to our everyday choices.

Do you know the famous phrase “less is more”? Then. Fewer pieces in the closet, more elegance. Fewer decorative objects, more space for dancing in the room. Less curtains and more horizons. Fewer car journeys and more walking. Fewer packages and more fruits and vegetables. Less mental noise and more creativity and focus. Collapse to expand.