If it’s broke, fix it: on being a conscious consumer

I love chatting to people already well on the journey, and who just “get it” – you can learn so much from inspiring people like these! We all have so much to learn, as brands and industries become more transparent, and as we understand what happens with the things we consume and discard.

I see that so many people still struggle with this shift towards sustainability, particularly when it comes to sustainable and ethical fashion: “But it’s so hard to buy sustainably!”

Often they see it as out of their price range, not accessible, hard to find information on, hard to compare brands and, overall, a mission to achieve.

So what we actually need to focus on is the idea of being a conscious consumer. 

Just stop and think. It’s not radical change, it’s just a state of awareness.

• You don’t have to stop buying things.
• You don’t have to throw away your cheap, fast fashion items and start building your wardrobe from scratch (please don’t!)
• You don’t have to buy expensive things – clothes, homewares, furniture, anything else.
• You don’t have to be a hippie.
• You don’t even need to be an environmentalist!
• You can tell others about the cool things you’ve found! Sharing is one of the best things we can do to spread this concept of conscious consumerism.

I had a family member say to me recently that she saw how poorly the women’s activewear brand Lorna Jane ranked in the recent Baptist World Aid and Oxfam fashion reports, and that she now felt bad for owning one of their tops.

First, I reacted (internally) with, “Yay! Ethical fashion really did infiltrate the mainstream media to get on the social radar!” It’s awesome that more people are simply aware that there are problems, and that we do have choices as consumers.

But I actually responded with, “Don’t feel like you need to get rid of it – now that you own it, wear it to death!”

That’s a huge part of sustainability and of being a conscious consumer.

There are many brands now encouraging their customers to mend items, rather than just throw them out and buy new ones – even if it means these companies are missing out on bottom-line dollars from purchases of new products.

Nudie Jeans is another pioneering brand offering repair services, encouraging their customers to bring their well-worn jeans in for a makeover, saving them dollars (and that often painful wearing-in-to-comfy-jeans process!). They also offer DIY repair kits, recycle worn out denim and resell used garments – plus they produce transparently, using 100% organic cotton. Patagonia is a leader when it comes to this concept. The global outdoor gear company champions the approach “If it’s broke, fix it!” with their Worn Wear program. They share stories of worn wear, guide people on how to fix their stuff at home, and show people how and where to recycle garments once they’re done with them. They even employ 45 full-time repair technicians in their Reno facility.

Not only is this cool for us consumers and the environment (think landfill as a laundry pile), but there is huge potential for businesses to tap into changing consumer behaviours.

A survey from the Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group sums it up beautifully: “A world where business prospers by helping consumers live more sustainably is an elegant solution to addressing social, environmental and economic needs.”

Save yourself money and mend things, share and swap things, do some googling, donate to op-shops and choose to buy from brands championing transparency, non-consumerism and slowing down. Be aware, and don’t think you have to make radical changes.

Here are some sites to get you started:

• “Companies are working hard with consumers to reduce waste”
• “What’s mine is yours: how collaborative consumption is changing the way we live”
•  “Value Gap: The business value of changing consumer behaviors“