Well 2020 has not at all taken the conventional route thus far and it doesn’t appear that it will change in the next 31 days!
This year, more than ever, in the midst of a global pandemic it is essential we support small and local businesses at Christmas time.
For most local businesses, Christmas is a time where sales soar: consumers are buying gifts, eating out, treating themselves, meeting friends and attending parties.
However, 2020 looks set to stop any of the above from happening in the conventional way, but perhaps along that vein we should push ourselves to meet a new buying pattern and to not follow those of previous years.
The main question when addressing how to shop, is why go sustainable?
Most of the time sustainable products will be more expensive and therefore require a larger independent commitment.
Sustainability is defined as; the actions of meeting needs that don’t compromise the future population’s ability to meet their needs tomorrow. It requires a future centered focus, ensuring that products across the supply chain are produced through socially, ethically, environmentally and economically sound means.
Natural resource depletion is occuring at an unprecedented rate, as products sold on the mainstream market are normally made overseas by people on poverty wages.
Individuals often feel powerless on how they themselves can help solve the environmental crisis, when in fact shopping sustainability is one of the best ways to reduce your personal carbon footprint.
By partnering with green companies, others that don’t align themselves with the green trend tend to fall behind in popularity. This therefore, pushes others to make necessary changes in their company culture in order for their business to survive.
So why is it especially important in 2020?
Well, the planet isn’t getting any younger and the climate crisis of the moment requires action now more than ever. On top of this, thriving independent businesses that normally fuel their income on Christmas fairs have had that stripped away from underneath them.
Almost half of all small business owners say that if everyone in their local community spent £5 extra per week with small business it would help keep them open in the long term.
A simple and easy way to solve both of these issues is to do your research!
When buying online, search for relevant small or local businesses through which you can support. In turn, as a customer you are more likely to receive a personal experience, as business owners tailor their individual suggestions to your needs. A service that would never occur when shopping with major corporations.
This year, virtual artisan pop up Christmas markets are being explored, filled with pre-approved small businesses showcasing their products. This provides a perfect one stop shop for filling your basket with Christmas gifts, while maintaining the local economy, supporting someone’s livelihood and lowering your impact on our planet.
Charlotte Reece, a mum of three, who lives in Turhnam Green, Chiswick: “When I'm shopping for my family these days I try to shop as responsibly as possible. I have a checklist I go through and I love it when a shop or service hits two or more criteria. For example my Riverford box is organic, low packaging, seasonal and worker owned. The source is zero waste but also local to me. I don't buy everything from sustainable sources but my supermarket bill makes up a much smaller proportion of my overall bill than it used to.”
Not only does she attempt to provide and feed her family of 5 sustainably, Reece also works for the company Terra Neutra: “one of the harder areas of sustainability to understand is that everything we do has a carbon footprint - it's hard to deal with an issue you can't see. But in order to hit Net Zero (carbon emissions) by 2050 we all have to seriously reduce our carbon footprint. So to get that down we need to take fewer flights, drive less and eat less meat. If you want to offset your flights or the average carbon footprint of a UK citizen you could visit www.terraneutra.com and invest in projects that significantly reduce the carbon being released into the atmosphere.”
So start to look for local sustainable options that you can utilise day to day!
In Chiswick, on my local high street, the best place to find sustainable food and products is ‘The Source Bulk Foods.’ The company is striving to help the UK to shop healthy and fight against waste, the shop and online business contains over 450 bulk foods, including organic wholefoods, cooking liquids and oils, healthy snacks and sustainable personal and household products, all are plastic free to make your zero waste journey easier and successful.
The following statistic really proves how essential this switch to a more sustainable lifestyle is: 2,200,000,000 kgs of plastic is used in the UK annually. Only 70% is recovered, of which 32% is recycled and the remaining 30% ends up in oceans and the countryside. Worldwide 14,000 pieces of plastic are dumped in the ocean every day.
If now is not the time to start shopping sustainably, then when is?
