I think one of the thing that a lot of people do is to see something, or maybe buy something, that seems like it's good for the environment and buy it for that reason. Sure, a lot of products are telling the truth, and the packaging can be recycled, or it is made out of 80% recycled plastic or something, however it can be misleading. 40% of environmentally-friendly claims made by retailers and brands could be misleading their customers, according to research done by the Competition and Markets Authority.
There are many ways a product can be misleading. Sure, the fruit may not have any packaging, but what about the food miles it has made? The oranges you buy may be loose, but have they come from Spain? Your bananas are loose, but they are from Latin America. Getting food from countries that are that far away will release tonnes and tonnes of greenhouse gasses. It is a bit hard to adapt to not buying things that aren't grown in the UK, because things can't be grown all year round so we don't get as much. The better thing to do is make sure you're buying Fairtrade products, because this will help the farmers who grow the things you buy. It's important to understand the opposite too: the food may have been sustainably sourced, but is it sustainably packaged?
I've mentioned it in quite a few posts, but (if you are) you shouldn't be buying things just because they claim they are green. Yes, if there's a choice between one not environmentally friendly thing one that is, it's better to buy the one that is, but you've got to make sure you're not being misled.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I really don't want to make people feel bad for buying things, because that's not the point. I just want you to understand that thinking about what you're buying will help lower your own carbon footprint. See you next Sunday!
Violet
xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment