On 15 March, World Responsible Consumption Day is celebrated. It was created by the UN, initially as Consumer Rights Day, to recognise the rights of consumers in the face of abuses and bad practices by companies. However, awareness of responsible consumption is growing today, fostering a solidarity economy whose approach takes people, the environment and sustainable development into account, but above all curbs consumerism and excessive industrial production. The essential starting point of “Responsible Consumption” is to identify and set priorities regarding our real needs, to contribute to the values that underpin it — solidarity, cooperation, justice, labour rights, care for the environment, among others — and to understand that our role is key to a fair, democratic and sustainable society. But watch out! We should not be fooled by seeing organic products in large supermarket chains or an organic clothing line in a big budget store. They may appear environmentally friendly, but they exploit their workers, engage in questionable sustainability practices and destroy local trade, which is essential for building community. “(…) it is very interesting to bring up figures such as those showing that for every 100 jobs created by a shopping centre, 140 are destroyed in small local businesses in the area. Moreover, only 5% of the profits of these large retailers go back into the local economy, while small and medium-sized businesses leave up to 50% of their profits in their area of influence. Local production networks create more and better-quality jobs”. (Revista Ecologista, no. 92. Consumo, by Ecologistas en Acción). Despite the usual contradictions within the political class — large retailers such as Amazon and Ikea are established in our cities — the promotion of good practices towards a better quality of life and respect for our environment has led institutions such as Barcelona City Council to sum up the principles of Responsible Consumption in a coherent and concrete way: .
• Agroecological food: food based on production that respects the rights of workers and preserves the balance of ecosystems. • Proximity: products that come from a nearby area, boosting the local economy and environmental sustainability. This is known as km0 (zero food miles). • Care for people: puts people at the centre, promoting quality employment and the integration of vulnerable groups. • Democratic management: promotes the active and equal participation of everyone involved in the initiative in decision-making. • Good living: a product or service that fosters sustainable and healthy lifestyles. • Fair trade: proposes a fair trading relationship, especially between North and South, based on social and environmental values rather than purely economic criteria. • Sustainable production: this type of production takes into account the reduction of water, energy and raw material consumption, and minimises waste, especially the most polluting kind. • Waste prevention: with long-lasting, repairable, low-consumption products, with minimal packaging or lower-impact wrapping. World Responsible Consumption Day coincides with the first large-scale gathering of the Fridays For Future movement, in which students from around the world took to the streets to demand urgent and realistic measures to curb climate change. The current economic model runs counter to preserving natural resources and maintaining a balance that meets humanity’s basic needs, which is why it is unsustainable. We cannot always set global measures with a major impact, but through our habits — with ecological awareness and common sense — we can contribute to a form of consumption with the least possible negative effect on the environment and a positive effect on society.
Sources: https://www.economiasolidaria.org// https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/?p=34698/ https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/omic/es/actualidad/celebramos-la-semana-del-consumo-responsable/
