There’s no time to research every single product, and oftentimes, there isn’t even anything you can research.
There is time if you make it and there are always avenues to research goods you are looking to purchase - if you are feeling inquisitive.
The key is to live a minimal life and to build a different relationship with consumption; focusing on patience and discernment i.e. making informed decisions. Instead of essentially declaring that it’s impossible, understand that we can all work to improve our lifestyles and habits - even the smallest steps or bits of progress are valid and worthy of recognition.
The key phrase being “every single product”. Of course, I’d do my research where possible, but if I’m out grocery shopping and I need onions, I’m not going to stand there looking up the differences between the different brands or put off buying it so that I can look it up at home. And if I did, what do I even look up? Who shares reviews of onions?
If people investigated food; they’d find out a large amount of food is grown/processed/produced in unideal/unsustainable ways or under exploitative circumstances - even some ingredients may have been processed by literal child slaves in grocery stores (e.g. cocoa/chocolate).
Instead of accepting defeat, we can start voting with our wallets if we can afford to do so. This means buying local, supporting small business (such as worker-owned food co-ops), growing your own food if you have the ability to do so, or working with your community to grow food.
There’s a lot that we convince ourselves that we need, but there are generally many options and avenues to make arguably better, more informed choices. Like thrifting, restoring older products to glory, etc.
Sometimes the trap is walking into stores that 1) produce large amounts of waste 2) exploit their employees and stock items made by exploited people 3) make you dependent on them through anti-competitive practices - which is what most major stores in America do. They are exploiting our comfort, conditioning us to be complacent, and are reducing our options - we must recognize this for our society to shift.
There is time if you make it and there are always avenues to research goods you are looking to purchase - if you are feeling inquisitive.
The key is to live a minimal life and to build a different relationship with consumption; focusing on patience and discernment i.e. making informed decisions. Instead of essentially declaring that it’s impossible, understand that we can all work to improve our lifestyles and habits - even the smallest steps or bits of progress are valid and worthy of recognition.
The key phrase being “every single product”. Of course, I’d do my research where possible, but if I’m out grocery shopping and I need onions, I’m not going to stand there looking up the differences between the different brands or put off buying it so that I can look it up at home. And if I did, what do I even look up? Who shares reviews of onions?
If people investigated food; they’d find out a large amount of food is grown/processed/produced in unideal/unsustainable ways or under exploitative circumstances - even some ingredients may have been processed by literal child slaves in grocery stores (e.g. cocoa/chocolate).
Instead of accepting defeat, we can start voting with our wallets if we can afford to do so. This means buying local, supporting small business (such as worker-owned food co-ops), growing your own food if you have the ability to do so, or working with your community to grow food.
There’s a lot that we convince ourselves that we need, but there are generally many options and avenues to make arguably better, more informed choices. Like thrifting, restoring older products to glory, etc.
Sometimes the trap is walking into stores that 1) produce large amounts of waste 2) exploit their employees and stock items made by exploited people 3) make you dependent on them through anti-competitive practices - which is what most major stores in America do. They are exploiting our comfort, conditioning us to be complacent, and are reducing our options - we must recognize this for our society to shift.