I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts this morning, and although it is targeted at marketers (my background) it raised some very relevant issues for my semi-retired role as a consumer!
Several years ago (2019) I was still working, and I started my eco-journey by deciding to reduce my purchases of single-use plastic.
Part of my research was initially done in the UK, and I found that 'Lush' did shampoo bars - no plastic!! Hooray. As a bonus I knew that Lush also had stores in France, so I could buy nearer home. My first bar lasted well, and by the time I needed to buy more I had found a similar product in my local Bio shop.
Sounds really positive - and I viewed it that way. However, I am conscious that my choice of consumer goods is much more complex than simply reducing my purchase of single-use plastic. What are the ingredients, how far have they travelled, how ethical/green/impact conscious (waste, etc) is the company...
I reassure myself that I was 'being a hummingbird' and doing what I could at the time. It's so important to act without too much hesitation. Lush are not too bad as an organisation when I look deeper. They say 'Our long term commitment is to become a fully circular business, producing nothing that cannot be circled back through biological or available (not imaginary) technical cycles.' The 'not imaginary' is an important phrase too. I'm not a scientist, and will be guided by them and organisations like Consumers International. At the moment, that involves me in making a pro-active search, but in the future I hope labelling and information on company websites will make this clearer. This is such an obvious step for them, as it will win them more loyal customers.
Podcast - Can marketing save the planet - Episode 51 Gemma Butler, Michelle Carvill
Yes Lush are good people, they have grants available for good causes... Very complex application form though!