CREDO Mobile Blog

New Year’s resolution: Change the world with your shopping choices

Well, the New Year is here. And for many of us it’s not so happy. Because it brings with it a lot of unease. The causes we care about are under real threat. Causes like reproductive freedom, economic equality and a livable climate are now targeted for attack and it will be up to us to defend them.

How will we do it? We can’t vote in an election anytime soon. But we can vote in another way—and do it every day. As consumers, we can vote with our dollars. Whenever we make a purchase, whether it’s coffee, clothing or a car, we can support companies that share our values. If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, that’s a pretty good one.

Better consumer choices make a better world

One of the most powerful steps we can take to make change is to make conscious consumer choices—to let our values guide our shopping decisions. It’s simple and it works.

Consider, for example, plant-based eating. It’s hugely beneficial for the environment. Recent research shows that a vegan diet cuts emissions, water pollution and land use by 75% compared to diets that include over 100 grams of meat per day. A plant-based diet reduces wildlife destruction by 66% and water use by 54%.

Now consider that the number of vegans in the U.S. tripled from 2004 to 2019, and that 1.5 billion people worldwide avoid foods made with meat. The takeaway is this: individual choices matter. The decisions we make as consumers—whether it’s the foods we eat or the clothes we wear—do make a difference.

Here are five ways you can be a more conscious consumer and change the world for the better with your purchasing power.

Avoid Amazon

A lot goes on at Amazon that progressive people are not OK with. Like its impact on local businesses. Like its militant opposition to unionization by its employees. Like its massive plastic output: Amazon generates enough plastic waste each year to wrap the Earth in 800 layers—despite the fact that it “would have no problem” switching to plastic-free packaging, says former Amazon exec Rachel Johnson Greer. “It’s really a question of will.”

Add it all up and you might decide to look for options. They’re not super easy to find. They won’t be at the top of the results page when you search Google. But they’re out there and they’re growing fast. They sell what you need—and what you just plain want—and they do it without a moral compromise packed in bubble wrap. They use less plastic or they use sustainable alternatives. They offset their shipping emissions and focus on Earth-friendly items and brands. Their prices might be a bit higher but they don’t inflict a large hidden cost on our planet.

DoneGood has clothing, bags and totes, home accessories, kitchenware, jewelry, self-care and a lot more. The DoneGood team vets every brand to make sure it pays decent wages, empowers communities and has ecofriendly practices.

Another good option is eBay, where you can shrink your shopping footprint by purchasing secondhand. Also check out eBay Refurbished, which sells reconditioned products up to 50% off the list price, with warranties as good or better than the original warranties.

And Etsy, the global marketplace that supports independent creators of crafts, housewares, art, soap, planters, T-shirts and much more. In 2020, it generated almost $4 billion in income for small businesses.

Other sustainable, ethical alternatives to Amazon include:

• EarthHero: home, kitchen, cleaning, beauty, pets.
• Grove Collaborative: nontoxic, cruelty-free household supplies, personal care and wellness.
• Hive: household goods, beauty products and groceries.
• Made Trade: home goods, furniture, gifts and clothing.
• Package Free: home, beauty, kitchen.
• Ten Thousand Villages: fair trade gifts and accessories made by artisans around the world.
• Thrive Market: up to 30% off organic and non-GMO groceries.

Do your research

You can’t know all that’s involved in the making of every item you buy. But you can Google the products you buy often to see if the companies that manufacture them do business in a responsible way.

Chocolate, for example. It’s made from cocoa and 70% of the world’s cocoa is grown on plantations in West Africa. Many of those plantations have a dark secret: they use child workers as young as 5 years old and, often, child slaves.

They supply much of the cocoa used by candy giants like Mars, Hershey and Nestle, as well as smaller companies. Which means that if you buy chocolate from those companies, you are, indirectly, contributing to the misery of children.

Instead, get your chocolate from ethical makers. You have dozens of options. For a list, go to Slavery Free Chocolate.

Check clothing labels

Fast fashion is hot—and not in a good way. It’s responsible for 10% of the world’s climate-heating CO2. It’s also the world’s second most polluting industry, after oil and gas.

In fact, the more you know about fast fashion, the uglier it looks. It pumps out more carbon emissions per minute than driving a car around the world six times. Fast fashion brand Shein, which adds 1.3 million (!) styles each year, emits as much carbon annually as a major airline.

Fast fashion also fuels climate disasters like the recent megastorms Helene and Milton. Which poses the question: Is a $5 dress worth a category 5 hurricane? Are you OK with that? If not, avoid fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M, Uniqlo and Forever 21. Instead, shop sustainable brands like Everlane, Pact and Reformation. Here’s a list from Good Trade with 99 sustainable clothing brands, ranked by budget.

Use ethical-shopping apps

Your phone is a great tool for making more conscious consumer choices on the go. It’s even better if you load it with these ethical-shopping apps, which provide valuable information on in-store products.

• Buycott scans barcodes and gives details on products and manufacturers so that you can make an informed decision.
• Ethical Barcode scans the barcodes on supermarket items and delivers information on the companies that make them. It provides ratings so you know if what you’re buying does damage to the environment or animals.
• Good on You rates over 3,000 fashion brands according to their impact on people, animals and the planet. It does the research and provides an easy-to-understand score, from “Great” to “We avoid.”

Switch to CREDO Mobile

Every day, more people are choosing to do business with companies that share their values. They’re shopping for sustainable clothes instead of sweatshop fast fashion. They’re buying reusable tumblers instead of drinks in plastic bottles.

Does this sound like you? Then join us. Switch to CREDO Mobile, the phone company that shares your values. You’ll get all you want from your mobile service: the nation’s top-rated network, competitive plans and great deals on new devices.

And you’ll get much more. You’ll get a powerful way to support your values whenever you use your phone.

Switching is easy. You can bring your current phone and your current number. Go to CREDOMobile.com to learn more.