What are you voting for this Christmas?

Each time we consume something we create a demand for it. When we spend money, we cast a vote. Whether it’s our intention or not, we are saying yes; yes to the resources used, yes to the agricultural or mining practices, yes to the labour, yes to it’s packaging, transportation etc. You get the picture. When we make a purchase, we are saying yes to every direct and indirect impact of its supply chain.

Just like many of us are removed from our food chain, we are also removed from the journey of our material items. And sure, when we are busy and life is being life, we are not often thinking about every single step of the logistics network of our purchases. But we need to be.

Take a simple t-shirt for example. Do we know who made it? Do we know if it was sewed by a struggling single mother in a Bangladesh garment factory being paid well below a living wage while her children are being raised elsewhere? Do we know if it originated from a cotton field in India where copious amounts of toxic pesticides are being used to keep up with the ever increasing demand for fabric? If we don’t know the answers to these questions, then we should be switching to brands that are transparent about their practices and supply chains, and can easily provide this assurance. Companies who are not readily supplying this information are likely to be hiding some ugly truths. A $4 t-shirt may be seen as a bargain, but it may also come with an environmental and ethical stain that will not wash out.

Leading into December, when consumerism is on steroids, there is no better time to remind ourselves of our individual and collective voting strength. As the world is increasingly becoming more and more data driven, companies identify even the slightest shifts in purchasing behaviours, forcing them to make changes and adapt. Voting with our wallets is one of our most powerful tools to influence, and it shouldn’t be underestimated. Every time we spend money, we are shaping the future world we want to live in.

If we want to spend more Christmases on Earth, we need to start paying attention to what were are saying yes to, both at Christmas and every other day. This year, as a gift to Mother Nature and humanity, can we all take a moment to stop and consider, what are we voting for? Are we saying yes to sustainable, ethically sourced and manufactured products, and the longevity of our planet, or are we saying yes to its demise?