We the Hemp Store fully acknowledge and respect the personal and systemic barriers to consumer efforts to be more sustainable.
Often times our sustainable products come wrapped in plastic, or bottled or packaged. There are unavoidable plastics like the caps on our hemp extracts. We’d love to package in Hemp Plastic or Cava or any of the many many plastic alternatives that are being developed out there, but the reality is the economics aren’t there yet.
And as individuals, Hemp Store is run by parents with school-age children and there’s a lot of potential plastic consumption in that life stage isn’t there?
We see ourselves amidst a multi-generational effort to be more sustainable. Sometimes that action has focused on business and production, sometimes on people, sometimes the environmentβ¦just a bunch of humans trying to figure out how to live in peace and harmony. End war and and injustice, respect and protect the planet and all life with it.
So here are our hot tips to conscious consumption.
Shop small business & local
We’re lucky to be part of a thriving precinct of independent businesses in Woy Woy. Our shop owners are only one or two degrees of separation from the source product – which means you get better transparency as a consumer about where your goods are coming from, and better accountability from the businesses you engage with. Youβre also stimulating your local economy and culture.
If you buy big, buy ethical
Many global brands are taking steps in responding to the plastic crisis, as well as other harmful business practices like unfair trade and exploitative working conditions. And, in contrast, many global brands and conglomerates are refusing to change their practices. Become brand aware and invest you dollar in the ethical side of the market. Remember – business loves money, and your dollar is a vote for future production
Keep your plastic
Reducing your waste does not mean replacing all your plastic at once. Everything you purchase takes energy and resources to create and deliver to market and the consumer. So keep what you have and keep it well, and make a conscious choice when the time comes to replace it. If your plastics have an ongoing impact, like microplastics from clothes washing going to the ocean, look into ways to reduce the impact.
Co-Op with your friends and community
Our lived experience is that any effort into sustainability is done better when we do it together. Firstly, you save money and resources when co-ops cut out the middle man and go direct to supplier. You also get all the benefits we mentioned in shopping local and small business. But itβs not just about saving money and resources. When we do things together we share ideas, information and motivation – the recipe for organisation. This is the stuff that makes for greater systemic change.
Reuse, repair, repurpose
Very hot tip: Reusables are always better than eco-single use – so take your canvas bags, your containers, your coffee cups, your straws,
your cutlery. Beyond your canvas bags and eco-cups, get creative with what you can reuse, repair and repurpose in your home and environment. Patch up your clothing, press your old soaps, clean and reuse your containers, whip a cardboard box off the shelf at the grocery store instead of buying another paper bag.
Stay informed
Being a part of this small, thriving community, we see first hand the power of grass roots action. Itβs really up to us to demand change and be a part of the conversation. As individuals and groups we can share our information and awareness with businesses and governments, offering sustainable solutions to current practice. So take responsibility. Stay informed, raise your own awareness and take action from changing your own habits to lobbying brands and institutions to change theirs.
The list of hot tips truly rolls on, and as made in our last point, sustainability is an ever-growing industry – so we can talk about it forever.
What are some of your thoughts on conscious consumption? Let’s hear from you…what else can we do?
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