SEVEN GUIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Buy less stuff!
2. Choose longer-lasting and better quality.
- less plastic, less toxic materials, more durability, less packaging, more recyclability
3. Can you buy what you need second hand?
- clothing, technology (phones, computers, TVs etc), furniture and other household items, cars and bikes, and much more …
4. Where possible, choose products with certification systems that provide some protection for people and the environment, in particular, look for:
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- Fair Trade
- Organic and Free Range
- Ethical clothing Australia
- Palm Oil free – Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
- Marine Stewardship Council certified seafood
5. Preference products marked ‘Product of Australia’.
This means that the bulk of the materials and manufacturing have been sourced here; ‘Made in Australia’ refers only to manufacture.
6. Use The Guide to Ethical Supermarket Shopping to:
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- preference Australian-owned companies
- preference companies with better corporate records
- avoid companies with poor corporate records
7. Agitate for change.
Support efforts to encourage the major brands and retailers to take more responsibility for workers’ rights and the environment.
For more tips and information, see www.ethical.org.au