Do philanthropy and consumption mix? As part of a broader analysis of sustainable consumption, we will take a look at charity shopping, the sharing economy and put tech tools that help consumers make more sustainable choices to the test. The aim? There’s a lot of hot air, labels, trends and movements when it comes to ‘going green’ but what actually has an impact and what is just marketing? As part of our latest RESET Special, we are on the hunt for proof of concept.
It it better to own or to share? Should I shop somewhere that donates part of its profits to charity or should I shop somewhere that pays workers fair wages? When it comes to ethical and sustainable consumption, it can be tricky to know whether an organisation’s ‘green’ or ‘fair’ practices and products actually help solve a problem effectively or not.
Over the next few months, we will put the concept of sustainable consumption under the microscope, breaking it down into three categories – charity shopping, the sharing economy and the ‘green living‘ plethora of apps and platforms – and looking at the movements and trends within each individually to give you our insight into what works, what does not and how to make smart, sustainable choices.
First up: charity shopping. This time of year sees consumption and giving scale up rapidly. So do philanthropic endeavours such as donating and volunteering. We will take a look at platforms and models that mix consumption and philanthropy, examining, among other topics, whether the buy one, give one model works and shop-and-donate platforms are worth your while. Stay tuned over the few weeks and check out all the articles in the series here.
