From Mindless to Mindful: The Conscious Consumer Starter Pack
As women, most of us grew up socially sensitive. Studies have shown that teenage girls, probably for self-protective and adaptive reasons, are very constantly aware of their social position and what others are doing. There is so much we could unpack with those findings, but our fascination focuses on how this has impacted our decision-making, and how we are programmed to want more. We only need to look at the history of the last century to understand where this comes from.
Are we driven by desire over necessity? Desire became the fuel for overconsumption during the post-World War 2 society when goods transitioned from wartime luxuries to readily available commodities. With increased disposable income, people sought out items previously scarce or unavailable. This created a more permanent cultural shift towards consumerism, where owning and consuming goods became symbols of status and success.
It wasn’t long before businesses realised the only way to continue profiting was to push consumer demand through advertising and propaganda. Until the mid-seventies, men predominantly held the majority in the workforce, as women were largely considered best suited for domestic chores such as shopping and household care. During this period, women became the primary target demographic for most marketing, even for products intended for male use. This focus on women as consumers ultimately led to them shaping market trends.
Fast forward to today, with our increasing dependency on technology, we are all constantly bombarded with advertisements. We’re in the height of the TikTok influencer era, Amazon’s one-click buy, and an almost always available next-day delivery option, making mindful consumption even more difficult to encourage. Not to mention, products are cheaper than ever.
Forgiving yourself
Most of us will have suffered from buyer’s remorse: that sinking feeling after a regretful purchasing decision. Typically, it stems from our inevitable resentment for choosing cost over quality. For the ethically conscious, we extend our frustration to our purchases’ contribution to fast fashion or involvement in an exploitative supply chain.
If you think you’ve made some bad purchasing decisions, we believe everyone can look into their wardrobe, makeup drawer, or bathroom cupboard, and still see the remnants of mindless choices made in their late teens and early twenties. We were not intentionally turning a blind eye. We were just completely and utterly sheltered. Our understanding of the world in our younger years was the reality we lived day-to-day. Other realities feel so out of touch that they can seem fictional. We simply never thought to ask, “Who makes these and where do these come from?”.
Of course, we are embarrassed to admit our ignorance. We wish we knew what we know now much sooner. Our advice to those who feel so much guilt and shame towards their previous actions is, to forgive yourself. Most of us don’t actively seek out the problems in the world in our youth. We’re inquisitive beings when we’re young but we don’t wake up every morning looking for reasons to be hateful, sad, or angry. Ignorance is bliss but not all ignorance is with intent.
There is also something to say about our view of right and wrong as we grow up. We are taught to see the best in people. Marketing (before we knew it was marketing) made us believe that businesses were bright, shiny, purpose-led communities of people who provided a product or service that would make our lives better. We trusted them to be inherently ‘good’ companies, and ‘good’ companies ensure human rights, and the prevention of environmental destruction… right?
So how do we move forward as consumers who want to consume better?
Well, the first thing is to do nothing.
You’re probably thinking “Sorry, what?”. But really, the answer is to firstly, do nothing. Use what you have already. The less you buy, the better, and if you’re going to buy anything new, the first thing to ask yourself is, “Do I need this?”. If you’re being honest, the answer is probably no. Most of us only need a few things to keep us functional, which is why DELAH advocates for slow, consciously curated living. Investing prematurely into products you don’t yet need is directly contributing to the overconsumption problem. Use what you have. Then, invest in better options.
After you’ve exhausted the use of any product, the next step is to look for a sustainable and ethical alternative to invest in. Being critical about the items you use every day teaches you to be more critical about the less frequently used or perhaps bigger investments you will make in the future. Tackling one area of your belongings at a time proves less overwhelming and gives you more time to research brands.
To help you begin your journey, we’ve compiled a list of sustainable alternatives that will change the way you think about the products you use, considering their functionality, cost, and overall impact. We also show how each swap minimises your footprint and can save you money over time. See our Conscious Consumer (CC) Tips for practical ways to implement new mindful habits associated with products.
The Conscious Consumer Starter Pack
We cannot begin a Conscious Consumer Starter Pack without starting with a water bottle.
Why? The average person uses 150 plastic water bottles per year in the UK, and according to environmental scientists, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Besides environmental issues, the cost per plastic water bottle could be anywhere between £1 - £5 depending on where you purchase from.
A reusable water bottle is one of the easiest ways to reduce your plastic waste and to keep you hydrated on the go, with clear cost savings. Founded in 2010, Chilly’s are the OG’s of the reusable industry. Their Original Bottles are our personal preference for everyday use, but for a more active lifestyle, their latest Series 2 Flip Bottle is best for intense workouts. With over 40 designs to choose from, and the option to customise your bottle, Chilly’s have something for everyone.
CC Tip - If you’re ever enticed by a 'meal deal’ for cost savings, always opt for refreshments in packaged tin cans, such as DASH Water.
Regardless of how often you shave, it can take up to 1000 years for one disposable razor to biodegrade in landfill. It is also estimated by the US Environmental Protection Agency that 2 billion plastic razors are thrown away each year. Unfortunately, though modern razors were first made entirely of steel, the plastic handle was introduced in the early seventies, as a cheaper alternative for manufacturers and disposable use.
Since most razors cannot be recycled because they are made from mixed materials, we are left with minimal options.
Thankfully, FFS Beauty offers a personalised razor subscription that, upon initial purchase, includes a reusable handle, and recyclable blades. We have been using FFS for years now, and cannot recommend them highly enough - we still use the same handle, blade protector, and travel case, and have also found their blade recycling scheme incredibly easy.
When you first think about minimising your impact on the planet, you probably don’t immediately think about changing your laundry detergent. The fact of the matter is that traditional detergents are laden with harmful chemicals which pose a threat to our ecosystems. Not only can laundry require up to 13,500 litres of water per year for the average family, but each time you run the washing machine, it can release over 700,000 fine plastic fibres into the environment.
Wilton London is Marie Claire’s 2023 ‘Best Eco Laundry Brand’, whose mission is to make effective cleaning products without planet-offensive ingredients. Designed by perfumers, their fragrance collection is divine, not to mention beautifully packaged in recycled and recyclable materials. Made with clever plant-based ingredients that are tough on dirt and help repair the natural fibres of your clothes, their detergents are vegan, cruelty-free, and B Corp certified.
CC Tip - Above all, we must wash our clothes only when we have to, on cold water cycles, and in full loads using plant-based detergents.
It’s hard enough to have to deal with ‘that time of the month’ to always consider the impacts of the products we use for it. The truth is that single-use menstrual products contain plastics and chemicals, including artificial absorbents, fragrances, dyes and chlorine bleach. After use, most of them end up in landfills where they can take up to 500 years to decompose. Do we really want to be putting unnatural ingredients in and around our bodies?
Whilst Saalt’s period pants and menstrual cups are a fantastic alternative to the traditional sanitary pads and tampons, they aren’t always suitable for trips away, or nights out. TOTM’s range of organic cotton period care is GOTS and B Corp certified, cruelty-free, and vegan.
We promise to move away from the bathroom after this one…
Toilet roll. Again, not what you immediately jump to change for a more ethically responsible brand. We will refrain from getting into too much detail here but traditional toilet paper can actually become an insoluble pollutant, resisting wastewater treatment and adding bulk and chemicals to sewage sludge. To lighten the impact, bamboo, sugarcane and other alternative pulp sources offer more environmentally friendly options.
Therefore, our go-to brand is Who Gives A Crap, which is made from 100% bamboo and recycled toilet paper. It’s important to mention here that when they say ‘recycled toilet paper’, it’s made from 100% recycled post-consumer paper, aka recycled school and office paper that’s already in circulation. Fear not.
Though the company’s mission wasn’t initially environmentally driven, 50% of its profits are donated to help build toilets in developing countries which you can read more about here.
The disposable coffee cup crisis causes 6.5 million trees to be cut down to produce the 16 billion paper cups we use each year, as reported by The Guardian. The cups are then plastic-lined, which if composted, contaminates the finished compost with microplastics and potentially toxic chemicals.
Why not BYOC and implement Frank Green’s philosophy of being frank about living green? The brand’s mission is to stop single-use plastic completely and, most persuasively, they have created beautifully designed, premium coffee cups to be reused over a lifetime.
CC Tip - Quite a few independent coffee shops offer discounted hot drinks when you bring a reusable cup so make sure to ask the barista.
This wasn’t considered so much as a necessity until the last decade, but phone cases have become important for the protection of our increasingly expensive tech gadgets. The problem lies in the design of the phone cases and how fashion fuels the desire to change up your case with each trend, many of which disregard the protective element altogether.
Each traditionally made phone case is roughly 20 grams of plastic, and each blended plastic case takes 500 years to decompose.
Welcome the Wave Case. Made from wheat straw, the Wave Case is designed to be biodegradable. There is a 2mm lip for camera and screen protection and has also managed to surpass a military-grade drop test, which, if you were wondering, entails 26 continuous drops onto a hard surface. Their designs are simple yet timeless, with several colours to choose from.
Which everyday item have you swapped for a more sustainable and ethical alternative? We’d love to hear from you!
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