Frugal Shopping - Making Room for Principles (Part 1)

This post inspired me to ponder a bit on whether, and how, should people stick to the fair-trade-ethical consumerism in case we are financially on the edge.

I've always been a responsible shopper. I try to research not only the brands, but the shops/supermarkets I buy my stuff at, favour bio/ecological production and check where the stuff comes from (that being said, I still have this special brown sweater from Promod that's been made in Burma - as a memory that I should pay attention). However, just a few weeks ago I've been kneeling in front of a supermarket shelf, trying to chose between three brands of chocolate spread - one "bio", another "fair trade", but finally buying the one that cost 97 eurocents.

The answer to the question - can I shop ethically in these dark times - depends on our budget, but just in part. Theoretically, we can always buy less things and pay an "ethics" premium on what we do buy, but eventually we arrive at the point where costs cannot be cut any further - especially if you have children to feed (I don't). However, there are less expensive ways to be a responsible consumer.

Our shopping needs, barring the big items such as houses, cars and like, can be roughly divided (in terms of how often we shop for them) into groceries, essential household items (many of which are chemicals, such as cleaning solutions), fashion, and bigger household items such as electronics or furniture. Every big group can be divided into subgroups, and I don't think that you can even theoretically commit to fair trade everywhere, but you can take a number of small steps towards ethical consumption in each and every group:

• check your supermarket - this is probably the most important thing. Why should your fair-trade money support a shop that behaves like this (OK in this case the shop's commitment is more than questionable). Thanks goodness we do not have that monstrosity in Belgum. Even if you do not, or cannot buy fair trade, you should stay away from "unethical" supermarkets. This and this pretty much means me staying away from LIDL, and this made me cautious about ALDI - maybe I should write to them and ask to keep their suppliers in check. OK, you still need cheap stuff, but now virtually all supermarkets feature their own economy brand. Somehow, I've been unable to find any dirt on DELHAIZE, and I quite like their "365" brand, which, regardless of delhaize's pricey reputation, is occasionally the cheapest choice. Of course, choosing the most reputable of affordable supermarkets does not guarantee that the suppliers/manufacturers behave, but it does make a difference in terms of who cuts prices by exploiting employees. It is a good idea to check your favourite supermarkets on the Internet, and if you are serious about ethical consumptions, you can write them - please do something about the problems reported by so-and-so, otherwise I'm taking my hard-earned-money to someone else;
• groceries: take solidarity to the local level! Fair trade is essentially there to support developing countries, which makes it quite pricey. If you cannot afford it, think if you can support local producers instead - hey they're in recession just as you and me! If it makes you feel better, just tell yourself that you are choosing environmental concerns (think of all those "food miles") over development concerns just this year. And stick to the seasonal foods - better chance to snatch them cheaply;
• groceries (and maybe other items): check if there are any subsidies producers near you - I found this farm that employs handicapped people (and therefore qualifies for some government subsidies); their bio-veggies basket prices start from 8 Eur, as opposed to the 36.90 bio-basket you can order otherwise. I plan to visit the farm this week, and will tell you all about the prices!
• groceries: don't ignore the markets. OK there are a number of concerns with open markets, but I just don't think they are worse than discount stores. Yesterday I made substantial savings on meat at the Clemanceau market, and there are some local producers' stalls at Midi market that are quite a bargain. Come late, and you can snatch unbelievable discounts:
• household chemicals - again, you can chose environmental concerns. I did buy some powdered Marcel soap for less than 3 Eur/kg, which is very kind to the planet and relatively kind to my wallet; Ecover delicate at 4.23 for 22 washes is not exactly cheap, but a good value for money and still cheaper than Woollite (I love Ecover all-purpose cleaner by the way, but the upholstery/carpet cleaner was too foamy for my taste). Again, there are cheaper solutions, so what I did was to buy something cheap for my main laundry and use this Marcel soap for my wool/silk - not 100% Eco, but hey at least I did something (carrefour own brand for wool/silk would still be cheaper). I am also learning to use white wine vinegar for my stainless steel surfaces - if you live ecologically in some parts of your house, it makes you feel better about that cheap toilet cleaner!
• fashion - OK, here is a big one. Clothes need to fit, feel good, be comfortable and appropriate. They also need not to come from sweatshops. The big thing to remember though is that high price tag does not mean it was produced in fair conditions. My problem with buying clothes/footwear/bedlinen is that I might know what to avoid, but can never make a "safe" choice. The ultimate authority in ethical fashion shopping, the Clean Clothes Campaign, admit that there is no whitelist. The solution can be found by either checking your favourite brand on their website or consulting their reports. Just in time for winter sales, the Belgian chapter of CCC released a free report on a number of fashion brands. I can also recommend the report on the leading UK high street brands;, however, it's a couple years old, so you might want to check the companies' page of the CCC website for the updates. And stay away from clothes produces in China, Burma or other countries with known human rights issues! Regardless of what cause they support, you are not helping by endorsing the status quo;
• Electronics and larger stuff - I don't really have a solution here other than check the shop, check the brand, and try to re-use as much as possible - if you are revamping your shelves (I did!), use some eco-friendly paint if your budget stretches to it.

Finally, try to view fair-trade stuff as your "karma bank" - you don't have to buy a fair trade chocolate bar and live without fresh veggies, but if you have some of your groceries' budget left, go get some free trade rice or coffee - you give to the others, and you will be given in return - good karma is what's essential in recession.

That's all. Check back tomorrow!