This blog is part of the exhibition ‘The Close to Home show, displayed from March 18 – September 14, 2024 in the Oude Kerk Delft. This blog can also be read without having visited the exhibition. (For Dutch click here)

Why do I write this? If you have visited the exhibition, you might think: ‘But what can I do? Can’t I buy anything anymore?’ I don’t want to leave you feeling powerless. In this blog, I’ll share some advice and some lessons on living consciously that I’ve learned myself. I am not going to give you a list of brands you should consider choosing (and there are too many brands to name – really). It is better to start at the beginning: contributing to a world of justice begins by choosing, consuming and living consciously.

The exhibition is explicitly linked to modern slavery. This blog will deal with a wider spectrum, as a lot of problems are intertwined. That might make things confusing, but it comes with an upside: some solutions are applicable to multiple problems at once! Through choosing and buying, you can have a lot of influence.

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Be aware of your voice!

Modern slavery is, as the exhibition shows, deeply connected with the products we consume every day. Changing that, requires changing our entire system of production and consumption. That is a huge and almost incomprehensible challenge. Fortunately, we can start small: through the votes we cast.

You vote every day. How? By deciding what to spend your money on. What do you buy? What brands do you choose? By making those choices consciously, you can vote for companies that try to make the world a better place.

As each of us is just alone, can we, as individuals, make change happen at all? Yes, we can! Did you know that a huge company like Coca-Cola would go bankrupt if, for just a day, no one would buy their products? As consumers, we hold power – even more so if we unite. By uniting our demand for fairly produced products, we stimulate producers to make that happen. Uniting our individual voices, our cry can be loud.

Changing your behavior as a consumer is an important step, but there’s another vote you can cast: the political one. What political parties want to fight modern slavery? And which parties couldn’t care less?

And what about signing petitions or taking it to the street? Those are also ways to make your voice heard. If you’re angry about injustice, you may made that heard of!

Remember: yes, you’re alone – but it starts with you. No one can press the magic button that changes the system at once. Change begins with individuals becoming aware of the voice they have, the conscious choices they make and the bonds they form doing so.

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Do I really need this?

There’s a panacea that can cure both modern slavery and the climate crisis: buying less. That might be done easiest by not asking yourself: ‘Can I afford this?’, but: ‘Do I really need this?’

Do I really need an extra pair of jeans, or do I have enough? Do I really need a new phone, or can I use the one I have two more years? Do I really need a new dress for that wedding I am attending, or can I borrow one? Do we really need a second car, or could we also take the train more often?

If I ask myself questions like these, the answer is almost always ‘no’. That’s quite confronting, to be honest – if it were only because buying something new can be fun. However, if you like to vary in the clothes you wear or the furniture you have, buying something new is not your only option. What about borrowing, trading, making something yourself or buying secondhand?

Below, you find the ‘Piraminder’ (based on the ‘buyerarchy of need’ by Sarah Lazarovic). It provides some steps you can take before buying something new.

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Once you become aware of the many possibilites, buying something will no longer be the only option you have. Below, I’ll shortly discuss the other options.

  • Use what you have & repair | Using what you already have: it won’t get more sustainable than this. Is it broken? Often, you can use it for several more years if you choose to have it repaired. Visit a local Repair-café (which is free) or befriend the local tailor!
  • Share, borrow or trade | Do you need something? Chances are your neighbours have it! There’s lots of stuff you only need once in a while, so borrowing them will save you storage space. Did you know that there’s not only libraries for books, but also for clothes or toys? And check out platforms like Peerby, that allow you to borrow (or lend out) stuff.
  • Second hand | Almost everything can be found secondhand. By doing so, you’ll prolong the life of a product and prevent a whole new process of production (including modern slavery) from starting. On top of that: it’s more sustainable!
  • Make yourself | There’s so much you can make yourself – ranging from laundry detergent or food to toys and clothes. It might take more time, but it provides satisfaction in return. Do mind the origin of the materials you’ll need.
  • Buy | Do none of the options above work? There’s always the possibility to buy something new – preferably as fair and sustainable as possible. Below, I’ll discuss this some more.

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If you really need something

Did you ask yourself whether you really needed something and was the answer ‘yes’? Then you’ll find some advice below on buying as conscious as possible.

  • Determine what’s important for you | There’s a lot that can be taken into account when buying something new. For example: what were the working conditions during production? Was the process sustainable? Did it involve animal suffering? Or does a product have certain quality marks? Sometimes, those go hand in hand, but that’s not always the case. Sadly, it’s possible to buy a T-shirt that consist of sustainable materials but is produced by people suffering in slavery. That’s why you should determine what’s most important for you, and choose brands accordingly. In this blog (which is in Dutch), you’ll find ten points of advice.
  • Know your style | Simple, yet very effective: know what you like. This increases the chance you’ll use a product for a long time and have it repaired when it’s broken or damaged. If you know your style, you’re also less prone to follow all sorts of trends (which only serve to make you buy as much as possible anyway).
  • Choose quality | Whether it’s bikes, jeans or bricks: choose quality. The value of a new product depends on your use of it. Ask yourself: will I use this often? In time, an expensive product that you use a lot will be cheaper than an inexpensive product that bores you quickly.
  • Aks questions | Ask questions to brands (for example in their stores) and ask about the origin, the circumstances of production and so forth. This will not only give you more information, but also make store personnel aware of those issues. Just send Shell, Zara etc. an e-mail and ask for transparency!

Be kind to yourself (but not too kind)

Choosing and consuming consciously can seem to be quite a challenge. However, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so you don’t need to make your life perfect in one day. Even more, with the current systems in the global West, it’s almost impossible to do so. So: take your time to make the changes you need to make, but don’t be too soft on yourself. Challenge yourself, look for alternatives, copy others, make mistakes and do better next time.

Wil je op de hoogte blijven van wat ik doe? Volg me op Instagram en LinkedIn of schrijf je in voor mijn nieuwsbrief!

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