I have a confession to make, I do consider myself a shopaholic. There were times when I considered shopping as a therapy and many times when I buy things that I don’t actually need or use. Along the journey of curing myself, I discovered the importance of being a ‘smart shopper’, that is to shop with an enlightened self-interest. This is how I balance my urge to shop and the other side of me who is fighting for social justice.
Bono U2 in his speech for the World Economic Forum in 2006 launched the RED product. Companies like GAP, Converse sneakers, Giorgio Armani, and American Express took part. This is just an example, a part of the growing interest of the business society to have Corporate Social Responsibilities Programs (CSR). CSR can take up many forms, from producing goods like RED where some of the profit will be donated for a cause (AIDS, poverty, education, etc), doing fair trade (such as Body Shop) that promotes local economy, producing products that are environmental friendly (products that use organic cotton or recyleable containers), providing adequate benefits for its employees, or giving back to the community through community development programs or volunteering.
The power to keep the CSR movement to grow and give benefits the community lies in YOU the consumers. In industrialized countries such as US and UK, consumers now are more self-conscious in selecting the products they buy and use. A research in UK shows that consumers prefer to buy products that promote fair trade, environmental friendly, or benefiting a cause particularly AIDS and ending global poverty. Consumers have the power to endorse products from companies that support good causes. On the other side, these companies, realizing the power of consumers are giving more attention toward CSR programs that would eventually give positive contributions to the community and their own brands. The media and many organizations also give credits to companies that are implementing this enlighted self interest. Here we can see a change in the system. Guess what? its us the consumer that are making the change!
This is how I do it. I follow news regarding companies’ CSR programs. For instance, I know that “X Indonesia” have some environment projects and they are providing more benefits for the employees such as childcare. Comparing to other companies in the same field, they are doing more good deeds, so I choose to buy there products, knowing that the profit they gain could also benefits others. If the a company are selling stocks in the market, remember to review their CSR programs before deciding to buy their stocks.
It would be easier if the companies are actually promoting their good cause, like GAP with their RED products or Body Shop. But since there aren’t may companies who are doing this in Indonesia, that is how I tried to be a ‘smart shopper’. But I do know, that some products have tried things such as :”buy this for Rp.A and B % will be donated for the C program” which could also help you to make a decision.
If you want to support fair trade, you can go back to the traditional system of buying from the local market and your ‘tukang sayur’. And more companies are promoting organic food. Be proud of our products: buy local fabrics such as batik, wear accessories made by local crafters, or use locally made furnitures by Indonesia’s creative designers or artisants.
It does not says that you have to change your live styles 360, it just a matter of balancing your ways of buying things. And I do still face some dilemmas, for example I have suspected that some of my fave clothing lines might have come from sweatshop factories that give minimum pays for women with long working hours and without any benefits. How do I prove this?And if I stop buying, would that be more trouble for the labors?Well, lets just put those doubts aside, and just start taking the steps that we could do now. For now, Im just trying to discipline myself on shopping, keeping in mind of the effect to others.
With a bigger movement, maybe we do could affect the system in Indonesia and make those companies to pay more attention to CSR programs. If you are a business owner, how about trying to be an innovator of social entreprenurship?And Im not proposing on banning a certain product here, but just keeping in mind the need of enlightened self-interest that would generates a change.
PS: Check this video http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html to understand the effect of our consumption to the environment [this really inspired me to be a ‘smart shopper’ although still under the terms of shopaholic 🙂 ]
for a change 
ova ismoyo commented:
“So, it will be much wiser if we become ’smart-shopper’ in fact still in the shopacholic terms? thats interesting…, really!”
Ova, the shopaholic terms was reffered to me :). hopefully all are smart-shoppers and not shopaholics. since is not easy changing ourselves shopaholics to be smart-shoppers, the enlightened self-interest part would be a huge step 🙂 and of course a better step for smart-shoppers too!
Agree! But we have to be careful with this CSR thing. Because CSR is basically used by evil companies such as GAP, EXXON, FREEPORT, etc, to wash away their social sins (to cover their evil ass). I think it would be better to pay attention on the way they do business instead of their CSR. For instance, try to avoid buying products that was produced by sweatshops where the workers were paid very cheap and treated terribly. In the real world tho, I admit, that this is not as easy as a, b, c. I buy products from H&M or F21 for they are affordable for me, while local designers goodies that mostly were self-produced by the designers are usually expensive, by which it is not affordable for me. So the way I do it is to pick the less evil ones. I buy H&M but not Nike, I buy F21 (they lost their case in court against their workers and had to pay compensations) but not GAP. It’s like picking out our poison. Pick the less fatal ones. In the end, to me, it’s not just about not buying or boycotting products, but it’s about how we can change the system so it can be more humane.
Just my two cents :).
Btw, ini purplerebel dari FD. Salam!
thank you, purplerebel, just have to agree with you 🙂 !