Life stripped bare - CSR in Europe, Middle East and Africa -
CSR in Europe, Middle East and Africa » Life stripped bare
Life stripped bare
Do you know Leo Hickman and his story of trying to live an ethical life for one year? Leo Hickman works as a consumer expert at “The Guardian”, one of the main daily newspapers in the UK. Some time ago I read his book about how he tried to live ethically sound for one year together with his family. Reading this book demonstrates in an entertaining and very accessible way the challenges we as consumers face when we are standing in front of any product and want to decide whether to buy it or not.

Even the tiniest decisions we face every day can be scanned ethically for their sustainability. Shower or bath? Which kind of coffee to drink in the morning? Which dress to buy or not to buy? Take the car or public transport to go to work? Which apple to eat as a snack?

Leo manages perfectly to guide us through his daily life and decisions. Honestly I was not aware how long you actually might have to stay in the supermarket in order to finally decide what kind of coffee or fruit is the most ethical one to buy. And it’s not all just black and white. Avoiding the apples shipped from New Zealand and buying apples grown locally might actually not reduce your carbon footprint as I’ve heard recently. At this time of the year, local apples are not “fresh off the trees” but have been kept refrigerated since last fall, this increasing their footprint.

Just imagine: If there are already numerous criteria to consider when buying your daily food, how challenging is it then if you want to buy a product which you normally only buy once every five or ten years or even only once in your lifetime?

What are actually the criteria on which you as a consumer base your buying decisions regarding electronic goods? Following Leo Hickman and his ethics consultants, price should only play a minor part. It is rather the total cost of ownership such as energy use, or the sustainable material design and recycling options that count in this case.

What does it help you if you buy the cheapest product, but it is not energy efficient at all? You actually pay for this at the end and our environment pays as well. I can only recommend this book. It will provide the challenges how to live ethically but it also shows that it is possible. If everyone tries to live a bit more ethically as before regarding his or her consumer decisions, then this is a start.

I would like to know whether anyone of you has started such an adventure as Leo? What are the biggest challenges you have faced until now?

Jeannette Weisschuh, Head of Corporate Affairs , HP EMEA
Posted 09-07-2007 9:52 AM by BlogArchive
Powered by Community Server (Non-Commercial Edition), by Telligent Systems