The Era of the “Green Consumer”

The goal of living a more sustainable life is easier said than done. However, recently the consumer market has seen an increased demand for eco-friendly products. This sustainable mindset is sweeping the nation. Consumers are learning how to be more conscious of what they buy (or reuse) and know that their consumer habits can affect efforts towards a sustainable world. 

Consumers are the deciding factor of all products on the market, good or bad. The industrial food system in the US is faced with mass demand, leading to many problems for animal welfare, human health, and our environment. Many people believe a switch to sustainable food would not meet the demand of consumers. However, it is possible to feed more people with sustainable food. The Guardian states that although organic agriculture produces “lower yields, it is more profitable (by 22–35%) for farmers because consumers are willing to pay more. These higher prices essentially compensate farmers for preserving the quality of their land.” Organic agriculture will lessen environmental costs like biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and habitat destruction that cost conventional farming lots of money to fix. 

By transitioning to sustainable farming, we can create less exhausted, fertile land that produces more eco-friendly food. Although the cost of supporting sustainable goods might be more today, ultimately the cost of cheaper non sustainable goods will cost us more in the long run. As consumers buy more sustainable products, companies will react by increasing supply to meet consumer demand resulting in less traditional, non sustainable products. As demand increases for sustainable goods, costs will come down. Of course, this process won’t happen overnight, but it is a step in the right direction. So next time you take a product off the shelf, ask yourself, what’s the true cost of the impact of this decision?