Going Deeper

The concept of ethical consumerism has been growing in popularity over recent years. The Co-operative Bank’s Ethical Consumerism Report for 2007 stated that household expenditure on ethical goods and services had almost doubled in the previous five years and was worth £32.3 billion a year. Sales of ethical clothing were up 79% and Fairtrade products up 46%. The most astounding increase was in the sale of sustainable fish, which grew by a staggering 224%! Nevertheless, the overall figure is still only just under 6% of the total annual consumer spend of £600 billion, so there is a long way to go.

Ethical consumerism may sound trendy, but the reality is that many people’s lives depend on it, not to mention the land on which we all live. This shop category looks at the many different areas in which it is now possible to make ethical decisions when we buy something: clothing, shoes, jewellery, wooden products, cotton, beauty and cleaning products, women’s hygiene products and cars (and food and electrical appliances are mentioned elsewhere). No doubt there are other areas too and we would love to have your ideas.

For those of us who can afford it, where an ethical choice exists, that is the one that we must choose. In our globalised world we are all-too aware that James’ words to accompany our faith with our works (James 2: 17) and Jesus’ command to us to show mercy to those in need (Luke 10:37) applies to those living thousands of miles away as well as to those in our immediate geographical community. There are, of course, a myriad ways through which we do this and we now cannot ignore the fact that our shopping habits play their part: it’s great to give money to a charity, but if our shopping choices are implicity supporting a company that abuses its workers and/or harms the environment then we risk being hypocritical.

As well as looking at the different areas in which we can shop ethically, this shop category also highlights the need to reduce the amount of things that we buy in the first place. There is a danger that we switch our consumer choices to ethical, but never stop to consider our deeper habits, for the reality is that many of us are products of our consumer age and it is our consumerism that is partly to blame for the threats and problems that face our world today. Our demands over the years for increasingly cheaper goods have been met by companies who have moved their production facilities to places with low labour and environmental laws.

The aim is not to make us feel guilty but to encourage us to stop and take a hard look at ourselves and consider whether our patterns of consumerism are any different to those of our neighbours, our family members or our work colleagues, both in terms of what we buy and how much we buy. Here we have much to learn from the Sabbath principle. This lays down important principles regarding rest and trusting God. It speaks to our culture of incessant work, reminding us that our work is not the be-all and end-all and that we are not the be-all and end-all. It confirms that, rather than economic achievement, our relationship with God, with one another and with our world is at the heart of what it means to be human and, hence, is our ultimate destiny.

Matthew 6 is a passage that speaks directly to our situation. Here, the gauntlet is thrown down. What do we put our security in? Is it in God’s provision or in our material possessions? Which is more important to us? What are we investing in for the long term? Do we have an eternal perspective when we consider these things? How important are clothes and food to us? Do we ‘run after these things’ rather than the kingdom of God?

An overriding biblical theme that is so important for us to recover today is that of contentment. Consumerism makes us think that we need more and more and creates a continual dissatisfaction that is temporarily expunged by a trip to the shops. Its message is that we are not rich enough, beautiful enough or smart enough. In direct opposition to these messages, the voices of the Bible tell us to be content: ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have’ (Heb. 13:5; see also Phil. 4:11–12 and 1 Tim. 6:6–10). Contentment comes from being secure in the knowledge that money and possessions are not the focus of our lives: that honour belongs to Jesus, and when we learn the art of contentment then we learn the art of living rightly in our society today.

(This material has been adapted from Ruth Valerio’s, L is for Lifestyle:Christian living that doesn’t cost the earth)

Ruth Valerio, 10/05/2009