With the approach of the holiday season, now is the perfect time to begin planning what gifts you’ll be purchasing for friends and loved ones. There are so many sales going on around you and commercials advertising the latest goods, which makes It so easy to simply purchase jewelry, games, clothes, gadgets, and candy as the standard holiday gifts. However, sometimes, a more personal touch is required that shows a lot of thought and care. This type of gift-giving mindset is where ethical gifts come into play this holiday season.
What are ethical gifts?
Ethical gifts are items that you can purchase for friends and loved ones that come with a bonus donation to an organization or charity, that are a donation to an organization or a charity, or are purchased from a company/shop that is fairtrade or ethically-made. Ethically-made items are crafted by people who are being paid fair wages and being treated humanely. Whether you choose to donate in someone’s name or you still want to purchase a gift from an ethical company, there are plenty of options to choose from.
Why give ethical gifts?
Ethical gifts are able to provide a deeper sense of charity and giving back to the community for those who are socially aware. Most of us go shopping for clothes, shoes, and accessories without realizing how many people it took to make these items. Many fashion items aren’t crafted in our own country by well-paid employees. Instead, these fashion items are crafted in another country in poor working conditions with no breaks, no time off, and by women and children in poverty who will make a pittance of money per hour.
When you purchase and give an ethical gift, you are giving the gift of humane treatment, of living wages, of charitable donations, and of social awareness. While other mainstream gifts may have a cheaper price tag and be more convenient to obtain, there is a larger unseen human cost to those cheap products. For every dollar that you save on a piece of fashion, a woman or a child in another country is paying full price for that piece of fashion with their time, suffering, and misery. Purchasing ethical gifts is a way to support humane treatment of factory workers, employees, and families. Supporting the ethical market sends the message that treating workers and the environment well is important, which can hopefully prompt more companies to adhere to ethical standards.
In addition, ethical gifts can also benefit wildlife. There are many products on the market that will donate a portion of their sales to wildlife preservation organizations. You could even purchase a donation in someone else’s name that would go towards an endangered species protection organization. Every dollar you spend on an ethical gift is a way of exercising your power as a consumer. As a socially aware consumer, you are telling the corporations that you will not tolerate inhumane working conditions or the unethical exploitation of women and children factory workers.