Journal

A product can be made in Britain under poor working conditions. A product can be made in Bangladesh by workers employed in a factory that offers better pay and safeguards than many alternatives available to them.

We tend to talk about water scarcity as if it is a natural tragedy, something caused by drought, heat, or bad luck. But that framing is too small. Water depletion is not just a climate problem.

Mental health and physical health are deeply intertwined and increasingly, research is showing that the way we live, eat, rest, move, consume information, and relate to one another has a profound effect on our emotional wellbeing.

Greenwashing no longer shocks anyone. It doesn’t look like an outright lie. It doesn’t feel like deception. Most of the time, it arrives softly—wrapped in the language of care, progress, and responsibility. A muted colour palette. A leaf icon. A promise to do better and a big claim.

We want to trust that “ethical” means justice — that a company selling goods labeled as ethically produced is uplifting workers, paying fair wages, and protecting human dignity. We hope that when we buy something labeled ethical, we are voting for a better system, not just consuming another product.

We are told we have power. That every purchase is a vote. That our wallets can change the world. That if enough individuals make the right choices, markets will respond, corporations will adapt, and the system will slowly correct itself.

People care about the environment. They care about slowing down climate change, defending social justice, protecting animals, and treating others with kindness. But caring has become exhausting.