Very complicated topic.

- Only a fraction of chemicals are tested for their impacts

- FDA doesn’t regulate many cosmetics, even those suspected of being harmful

- Example Chemicals: Fragrance, flavoring (natural & artificial), sulfides, phthalates, phosphates, chlorine, BPA, POP, PAH, PFAS, hormones, PFAS, chlorine and halogens, VOC…

- Example Production Processes: Tanning of leather, whitening of virgin paper, production of some plastics, chemical reaction with other products (e.g., the container)

• Off-gassing: A product releases gaseous chemicals. This can happen over a long period. 

- Planned: Companies engineer products to break quickly, causing consumers to buy more

- Perceived: Consumers consider their product out of date despite functioning (e.g., fashion trends)

- heavy metals

- nutrients

- air pollutants

- nonpoint source water pollution

- point source water pollution

- Conflict minerals

- Labor trafficking

- Child labor

- Factory farming

- Waste pickers

- Saviorism (Sometimes seen in social enterprises, when a company "rescues" rather than empowers communities)

- Used to prevent infections in animal

- Overuse is known to breed drug-resistant bacteria

- Makes antibiotics pass to humans

- New emerging communicable diseases from animals

Problems

• Deforestation

• loss of pollinator and plant diversity

• large scale pesticide use

• practices that degrade the soil

Common monoculture items

• corn

• palm oil

• bamboo

• soy

- All around, the best approach if possible.

- Downside is safety. For example: leaded paint in toys, expiration dates, industrial strength (breakability),  accuracy of information

- Enables companies to track the lifecycle impact of their goods and conditions for employees

- This can be impossible to fully report in some industries and companies (ex: electronics supply chains are very complex, making it difficult for companies to fully trace the origins)

- Some reporting may be misleading or incomplete (ex: “cage free” could refer to a very small time)

- Stakeholder owned and cooperatives ensure the profits go directly to the workers

- Fair trade (see certifications), the most popular sourcing approach, may have drawbacks. For example, some people in areas without fair trade might not have any better alternatives.

- Fewer wasted parts with modular design

- Durable parts can more readily be upcycled

- Must still properly dispose of finished parts (see recovery and end of life sections)

- Beware of planned obsolescence, where it may be difficult to find replacement parts

- Look at manufacturer’s warranty- longer warranty often indicates confidence in their product

- Some companies have policies to donate money to a charity or cause

- This can require scrutiny to determine if the charity is reputable and the company’s commitment is deeper than a surface-level

- Generally, means food was created without GMO seeds, synthetic fertilizer, or synthetic pesticides

- Traditionally sustainable practices like crop rotation are more common (not universal) in organic 

- Links between organic and health benefits are weak

- Organic has lower ecotoxicity but more land use than conventional agriculture

- Organic pesticides/herbicides/insecticides are toxic, just like synthetic ones (a toxin is a toxin 🙁)

- Organic goods can be lower quality or have a shorter lifespan

- Smaller scale organic farms often use more sustainable farming practices than large scale organic farms

- Other agriculture practices to look for: Regenerative

- Absence of animal or animal-derivative ingredients or products

- Lower resource footprint like water, climate, and land use

- Less potential for antibiotic resistant bacteria

- (In food) Less exposure to persistent organic pollutants and greater energy transfer efficiency

- Fewer animal welfare concerns

- Greater waste if parts are discarded. For example, the non-vegan United By Blue upcycles discarded leather.

- Grows with less effort and resources overall

- Often cheaper (a rarity in sustainable shopping!)

- Also, look for “ugly” produce

- Often organic and seasonal

- Supports local community

- Often handmade, more traceable, and careful practices

- Not as big of an impact on climate as other options like reducing animal products

- It can still have issues; for example, sugar cane burning in Florida and hog farming in North Carolina 

- Despite the versatile possibilities, most commercial GMOs are breed either to be resistant to insecticides or to increase the plant’s inherent toxicity to insects

- GMOs overall will have an important role to play in adapting to climate change and development

- GMOs are highly regulated in the U.S. and are generally safe for human consumption

- In some cases, the GMO may be safer than traditionally bred crops

Concerns

- Glyphosate is the major environmental/social concern with GMO

- Incidents of allergic reactions, although rare, have been reported

- Accidental pollination and breeding with undesired plants such as weeds

- Refuse

- Reduce

- Reuse

- Refill

- Repair

- Recycle

- Rot