Conscientious Consumers

Definition:
con·sci·en·tious
kän(t)SHēˈen(t)SHəs

adjective

1. (of a person) wishing to do what is right, especially to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly. "a conscientious and hardworking clerk"

synonyms: diligent, industrious, punctilious, painstaking, sedulous, assiduous, dedicated, careful, meticulous, thorough, attentive, hard-working, studious, rigorous, particular

This is a splendiferous word…one that we use quite a bit around here. It probably has something to do with the fact that conscientious applies to everything we do here at North End Bag Company. It's the way we design and craft our products, select the materials and present them to you. But…it's time we come clean…we have a muse…it's you, the conscientious consumers of the world.  This whole vision of using sustainable, local materials and talent to make our product began as a commitment to better recognize true "value" in a world driven by consumerism. You demand more from your products. More in the way of sustainability, community, happiness, health and quality. We make our products for you.

So…what does it mean to be a "conscientious consumer?" If you ask the internet, it's a social movement that's based around increased awareness of the impact of purchasing decisions on the environment and the consumers health and life in general. It is also concerned with the effects of media and advertising on consumers. We like to simplify this just a bit. Imagine if you knew the impact your purchases had on a local community or business. What if there were a "right" way to shop and you could make your purchasing decisions based on doing the most "good?" That's what it means to be a conscientious consumer and we believe that, given the choice, people choose to do good.

First, let's define "good." Good, within the context of this post, refers to those hard-to-quantify values like community, happiness, good health and a clean environment. A good product is one that is responsibly made and, in it's making, does not hurt the environment or negatively affect the life of the one who is making it or the one who purchases or uses it. You get where we're going with this...it's not made by somebody who is working in a deprived environment and barely getting paid to mass produce the product that, in its making, is causing the environment to suffer. This is where we introduce another one of our favorite words: Value.

Here at North End Bag Company, we constantly question the value of, well…everything. Markets are flooded with this word. It's everywhere. But what does it mean? Nowadays, "value" is largely associated with the price of something. From burgers to blue jeans and cars, today's marketers would have you believe that value means paying less for something that costs more. We believe that value has very little to do with price and everything to do with a product's worth…or how "good" it is.

Keeping that in mind, we believe a product, responsibly made in the USA out of quality and sustainable materials is more valuable than one that is mass produced on foreign shores. Sounds pretty straightforward huh? It can be…

Products that only consider the price and not the full cost of what it takes to make a product "good" such as community, quality of life and the environment to name a few, may be a little more affordable, but they are missing those critical elements hence, they are not as valuable.

Interested in making a difference?  We can all do our part. Our shop is committed to this. Question the value of products and stay smart on the hidden costs of manufacturing. We found a great blog post by Heather Walrath that gave us some great tips on becoming a savvy conscientious consumer. We listed the main points but it's certainly worth a read. Enjoy and have a great week!

1. Seek out companies that give back
2. Support smaller organization
3. Shop locally
4. Buy organic items
5. Waste Less
6. Wear your heart on your sleeve
7. Purchase fair trade items