Compassionate Consumerism...!!!

Compassionate Consumerism is the phenomenon of conscious purchasing of products and services that are believed to have been made compassionately i.e. with no harm or damage done to humans, environment etc. However, it is more commonly known as Ethical Consumerism and generally involves the ethical treatment of animals for products and services.

Unethical treatment of animals rose towards the beginning of the 20^th century and today animals are cruelly exploited for a variety of commercial ventures which include entertainment, cosmetics, personal care, household products, food as well as pet trade. To counter this, the purchase of products from ‘Green Label’ companies i.e., companies that do minimal or no harm to the environment, animals, etc. in the manufacturing of products, must be encouraged.

Illegal pet stores have cropped up all over the country to meet the demand of the middle and high class. Here keeping exotic animals as pets is very ‘in’ but unfortunately they are kept in a filthy and inhabitable environment and are treated merely as tools for profit. It is a despicable practice and must be prohibited.

The fashion industry is perhaps the most insensitive as every year more than 50million animals are killed in the name of ‘fashion’. Animals in slaughter houses and farms spend their entire lives confined to cramped, filthy wire cages. Fur farmers use the ghastliest and most inhuman killing methods available like suffocation, electrocution, gassing, and poisoning. There is no excuse for wearing animal products, as many fashionable and comfortable alternatives to fur, leather, silk, wool and fibers are available; the most popular being “Faux Fur’. This is any material made of synthetic fibers designed to resemble fur. It was first introduced in 1929 and has been commercially available since the 1950s. However its increasing popularity has been credited to its promotion by animal rights and animal welfare organization such as PETA. It has become increasingly trendy, so much so that celebrities have been seen sporting it on award ceremonies as closely scrutinized as the Oscars. It is a conscientious and compassionate alternative for fur.

Organizations such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) operate under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment or use for entertainment. They educate policymakers and the public about animal abuse and promote an understanding of the right of all animals to be treated with respect. They focus primarily on the areas in which a large number of animals suffer the most.

PETA’s investigative work, public efforts, research, animal rescue operations, legislative work, special events, celebrity involvement and international media coverage have resulted in tremendous improvement in the quality of life for animals and have saved the lives of innumerable animals. These organizations are prime examples of why we need to stop.

“IN THE END I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT COMPASSION IS THE UNDERPINNING EMOTION OF HUMANS. IF ALL ACTIONS ARE BASED ON COMPASSION, THEN THE WHOLE WORLD CAN BE CHANGED, AND NOT TOO JUST IN TERMS OF ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS”