Circular Mindset: A Guide for Consumers Making Sustainable Choices

The world we live in is experiencing a growing environmental crisis, with natural resource extraction tripling since the 1970s. This calls for conscious efforts from governments, businesses and consumers to adopt a circular mindset and tackle the issue at the root-level. With a circular mindset, consumers can drive businesses to adopt circular practices and promote growth.

In this blog, we are going to discuss some of the ways consumers can adopt a circular mindset and make sustainable choices:

The Power of Consumer Demand 

Developing a circular mindset requires understanding product life cycles which helps us make more informed decisions about what we purchase, use and dispose of. Sometimes it is not easy to find products that align with all these practices, but even small steps toward sustainable choices can make a difference.

As consumers, you hold power to drive change in the market and encourage businesses to adopt circular practices. This can signal businesses that there is a demand for environmentally friendly products and encourage them to adopt circular practices, such as recycling, repurposing, and reducing waste. 

According to a recent report by Bain & Company, over 60% of Indian consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. Also, another report points out that around 74% of consumers globally are willing to pay more for products with sustainable packaging.

Seeing this trend in consumer demand, top fashion brands like Levi’s, Zara, H&M and more are shifting to sustainable practices like recycling & upcycling products and using bio-based materials. 

How Consumers Can Drive Change

As we move towards a circular economy, consumers need to adopt a circular mindset and make sustainable choices. Here are some tips for consumers to make sustainable choices:

• Prioritize reusable and durable products over disposable or single-use items. This will help to reduce waste and conserve resources.
• Support local and small businesses that promote circular economy principles. This will help to create a market for sustainable products and services.
• Look for products that are made from recycled or sustainable materials. This will help to reduce the demand for virgin resources and promote resource efficiency.
• Be mindful of your consumption habits and try to reduce your overall consumption. This will help to conserve resources and reduce your environmental impact.

Sustainability or Eco-Friendly Product Certifications to Look Out For

Apart from these, consumers with a circular mindset can also look for environment-oriented certifications or labels purchasing any products. These certifications or labels are becoming increasingly important in helping consumers make informed choices when purchasing sustainable products. Here are some of the top certifications and labels used for Indian businesses: 

• Ecomark: Issued by the Board of Indian Standards (BIS) since 1991, Ecomark certifies consumer products that are environmentally safe. This includes products like appliances, textiles, forest products, organic food, cosmetics, etc.
• GreenPro: This certification is granted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to help environmentally conscious consumers make a greener choice when purchasing products like industrial equipment, technology, green building materials, etc.
• India Organic: India Organic – National Program for Organic Production (NPOP) is a labelling standard used by the Government of India to certify organically farmed food products. It ensures that the certified products were produced only through organic agricultural practices without any chemicals.
• GOTS: The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) aims to unify the current and draft standards in the garment industry. It covers the raw material processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution of textiles.

Final Note

Implementing a circular model successfully depends on consumers with a circular mindset, who are willing to drive change for a sustainable future. This will prove beneficial not just for the environment, but also for economic growth and job creation.Thus, it is time for you as a consumer to embrace the circular mindset and make sustainable choices that will drive change in the market, and subsequently the planet. Want to learn more you can do to drive the circular economy? Follow this article today.