- Sustainable Queen
TOP 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES.
Buy from small businesses and support big dreams. How powerful is this statement?
We can add to that, “How sustainable this deed is”!
Not only are you supporting someone’s big dream, but you are also doing an act of good for that person, their family, your local economy and your planet.
The reasons why you should buy local are by no means exhaustive. @sustainableliving_ig has listed the top 10 reasons why you should support local businesses.
1. You’re enabling artisans to make a living from their passion
Buying local allows passionate people to make a living from their work. Be sure, an artisan will put all his heart into making you the most beautiful product which you won’t get into any mass-produced commercialised product. Moreover, beyond their incredible skills and know-how, it is above all the passion that is felt in their work and that will give this unique side to your purchase.
2. You’re boosting your local economy
Beyond the products of irreproachable quality and the rich human encounters, to make live the local craft industry will thus allow contributing to the economic development of our territories.
Moreover, this will help create jobs, allow the perpetuation of rare skills thus contributing to the circular economy.
3. You’re doing good for our environment thanks to local crafts
Making the choice to buy an artisanal product, and moreover, made in “my country” is becoming a real citizen act, even a trend with the #hastag #supportlocal.
Indeed, it is becoming more and more important for people to place the environment at the heart of their consumption. Consuming products from local artisans reduces the distance between the place of manufacture and the place of sale. Who says less distance equals less transportation thus less carbon footprint, less gas emissions and less waste. In addition, by choosing artisans who source their raw materials responsibly, you avoid wood from deforestation or other products filled with chemicals whose impact is extremely harmful to the environment.
4.You’re contributing exponentially giving more than the price you pay
When you support small businesses, the benefits are unlimited. Not only do you make a person’s dreams come true, but you help their family, their communities, their town or their village. Plus, you help their country grow and their economy work from the inside, and what a valuable contribution to our planet!
No matter how much you pay for a product, you always give more than you actually pay. Your purchase supports someone’s dream, pays their bills, puts a meal on their plate, provides shelter, sends a child to school or helps a family in need.
Buying local is about giving back.
5. You’re purchasing products that are aligned to your values
When you buy locally, you have more visibility into what is being made and used. In addition, you very often benefit from a closer relationship with the customer, which allows you to discuss the why and especially the how. You can also provide feedback that is very often more likely to be considered because, again, customer satisfaction is what the artisan cares about. The local craftsperson will strive to ensure that your purchase matches your sustainable values.
6.You’re encouraging effort and hard-work
Have you ever wondered how much work went into your beloved dress, t-shirt or bag?
Buying from local artisans encourages effort and hard work. You can’t imagine the time, learning, knowledge, research, struggle and creativity they put into creating this product for you. All those emotions, from imagining, to marketing, to finalizing the final product, all the way to the final sale of the item. Yes, that’s what you encourage and support.
7.You’re limiting your contribution to mass production
Supporting the local industry is also supporting the local economy! Indeed, when you will buy products made by artisans, these artisans will then reinvest this money in the community, creating a more sustainable local economy. Not only the artisan makes a happy dance when you buy from him but his family, your local economy and the planet. Instead, you encourage ethical and eco-friendly production.
8.You’re limiting your contribution to unethical labour and abuse
Whether it’s slavery, child labour, or animal abuse, the list goes on and on when it comes to mass production for large-scale companies. By supporting local businesses, you are limiting your contribution to these unethical forms of labour or abuse that typically occur as, instead, you’re committed to eco-responsible purchasing.
9.You’re empowering local entrepreneurs
Our society and educational system shape us to work for the system and others to contribute to the growth of multimillionaire’s and large-scale businesses. Every time you shop with local entrepreneurs, you are empowering the individual, the movement and reaffirming the fact that people have the right to engage in building their own business, to live their dreams to the fullest, to know that they can do it themselves and that the bumpy road of being an independent is worth it.
1o.You’re allowing know-how to be perpetuated from one generation to another.
Know-how is not only taught through books!Local artisans have rare and unique skills that you won’t find anywhere else. Sometimes, it is a family affair whose know-how is passed on from generation to generation. By buying local, you put forward these human values, know-how and transmission. you revalorize the local craft industry and therefore, give the power back to those talented craftsmen.
The harsh reality of our society’s economy is not always in favour of local businesses. Indeed, it may be cheaper to consume products industrially manufactured in foreign countries. Faced with these many disadvantages including armful materials and inhumane manufacturing conditions, wouldn’t it be wiser to buy handmade products?
On top of that, you’re making the most of your money while contributing to an act of towards your fellow human being, your local economy and your planet among so many reasons listed above.
So, what are you waiting for to buy from local businesses?
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