#brand-marketing — Public Fediverse posts

The Hidden Cost of Poor Branding in SME Businesses

Most SME owners think of branding as a logo and a colour scheme. Something you sort out once and forget about. But poor branding has a very real cost, and it shows up in places you might not be looking: low trust, poor conversion rates, and ad budgets that burn faster than they should.

https://creativemojo.asia/blog/hidden-cost-of-poor-branding-sme

#brandmarketing #digitalmarketing

A kind reminder…

Content Marketing? 🤔

90% Content. ✍️
10% Marketing. 📣

This is the way. 🏜️

#branding #contentmarketing #brandmarketing #advertising #digitalmarketing #marketing #cybersecurity #technology #infosec #cybersecuritymarketing

Content Marketing? 🤔

90% Content. ✍️
10% Marketing. 📣

This is the way. 🏜️

#branding #contentmarketing #brandmarketing #advertising #digitalmarketing #marketing #cybersecurity #technology #infosec

fascinating - and ignoring everything we (should) have learned about #LandUseChange, #agriculture, #water, #NitrogenPollution, #ecosystems, #HANPP and how this relates to #ClimateChange, #insectapocalypse, #biodiversity, #OceanDeadZone . Oh yes, and the cost of food as food ag competes with fuel ag for product. But sure, let's call it #Sustainable. That's why we have #BrandMarketing specialists.

Airlines Race Toward a Future of Powering Their Jets With Corn https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/30/climate/airlines-jet-fuel-ethanol-corn.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

Nobody will remember the Brand Story you didn’t tell... 😢

Each of us has a unique journey and an untold chapter. It might be your origin story, a business achievement, a customer's journey, or an innovative partnership. Our Brand Story podcasts and videos are designed to connect, engage, and inspire.

🚀 It’s Not Too Late!

Let us help you make your story resonate with every listen and view through a captivating Brand Story Podcast.

💥 Special Year-End Offer: 25% Off on Brand Story Podcast

Enjoy a 25% discount on our Brand Story Podcast program. Use the code ITSP23EOY25 at checkout.Our team is here to assist you in crafting and sharing your narrative in a way that resonates and inspires.

⏳ This Is Your Moment to shine!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Offer Valid Until Midnight on November 30, 2023

#Storytelling #BrandStory #PodcastLove #MarketingStrategy #EndOfYearOffer #DigitalStorytelling #BrandMarketing #PersonalBranding

https://www.itspmagazine.com/itsp23eoy25

Please reshare to help me get visibility.

I'm working with a company that has been receiving SERPwoo reports for tracking branded queries. They've been told that SERPwoo is shutting down operations next month. The company would like to find an alternative platform that provides reports similar to SERPwoo's multi-colored sentiment tracking. The screen capture below gives you an idea of what that looks like. These reports are perfect for brand and reputation SERP tracking.

Please do not suggest Looker Studio. Not happening.

Thanks in advance.

#seo #webmarketing #analytics #brandmarketing

How to Increase Your Brand Visibility Online in 2023 - What is the first strategy in a marketer’s mind when they need to increase their b... - https://readwrite.com/how-to-increase-your-brand-visibility-online-in-2023/ #brandmarketing #visibility #branding

AVAILABLE NOW: A collection of brand worksheets to assist any small business owner or startup founder with a roadmap of creating a brand identity for your business, product or service.
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Available here: https://tjdurham.gumroad.com/l/branding-templates-5pk?_ga=2.214633687.1783759441.1677244663-141422830.1676865561&_gl=1*ev2f5f*_ga*MTQxNDIyODMwLjE2NzY4NjU1NjE.*_ga_6LJN6D94N6*MTY3NzM2MTA1My4xMC4wLjE2NzczNjEwNTMuMC4wLjA.
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#branding #brand #brandidentity #branddesign #branddevelopment #brandstrategy #brandmarketing #creative #creativity #digitaldownload #digitalproduct #worksheet #worksheets #marketing #digitalmarketing #smallbusiness #smallbusinessmarketing #startup #startupmarketing

Boosting Your Business Using Visuals That Resonate With Your Audience - How important are visuals to a business and its brand reputation? How important is... - https://readwrite.com/boosting-your-business-using-visuals-that-resonate-with-your-audience/ #brandmarketing #smallbusiness #entrepreneur #logodesign #readwrite #branding #startups #business #startup

Strategic Brand Management: The Differentiator Between Good and Great Marketing Strategy - Brand management has always been a complicated concept, even for those who have ha... - https://readwrite.com/2021/06/18/strategic-brand-management-the-differentiator-between-good-and-great-marketing-strategy/ #brandingstrategy #brandmarketing #branding

5 questions startups should consider before making their first marketing hire - Jamie Viggiano
Contributor

Share on Twitt... - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/pa6BiynXAro/ #productmanagement #contentmarketing #productmarketing #brandmanagement #growthmarketing #brandmarketing #marketing #startups #eccolumn #echowto #column

What Brands Should Know About Twitch Influencers - We’ve long been aware of gaming’s transition from pastime to multi-billion-dollar ... - https://readwrite.com/2021/05/27/what-brands-should-know-about-twitch-influencers/ #socialmediamarketing #influencermarketing #brandmarketing #influencers #marketing #branding #social #twitch

Palm Oil Free Brands

The RSPO is a global certification scheme for palm oil that certifies palm oil as ‘sustainable’. Yet this word means absolutely nothing, as RSPO members – the biggest supermarket brands in the world: (#Unilever, #Nestle, #Colgate-Palmolive, L’Oreal, Avon, Mars, #Mondelez, Cargill, #Danone and more) all continue with illegal indigenous landgrabbing, deforestation, human rights abuses, #slavery and violence on their palm oil plantations.

This is why Palm Oil Detectives advocates for a full boycott on these global brands because of their #palmoil #corruption. Here are some brands that do not use palm oil in a variety of categories.

Until big brands stop #deforestation I am going #palmoilfree. I boycott supermarket brands/ @RSPOtweets members destroying #rainforests for #palmoil and other commodities. Join me and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/11/palm-oil-free-brands/

“Sustainable” palm oil = #greenwashing. Instead #Boycottpalmoil every time you shop. Ingredient names: STEAR GLYC PALM LAUR are generally #palmoil. Avoid these and use your wallet as a weapon! #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🪔🩸🚜🔥☠️🧐🙊 @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/11/palm-oil-free-brands/

https://youtu.be/Bd6KI1ktSuY

Palm Oil Free Sunscreens & Insect Repellent

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Palm Oil Free Haircare

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Palm Oil Free Biscuits, Cakes and Cookies

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Palm Oil Free Chocolate, Candy and Confectionery

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Palm Oil Free Sauces and Condiments

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Palm Oil Free Pet Food & Pet Products

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Palm Oil Free Cooking Oil, Margarine and Spreads

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Palm Oil Free Crisps, Snacks, Convenience Foods

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Palm Oil Free Soap

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Palm Oil Free Skincare products

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Palm Oil Free Cleaning Products

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Palm Oil Free Makeup, Cosmetics and Perfume

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Palm Oil Free Ice-cream and Frozen Desserts

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Palm Oil Free Breakfast Cereals

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Boycott Palm Oil in all seasons, for many reasons

Palm Oil Free Christmas

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Buy Palm Oil Free Chocolate This Easter

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Learn how to boycott palm oil this Halloween in America, the UK and Australia

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Want to avoid palm oil? You need a ‘palm oil free’ label

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#Australia #AustraliaAndNewZealand #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #brandMarketing #branding #Colgate #consumerRights #corruption #Danone #deforestation #food #greenwashing #Mondelez #Nestle #NewZealand #palmoil #palmoilfree #productLabelling #rainforests #slavery

Kelloggs/Kellanova

In late 2023, Kelloggs became Kellanova for their US arm. Savvy consumers have been pressuring Kelloggs for decades to cease using deforestation palm oil. Yet they actually haven’t stopped this. From their website:

‘All of the palm oil that is used in our products is sourced from a combination of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certified Segregated supply chain, RSPO Mass Balance mixed-source supply and the purchase of Green Palm certificates.’

Read more: Kelloggs website

This phrasing above means absolutely nothing. In reality, Kelloggs’ supply chain continues to slash and burn thousands of hectares of forests and release mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Kellogg’s is therefore involved in the killing thousands of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See research on Kelloggs’s palm oil sources including a PDF of their palm oil mills.

View Kelloggs/Kellanova’s recent palm oil deforestation

Data courtesy of Palm Watch, a multidisciplinary research initiative by the University of Chicago.

#Kelloggs/Kellanova uses so-called “sustainable” #palmoil yet still causes #deforestation and child slavery for #palmoil in their child-friendly #cereal 🥣 Fight back when you #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect 🌴⛔️🧐🔥https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/kelloggs/

#Palmoil used by #Kelloggs’s brands is so-called “sustainable” yet it still causes #deforestation #ecocide #extinction and #indigenous landgrabbing. Fight back against the greenwash ☠️🧐🌴🤮⛔️ and #BoycottPalmOIl #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/09/kelloggs/

Global Witness October 2021 Report: Violence and death for palm oil connected to household supermarket brands (RSPO members)

“One palm oil firm, Rimbunan Hijau, [Papua New Guinea] negligently ignored repeated and avoidable worker deaths and injuries on palm oil plantations, with at least 11 workers and the child of one worker losing their lives over an eight-year period.

“Tainted palm oil from Papua New Guinea plantations was sold to household name brands, all of them RSPO members including Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Colgate, Danone, Hershey’s and PZ Cussons and Reckitt Benckiser”

The true price of palm oil: How global finance funds deforestation, violence and human rights abuses in Papua New Guinea – Global Witness, 2021

Kelloggs makes claims of sustainability for palm oil on their website. However these claims do not match what is happening on the ground. This is pure greenwashing.
The brand has a high ranking on the WWF Scorecard and has an RSPO certification. However this high ranking is greenwashing and this mega-brand is purchasing huge amounts of palm oil from four mills that are responsible for 44% of all deforestation: Jhonlin, Mulia Sawit, Tunas Baru Lampung and Peputra Group

Source: chain reaction research

Palm Oil Detectives thinks it is wise to boycott all Kelloggs sub-brands until it has been independently verified that they have stopped 100% of their deforestation activities throughout the world.

Sign a petition telling Kelloggs to stop deforestation!

Kelloggs own a vast global empire of cereal and food brands…

The most updated list of their stable of brands from their website includes:

All-Bran®
Apple Jacks®
Austin®
Bear Naked®
Carr’s®
Cheez-It®
Club®
Corn Pops®
Cracklin’ Oat Bran®
Crispix®
Eggo®
Froot Loops®
Frosted Mini-Wheats®
Gardenburger®
Honey Smacks®
Incogmeato™

Joybol
Jumbo Snax
Kashi®
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®
Kellogg’s Limited Edition
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran®
Krave®
MorningStar Farms®
Mueslix®
Nutri-Grain®
Pop-Tarts®
Pringles®
Pure Organic
Rice Krispies®
Smart Start®
Special K®
Toasteds®
Town House®
Zesta®

More Information

The Chain: Repeat Offenders Continue to Clear Forests for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia

Wikipedia

Kelloggs

Research: Palm Oil deforestation and its connection to retail brands

Mondelēz

Despite the virtue-signalling of the palm oil certification body the RSPO, Mondelez’s so-called “sustainable” palm oil is linked to 37.000ha of palm oil deforestation since 2016 (Source: Chain Reaction Research).

Mondelez destroys rainforests, sending animals extinct and release mega-tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, and killing hundreds of endangered species. Once these animals are gone – they are gone for good. See research on Mondelēz’s palm oil sources.

Share this to BlueSky / Twitter

Serial rainforest destroyer #Mondelez 😱 uses “sustainable” #palmoil from #RSPO yet the continue with #palmoil #deforestation, #humanrights abuses and ecocide. Resist the greenwashing when you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect.bsk.social 🌎😨🔥🌴🚫 https://wp.me/scFhgU-mondelez

Maker of Cadbury, Belvita and other junk food: Mondelez uses “sustainable” #palmoil from #RSPO, yet this #greenwashing does NOT STOP #deforestation and #extinction. Fight back in the supermarket #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife 🌴🤢🔥🐒🐘🚫 @palmoildetect.bsky.social https://wp.me/scFhgU-mondelez

View Mondelez’s recent palm oil deforestation

Data courtesy of Palm Watch, a multidisciplinary research initiative by the University of Chicago.

Dying for a Cookie: How Mondelez’s palm oil feeds the climate and extinction crisis

Mondelez is on the board of the RSPO,9 is a signatory to the New York Declaration on Forests and co-chairs the Consumer Goods Forum Palm Oil Working Group. However, Mondelez continues to source palm oil from rainforest destroyers, despite its stated commitment to responsible sourcing.

Dying for a Cookie: How Mondelez’s palm oil feeds the climate and extinction crisis

https://twitter.com/RAN/status/1479603942988431362?s=20&t=SJUYW059PxqcKrw0C4tyGw

https://twitter.com/CorpWatch/status/1357782313338359808?s=20&t=SJUYW059PxqcKrw0C4tyGw

https://twitter.com/cdlxls/status/1529434857595670533?s=20&t=SJUYW059PxqcKrw0C4tyGw

https://twitter.com/Greenpeace/status/1218226457803014145?s=20&t=4ik__Eim_rKzn9kdNZrdZA

In light of this – the pledges about palm oil on their website are a massive joke

‘Mondelēz International is committed to sourcing palm oil sustainably and eradicating deforestation and human rights violations in the palm oil supply. We take this responsibility seriously.’

Mondelēz website.

Palm Oil Detectives thinks it is wise to boycott all Mondelēz sub-brands until it has been indepedently verified that they have stopped 100% of their deforestation activities throughout the world.

Mondelēz own a vast global empire of snackfood, confectionery, food and beverage brands…

The most updated list of their stable of brands from their website includes:

Biscuits

• Barni
• belVita
• Chips Ahoy!
• Club Social
• Enjoy Life Foods
• Honey Maid
• Kinh Do
• Mooncake
• Kinh Do Fresh Bread
• Lu
• Lu Petit Beurre
• Mikado
• Nabisco
• Newton’s
• Nilla
• Nutter Butter
• Oreo
• Premium
• Prince
• Ritz
• Tate’s Bake Shop
• Tiger
• Trakinas
• Triscuit
• Tuc
• Wheat Things

Beverages

• Bournvita
• Clight
• Tang

Meals

• Philadelphia
• Royal
• Sottilette

Chocolate

• 5 Star
• Alpen Gold
• Cadbury
• Cadbury Creme Egg
• Cadbury Dairy Milk
• Cadbury Dairy Milk Eclairs
• Cadbury Eclairs
• Cadbury Roses
• Côte d’Or
• Freia
• Lacta
• Marabou
• Milka
• Toblerone

Gum and Confectionery

• Halls
• Trident

More Information

The Chain: Repeat Offenders Continue to Clear Forests for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia

Wikipedia

Mondelēz

Research: Palm Oil deforestation and its connection to retail brands

#Belvita #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #brandMarketing #Cadbury #confectionery #deforestation #extinction #greenwashing #HumanRights #Mondelez #PalmOil #palmoil #productMarketing #RSPO #snackFoods

The Counterpunch: Consumer Solutions To Fight Extinction

Although the world is highly complex, every person can make a difference. That previous sentence almost sounds like a cliche right?

Really it’s not. If every person on the planet made a few simple lifestyle changes, it would result in less demand on land and resources and soften the impact of deforestation on endangered species.

The most powerful thing every one of us can do is to #Boycott4Wildlife and boycott the brands that are destroying the forests for palm oil, wood and soy.

Here are a few other changes you can make which collectively can save the natural world.

The Counterpunch: The easy consumer solutions that fight animal extinction and deforestation #activism #Boycott4Wildlife #minimalism #anticonsumerism #extinctionrebellion

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Change your diet to be plant-based

Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction. Whether or not you should become vegan is beyond the scope of this website. The choice is yours to make. However, there is overwhelming evidence that if every person changed their diet to be plant-based and reduced demand for meat, we could end deforestation, pollution and stop the mass extinction of thousands of animal species.

Industrial food production is a major driver of the planetary environmental emergency. Food systems are responsible for 21 to 37 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, 70 per cent of water use and 80 per cent of the pollution causing eutrophication and marine dead zones.

Human rights could address the health and environmental costs of food production, David R Boyd, The Conversation, September 2021.

Biomass is the collective weight of living animal species on the planet:

60%: The animals that humans eat: meat and dairy

36%: humans

4%: Wild animals

This is pretty gross really. If we don’t change this imbalance, firstly all of the wild animals will die (which we are seeing right now), then the forests will die and then the entire planet will die, including humans because there will be no more oxygen to breathe. According to experts, this will happen within the next few decades.

Soy, followed by palm oil used in animal feed are some of the biggest causes of tropical deforestation on the planet

[Source: Global Canopy & Trase Insights]

https://twitter.com/GlobalCanopy/status/1382291305833828357?s=20

The Counterpunch: Go plant-based

We live in a culture that celebrates meat-eating, it will take quite a lot of effort for some people to unlearn this. That is understandable. Wherever you are on the journey, even making some meals plant-based can make the difference to forests and wildlife.

Foodie inspiration

It is possible to make mouth-watering, indulgent, healthy and absolutely amazing food in your own home, all without hurting any animals, or the forests.

Will Yeung

Easy, quick vegan Asian fusion dishes.

https://youtu.be/u9_DONN4ohE

Pick up Limes

Quick, healthy and vibrant vegan dishes.

https://youtu.be/KvJOZE15e3s

Get savvy about green-washing marketing tactics by retail brands

Brands love to virtue-signal about how green they are. They use PR-friendly phrasing which make them sound amazing, but these words mean absolutely nothing in terms of real action.

• “We are committed to ending deforestation by xyz”
• “We have started on a journey towards xyz”
• “We engraved our brand name onto a tree in the Amazon…”

This is also known as green-washing. As you have seen on this website – there are very few truly sustainable multinational retail brands that are not destroying the earth in some way or another. A good place to start looking for brands who may be doing the right thing:

• B Corporation
• The Rainforest Alliance

However, be aware that there is no real guarantee that any brand is sustainable. Be suspicious of green ticks of approval or websites with overly flowery language to describe environmental activities. Be vigilant for new information about brands. Subscribe to news from independent watchdogs of (palm oil, wood, soy, meat) deforestation such as:

• Chain Reaction Research (CRR)
• The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
• Greenpeace
• Rainforest Action Network (RAN)
• You can also subscribe to Palm Oil Detectives

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The Counterpunch: Find Alternatives

When in doubt, look for small-to-mid sized local retail brands that you can liaise with directly yourself to find out about their policies. Shop at independent supermarkets that support these brands and that source ethical products.

Understand: The RSPO and WWF Palm Oil Scorecard are yet another form of green-washing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK3wWLMtSy4

The WWF Scorecard allocates a high, score to multinational brands that have not yet stopped deforestation activities in their supply chain.

Recent research from industry watchdogs indicates that retail brands with ‘No Peatland and No Deforestation (NDPE) policies for their palm oil are still buying from mills destroying forests. This means that whatever ‘sustainable’ RSPO certified palm oil label is attached to their brand – they are clearly responsible for large-scale species extinction.

https://twitter.com/ClimateAdvisers/status/1358883363000639488?s=20

So far, no palm oil industry watchdogs have been able to give Palm Oil Detectives any confirmation of any brand using deforestation free palm oil – even despite major brands such as Nestle, Ferrero, Unilever and Mars supposedly using ‘sustainable’ palm oil and obtaining a high rating on the WWF Palm Oil Scorecard.

These brands are complicit and responsible for the destruction of 38,000 ha of rainforest last year alone and the disappearance of 1,000’s of animal species forever.

Ergo – RSPO certification is a form of green-washing.

But perhaps we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet!

If the RSPO can tighten its rules under pressure from consumers, it may actually make a positive difference to the forests and the animals. Consumers want all brands in the RSPO to stop 100% of their deforestation activities – right now. You can do this by joining the boycott and using the hashtag #Boycott4Wildlife

Oversight of the RSPO by independent authorities is critical to make sure big retail brands who are the big polluters and destroyers of the natural world are held to account. Consumer boycotts of supermarket brands are also critical to force the hand of change.

The Counterpunch: Boycott! Boycott! Boycott!

Using this website, you can boycott all of the brands responsible for deforestation, until they agree to stop destroying forests.

Once there is evidence (provided by independent sources: Greenpeace, Environmental Investigation Agency, etc) that deforestation has ceased – then, you will be able to find an updated list of deforestation-free palm oil brands here. But only once these brands are proven to have stopped cutting down forests.

Not promised, not talked about, not virtue-signalled…but fully ceased deforestation!

The Counterpunch: The easy consumer solutions that fight animal extinction and deforestation #activism #Boycott4Wildlife #minimalism #anticonsumerism #extinctionrebellion

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Shop local and look for small-to-mid sized brands

Often (not always) small-scale SME businesses have better oversight of their supply chain. They can therefore give clear and definitive answers on where their ingredients come from and where their packaging comes from.

Shopping to support a local business means you support the local economy, rather than a nameless, faceless corporate giant.

When in doubt – reach out to the brand over the phone or in person. You should find it relatively easy to reach a flesh and blood human being and to have a conversation about deforestation free palm oil. If they are doing the wrong thing, rather than boycotting straight away, consider pressuring them initially to change to deforestation free palm oil or another oil source that is also deforestation free, often smaller companies have the ability to pivot quicker and change suppliers than larger companies.

I’m a Palm Oil Detector boycotting @Nestle @Unilever @Ferrero @Mars @Avon @Loreal because of their #palmoil #deforestation Join the fight! #Boycott4Wildlife

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Buy wholefood ingredients and cook meals instead of buying convenience foods

Benefits

• Healthier for your body, gives you more energy and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
• Often (not always) cheaper than convenience foods.
• Cooking from ingredients means you know exactly what you’re eating.
• If you buy plant-based, your food choices aren’t hurting the forests and the endangered species living there.
• Boycotting the deforestation palm oil in your convenience food benefits all of the animals.
• You won’t be exposed to the harmful additives in convenience food that you can’t pronounce.

Break up with your stuff

Donate, sell and giveaway your excess stuff. Take the Marie Condo approach and live better with less. The stuff you own can end up owning you. Once you are rid of it and learn to live with less, there is a huge amount of freedom in this way of living.

Jettison your petrol-guzzling car

Ask yourself…do you really need a car? Can you just use an Uber instead and have an ebike for getting around? The next time you buy a car, can you buy an EV instead of a petrol-guzzler?

Audit all of the stuff you own

There’s no reason why every household on our planet needs a power drill, a hair dryer, a juicer, several TVs, expensive sporting equipment that’s used once and then stashed away. Instead you could always ask someone in your local area or your neighbourhood if and when you need to borrow something. Sharing things you rarely use instead of buying them helps to lower the pressure on natural resources.

Join the Sharing Economy

Live simply and join a community of people where you can borrow things, as and when you need it, rather than owning things outright. It saves on space, saves you money and it helps to slow down deforestation.

Trading websites are great for this. You help your local community and also

New Zealand:

TradeMe

Australia:

Gumtree Australia

USA:

Craigslist

Freecycle USA

UK:

Gumtree

Freecycle

Limit your exposure to advertising and surveillance with open-source software

When you rid your daily life of ads, it becomes easier to avoid feeling pressured to constantly buy furniture, tech, snack foods and all of those traps of modern life that are destroying rainforests.

Instead you can look after your privacy and limit your ad exposure with these open-source alternatives to Big Tech. The Big Tech companies buy and sell every aspect of your personal life to advertisers. Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google and Amazon are the worst for this.

Here are some alternatives:

Signal: Free state-of-the-art open-source private messaging for mobile devices and web. Used by whistle-blowers such as Edward Snowdon. A fully private alternative to Facebook-owned WhatsApp.

Ecosia: A Google search engine alternative that will plants trees the more you use the search function.

UBlock Origin: A free, open-source ad blocking browser extension that works in Firefox for both web browser and mobile device. It can also block ads on Youtube when you view videos in Firefox.

Proton VPN: Free and paid versions allow you to use a fully encrypted VPN tunnel that ensures your passwords and data stays safe. It keeps your browsing history private and data is stored securely in Switzerland. It protects the identity of activists and journalists in countries where they may be at risk.

Protonmail: A free open-source email service that provides complete privacy. Designed by CERN Scientists in Switzerland who were motivated to create a fully secure email service. Data stored in Switzerland which has one of the strictest data privacy policies in the world.

Linux: A free open-source computer operating system. An alternative to Microsoft Windows and Apple. It has a small learning curve to use it but this is 100% worth it. The documents you create and store on a Linux computer are fully private, whereas for Microsoft and Apple operating systems, this is not the case.

Beware of tech FOMO

Tech FOMO (Fear or Missing Out) means being sucked into marketing to buy the latest iPhone, smart watch or smart TV. In accordance with creating this demand, tech companies also ensure that tech is designed intentionally to fail after only a few years, so that consumers are forced to buy new products.

This sneaky trick is known as ‘Planned Obsolescence’. Apple and Android (Google) is the worst for this.

Technology is deliberately very difficult to take apart, repair or replace parts inside of mobile phones, tablets and computers. This forces consumers to purchase a new phone or new computer. This has a terrible impact on the natural environment, as more components for tech means more deforestation and mining and more animal extinction.

The same practice occurs in fast-fashion and furniture. The practice of planned obsolescence by brands is highly unethical and unsustainable for the environment and the animals that live there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

The Counterpunch: Learn how to be a hacker, a fixer and an Inspector Gadget

Instead of giving in to consumerist FOMO and buying the latest iPhone or gadget; look to websites like Make Use Of, IKEA Hackers, The subreddit on Hacks, Tinkernuts on Youtube and Wikihow to learn hack, fix and reconfigure all of your tech, furniture and personal items and say ‘up yours’ to the greasy machine of commodification. Learn more about how to stop obsolescence.

Buy less clothes

Fast fashion is a mode of clothing production that is very cheap due to low labour costs in third world nations. Aside from the huge human rights issues with clothing production done in this way, fast fashion also has a devastating effect on the world’s natural resources. Consider that it takes nearly 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pair of jeans. According to one UN report:

The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally and it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans.

United Nations: putting the breaks on fast fashion.

The Counterpunch: Reduce your clothing purchases

The good news is that you can contribute to slowing the pace of fast fashion by buying less clothes and buying clothes in biodegradable fabric like cotton, tencel or hemp. Before you hit ‘Buy Now’, ask yourself:

• Do I need these new clothes or shoes or are the ones I own still OK?
• Why do I want this item? Did I see an ad or see an influencer talking about this item and it made me want it?
• Bookmark the page and then revisit the website in a week’s time. If you still want the item of clothing, then perhaps you should get it. Often we are held hostage by momentary urges that go away after a short period of time.
• Am I feeling sad or frustrated or depressed? Is there something I am trying to escape by purchasing? Often we buy things to cheer ourselves up. This rarely works for more than a few hours, then you’re back to feeling sad again but with an emptier wallet.

A good place to start looking for fashion brands which may be sustainable is the B Corporation directory. You can filter your search to brands in a particular industry and part of the world.

Let me know what you think of these ideas, I hope you like them!

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