According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2018 the average Australian earned somewhere between $1,100 and $1,600 per week. That amounts to earnings upwards of $3,000,000 over a lifetime of employment. That's a fair chunk of money that each person spends, and the folks that sell us stuff are perpetually watching our spending habits and shaping their products and services accordingly. With almost every purchase, we essentially vote for what kind of products we want the world to be making - it's the old supply and demand cycle. The more people buying fair trade products, the more the market will shift to fair trade supply chains. And the same goes for our investments too - like superannuation funds. In reality, most people have no idea where their super is currently being invested - and so they may be unwittingly financing corporations that are doing things they really don't like. They may well have shares in a company that provides terrible working conditions, has bad environmental credentials or is manufacturing harmful products like tobacco or weapons.
Spending and investing our money in companies or products that have a good record on people and the environment are effective ways of helping the poor, because the poor are the most vulnerable to unfair work conditions and the environmental damage caused by manufacturing processes. Using your money ethically encourages international companies to do the right thing while also ensuring that the products you have purchased are creating fair opportunities for people like those Amos Australia is passionate about helping.
Spending and investing our money in companies or products that have a good record on people and the environment are effective ways of helping the poor, because the poor are the most vulnerable to unfair work conditions and the environmental damage caused by manufacturing processes. Using your money ethically encourages international companies to do the right thing while also ensuring that the products you have purchased are creating fair opportunities for people like those Amos Australia is passionate about helping.
