Bad Advice on Ethical Living

Put your fingers in your ears and go "na na na!" when you hear these things.

If there’s one thing we’ve got lots of these days, it’s advice.

Wherever you look - online, among friends, and certainly with family members - advice, both the solicited and unsolicited kind, seems to abound. From social media influencers and “online platforms” which have taken the place of magazines’ agony-aunt columns to well-meaning colleagues by the coffee machine, there is always somewhere to turn for tips.

Especially so when it comes to ethical living - so many tips are floating around out there, it can be hard to know what really is and isn’t worth listening to. I’m hardly the world’s leading expert, but as someone who’s been working in the ethical lifestyle space for over a decade and had countless trial-and-error escapades in the world of sustainability, here are some things that I personally believe to be Bad Advice.

Go plastic-free

This is, in theory, not an incorrect piece of advice - it’s just that it is in the same realm as "end all fossil fuels" or even "stop polluting". In our society, the way it looks today, going plastic-free is nearly impossible. Plastic is so, so deeply entrenched in our day-to-day that for the overwhelming majority of us, attempting a plastic-free lifestyle isn't going to be attainable, which is one of the reasons why the zero-waste movement has quieted down over the last few years. When we attempt to entirely eliminate plastic from our lives as individuals, we are setting ourselves up to fail. Plus, in some cases, going plastic-free can come with its own set of environmental issues.

Better advice: Cut down on single-use plastic. Or better yet, urge companies - your favourite fashion brands, your supermarket, your local restaurants - to cut down on their use of it. If just one supermarket chain loses single-use plastic, that is likely to make an infinitely bigger difference than individual people struggling to eliminate every tiny lid, bag, and sleeve from their lives.

Pretty flowers! Now that I’ve got your attention: please stop following this bad advice

Buy "better" meat

Another impossible one, but for different reasons. Simply put, there is no such thing as "better" meat, at least not from an animal-rights perspective. Undercover investigations from around the world have shown that, quite simply put, certifications and labels that promise "better" meat and other animal-derived products are nothing but marketing schemes, put in place to make consumers feel better - not animals. From the Red Tractor scheme to Happy Eggs, horrific conditions continue to emerge from “humane” facilities, showcasing again and again why “better” meat, eggs, and dairy is a lie. And even if it really were better? It’s not, but if it were? All animals go to the slaughterhouse whether they came from a “certified” farm or not, and a horrifying, premature death awaits every single one of them.

Better advice: Eat less meat. The "better" meat is the meat that is replaced by plant-based options. Obviously my advice is to go vegan, but if you aren't ready then start by cutting back. And don't double up on fish, dairy, and cheese - substitute with beans, lentils, peas, tofu, tempeh or other vegan options instead.

Boycott all companies that do something wrong, even if they also do good things

I remember when KFC launched vegan fried chicken. Lots of sensible, pragmatic vegans were happy about this and supported the initiative by buying the product. Other vegans saw this as a chance to get upset that KFC was still, well, also selling meat.  The same happened when fashion brands such as Gucci and Versace banned fur. Forward-thinking vegans praised this decision, while a small minority complained about leather. To these people, nothing but going fully vegan overnight was good enough. This is wishful thinking - the world isn't going to change from one day to the next, and the best we can do is hope for small, gradual increments that build up to a wave of change. And when those small steps come, we must celebrate them. Change can only ever come gradually. Nothing else is possible.

Better advice: Support those companies! Shout from the rooftops about progress. That doesn’t mean we should stop pressuring them to do more - we definitely should. But progress is a sign that they can. Baby steps become toddler steps that then become teenager steps and full-on grown-up huge leaps.

Stay away from controversial activism, you might upset people

I work for a controversial animal rights organisation and often take part in actions such as this and this. I am sometimes asked whether I believe that this is truly effective, as these actions are so divisive. I'm always a bit baffled by that question: why would I be taking part if I didn't believe the action was effective? To answer this question, let's go back in history: when has social justice ever been a quiet, pleasant, agreeable pursuit? All effective activism has a divisive side, too. From the suffragettes to various anti-racism movements, change has never been purely about being nice. Don't get me wrong - sometimes "nice" is exactly what's needed, like in the case of the vegan chicken above. But it has to be balanced out with hard-hitting activism, which there is definitely space for. 

Better advice: If you are upset by controversial activism, sit with that for a second. Ask yourself if the reason why the protestors are protesting isn't even more upsetting? Then get upset about that instead. And act on it.

Wear “natural” fabrics like wool and leather

I’d like to argue that “natural” is a greenwashing term. Its meaning has been completely watered down. While wool and leather might technically be natural fibres, the way they are produced is highly unnatural. Breeding millions of sheep and cows on the huge scale that we are currently doing is anything but natural. Millions of lambs dying from exposure and starvation isn't natural. Treating skins with a variety of chemicals for durability, causing workers to die from the chemicals, is unnatural. Releasing 50 collections per year is unnatural. We live so far removed from nature that appealing to it only when it suits us is laughable.

Better advice: Buy less. Make your clothes last. Ditch trends and wear what you like. Stop trying to emulate what celebrities are wearing. Find your personal style. Love your clothes, treat them like the good friends they are.

Even more pretty flowers and yes, this advice is still BS

Declutter! Be minimalist!

Being more minimalist is great advice. But only if it applies to buying less. Many consumers are only eager to declutter so that they can buy new, more “sustainable” objects (the irony of acquiring new "ethical" items when the ones you already had were perfectly fine!). Getting rid of what we already have, without good reason and in irresponsible ways, is not a sustainably minded move. And any decluttering advice should come with a caveat on responsible discarding. Minimalism isn't good for the planet if it involves lots of things going to landfill. And donating to charity shops isn’t always the good deed you think it is (buying from charity shops is, though!) - over-donating might result in your unwanted stuff being sent to the Global South, where it disrupts local industries. If the items aren’t of sellable quality, they can end up in landfill.

Better advice: Cherish the things you have. Declutter responsibly - donate sparingly, re-sell, re-gift, recycle in various ways.

You’ve got it by now, right? Good.

“Invest” in overpriced luxury clothing, it's more ethical than fast fashion

Right. Except when it involves human rights violations, cruelty to animals, and environmental destruction. Far be it from me to advocate for fast fashion (I stopped buying it years ago), but it’s clear that when it comes to ethics, there isn’t much difference between high-end and high-street brands. Luxury brands keep getting awful ratings for everything from greenhouse-gas emissions to animal welfare, reminding that a soaring price tag isn’t a guarantee for better production. Very commonly, when you fork out a month’s salary for a bag, you’re simply paying for a brand name, not ethical manufacturing.

Better advice: am I a broken record here? Buy less. Sorry, but that’s what it is. Shop less, whether it’s luxury or low-cost. Cutting back on consumption is the only thing that will stop fashion from destroying the planet.

If you do X you must also do Y otherwise you're a hypocrite and wouldn't that be the worst thing in the world

Big reveal: we are all hypocrites.

Every single one of us.

It is impossible to be 100% coherent with every single value and never step out of line. I am a hypocrite. I've been vegan for twelve years and very much identify as an activist, however I still shop at Amazon and take lots of flights (and despite also labelling myself anti-capitalist, my biggest dream is…to have more money, so I can take even more flights).

If you dig deep enough, even the most righteous person has something, somewhere in the intricately woven fabric of their lives that isn't entirely saintly. Society isn’t built to allow us to be perfect selfless activists, and while we are working to change it, we must remember that we are only human. And this shouldn’t only apply to yourself but also your friend who still shops fast fashion. Your partner who won’t go vegan. Your mum who drives everywhere. If all of them also recycle, celebrate that instead of nagging about all the things they’re getting wrong.

Better advice: Do better where you can. Accept that you're imperfect. Encourage yourself and the people in your life to do better, but cut yourself - and others - some slack.

Good advice

…because there is some of that around, too.

Eat less meat and dairy. This might be the single biggest thing you can do to help the planet.

Take fewer flights. Am I going to? I honestly don’t think so. But it is good advice.

Shop second hand. Perhaps the most fun piece of advice on this list. Thrifting is truly a joy.

Support small brands trying to make a difference. Support doesn’t have to mean shopping. Share on social media, spread the word, tell your friends.

Donate to organisations working for a better world. Or volunteer with them.

Become an activist. Don't let the fear of not being perfect stop you.

And, well, buy less.

All photos by me