‘Planet over Profit’
If ever I’ve seen an environmentally friendly brand that truly aligns with its owners’ personal values, it’s Ballo. Alistair believes strongly in ‘planet over profit’ and its evident when you chat to him that he lives by this and it’s not just some tactical marketing angle.
Value and ease of purchase are still the main drivers of purchase decisions, but sustainability is becoming a bigger factor. I do believe that the mindset and awareness of some consumers is changing, and they are becoming slightly more conscious of their purchasing decisions, just not fast enough.
Are you a conscious shopper? Can you name more than one environmentally friendly brand?
Perhaps we should all start checking the labels on fashion items as we do on the food we buy.
Did you know that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world?
Ballo uses upcycled and recycled materials to reduce and reuse waste, and hire local talent instead of using automated machinery, not only creating a platform for skills development but also employment.
And even better, they plant a tree for each pair of sunglasses sold. Besides the fact that the sunglasses are super durable, Alistair even goes as far as to say that he would rather repair the sunglasses if they break instead of having customers replace them with a non-sustainable product.
Check out their amazing on-trend styles, ranging from wood, cork and hemp sunglasses.
I’m blown away by their creativity and their african fabric designs are just genius.
They have eco friendly products such as bags, masks, hats and clothing too.
Click to browse: Ballo Instagram Facebook
Choosing products consciously starts with education. Make a little time to do some homework about the brands you’re supporting and the industry that’s creating them.
A great resource I came across was https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts which explains step by step what you should consider and why.
Remember that as a consumer, you have the power to control how an industry operates by changing how you chose to spend your money.