November 3, 2009

We’re all familiar with the term 'buyer’s remorse' -- a regretful response to making a purchase that is either too expensive or was a bad judgment call. Consumers may now add 'eco-angst' to the list of psychological maladies that may strike on a shopping venture. Unlike buyer's remorse, an individual issue which takes hold on a personal or family level, the anxiety produced by eco-angst, defined as "the moment a new bit of unpleasant ecological information about some product or other plunges us into a moment (or more) of despair at the planet’s condition and the fragility of our place on it" may have a global affect on consumerism and manufacturing.

Conscientious consumers are now faced with plenty of guesswork when it comes to making purchases. Those wishing to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle must sidestep greenwashing and research the ingredients of products and the ecological impact of a company's manufacturing process as well as their labor practices. Buyer's remorse may soon be alleviated by eco-angst as people start investing knowledge in what they want to acquire long before handing over their money.

Luckily, websites such as GoodGuide.com and the Environmental Working Group's Skindeep.com (and of course, my website inhabitat) arm consumers with more information than they may ever need about a product's toxicity or safety level as well as a company's social and environmental performance and impact on natural resources. Good Guide even has an iPhone App so there's no excuse for a greenie to have buyer's remorse brought on by eco-angst.

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Jill Fehrenbacher, Article, Inhabitat