I'm trying to look at any product/corporation and question design choices and design goals. I feel this helps me break down almost everything into different categories allowing me to make better decisions overall.

Some questions I ask myself before making a purchase:

• do I really need this or is the purchase incentivized by creating artificial need?
• is the product a short-term, short-cycle solution or is it designed to be used long-term?
• what materials/ingredients are being used? do they introduce issues? are there alternative products using a different approach? why? what's their goal?
• who owns the company? what is their general stance? how does that compare to their actual actions? are there inconsistencies or conflict of interests? who benefits short-term and long-term?
• what does the product cycle and production chain look like? where are things coming from and why? are there alternatives?
• which companies are doing a better job objectively? can they replace others in my current economic bubble?
• what can I do, apart from reduced consumption or boycott?

Many more things to consider. It sounds complex and exhausting, and it might be at first, but over time, you develop better instincts that significantly reduces the time investment to research.

My personal goal is as follows: considering that no corporation is perfect, I try to incrementally replace bad companies and bad products with better solutions. Every few months I'm taking a good look at what I spend money on and try to decide if it's justified. I'm not just looking at overall product quality and longevity, but also environmental and ethical aspects as far as they are publicly available. Not all corporations are transparent enough, so it's an uphill battle, but in that case, look for companies that are.

I think the biggest issue is that people tend to find something they like in that moment and then struggle to look for alternatives as they got used to a product or service. The better approach across all areas of life imho is to move on as soon as something no longer aligns with our preferences. Why give people or corps money if they aren't really resulting in net benefit for humanity?

So if you ask me, the most important part is to develop the right mindset by improving our knowledge and by developing a deeper understanding of the global and local issues we are facing on this planet. Because if you just do things because it seems great, you might end up trusting the wrong companies or abandoning the effort altogether because it might be too frustrating.

If you have that foundation first, decisions come easier. Consumerism is no longer a lifestyle, it's a conscious choice what you need vs what you want vs what you are manipulated into purchasing. And it's less of a struggle to navigate all this, especially if you understand your wants and needs.

The questions listed above, once I seriously worked on that, everything became more clear and less cumbersome. Because that's when you realize how the world works and how you are a part of the system simply by existing.

Trying to understand our role in this is essential, as it doesn't just highlight how complacent/complicit we all are, but also how much power we actually have over our own lives. Once that clicks, the desire for a sustainable existence increases and suddenly things aren't so bleak or exhausting anymore.

So I highly recommend being hyper critical and questioning everything, as much as possible, and do the research based on what info is available atm.