Should we say "sustainably sourced" instead of "ethical?"
Here’s a conversation topic I see going around the oddities communities:
“We don’t say ‘ethical’ anymore because ethics varies from person to person.
Just say ‘sustainably sourced’ instead.”
To me, this just trades one problem for another.
Imagine if I tried to sell you a skull, and you asked if the product was ethical.
Understandably, I might say “everyone’s ethics are different, so I can’t answer that with a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”
What I should say, IMO, is what I know about the skull as it relates to ethics: Did I kill it for the skull? Did I kill it for another reason? Did I pay someone to kill it for the skull or another reason, or did I or someone else find it dead already?
Now imagine if I shushed you, told you that thinking about ethics is dumb?! And I declared, “Instead, we say ‘black-owned business!’”
Now, imagine I had zero clue who the business owner was. Imagine I don’t know or care what the phrase “black-owned business” means. But I thought the rule was “just say stuff that sounds good,” and that sounds good, so I said it.
You should reasonably be annoyed that I haven't answered your question, and I could actually be misinforming you at the same time.
To say “just say it’s sustainable” means that the seller doesn’t have to know or care what that word even means. It's an opinion at best. Case in point:
This fur seller posted this statement:
[Image ID: Etsy (tagged) Real fur is natural, sustainable, biodegradable, eco friendly, and BIODIVERSE!]
How can a real fur product be biodiverse?
“Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world.”
How can your product be biodiverse? Is there…a thriving, diverse ecosystem living on each coat…?
It looks like the seller of these products is just stacking words that sound good. None of these claims are proven or supported by unbiased evidence, by the way.
I don't really begrudge sellers for greenwashing since everyone in every industry does it, nor do I begrudge consumers for falling for it, since that's the point and no one has the time to deeply research everything they buy. However, if you're a little more conscious in the oddities/dead animal parts laws field, or you sell a lot and care about ethics and sustainability, I'd like to pose this issue: IMO, "sustainably sourced" means barely anything more than "ethical."