“A world of exacerbated consumption is at the same time a world which mistreats life in all its forms”
Ever-increasing consumerism and industrial patterns of production are having severe consequences for the natural world, in terms of climate change, pollution, and the reckless use of natural resources. Current levels of consumption, especially by the richest, cannot be sustained: it will be vital to realign cultural values and move towards circular and regenerative practices in the economy.
Building a Community of Care in Argentina with a Social and Solidarity Economy
Caritas Argentina is working on awareness-raising, training, and formation programs that contribute to supporting an economy that focuses on life, that keeps in mind the integral accompaniment of people in order to respond to situations of vulnerability and unemployment through 19 diocesan projects, in 10 provinces that have reached out to over 25,300 recipients.
There is a growing awareness, especially among young people but not only, of the need to build a more sustainable world. Pope Francis encyclical Laudato Si’ encourages new ideas: we are part of a whole and live in one common home where everything is interconnected. Society, economics, and the environment are intimately related and cannot be seen as isolated axes of work.
The Social and Solidarity Economy Network of Caritas Argentina is a national strategy of gathering and training, which aims to be a collective actor within the Church, capable of influencing the field of economy.
The social and solidarity economy:
- Generates workspaces
- Finds solutions to individual or community needs
- Creates networks of relationships between people, families, and organisations
- Produces goods and assets for the community
- Is a driving force for local development.
Caritas encourages and organises projects related to:
- Creation and strengthening of teams to train and accompany entrepreneurs, families, and communities to achieve sustainable initiatives over time.
- Solidarity finance that democratizes financial resources through microcredits, subsidies, and revolving funds.
- Infrastructure, equipment and logistics, providing equipment and materials to promote and strengthen the production and marketing of entrepreneurs.
- Promotion and training in trades and knowledge to boost income through production and marketing.
- Food sovereignty, supporting the production, distribution, and consumption of food, through vegetable gardens, production, and marketing of seeds, construction of tools for the production of foodstuffs, participation in the transformation of regulations, etc.
What needs to change?
We need to move beyond consume-and-throwaway systems towards circular approaches that work within ecological limits. This means reusing, recycling and sharing materials and products. Governments must do more to make companies accountable for the impacts of their activities and supply chains. They also need to help consumers make sustainable choices, for example through targeted taxation and requirements for clearer labelling on goods. Households and firms should
also take responsibility for how they dispose of their waste. More fundamentally, we must find alternatives
to GDP-based economic growth, which is the central driver of increasing consumption of goods and services.
Let’s take action
Do you feel caught up in a culture of compulsive
consumerism? What changes could you make in your lifestyle to better care for others and creation?
Every product and service has both an ecological footprint and a social footprint. By choosing our purchases carefully and responsibly, we can protect both people and planet.
How can you use citizens’ power to spur governments and the private sector to reduce ecological impacts and move towards zero waste?
Our Common Home
A guide to caring for our living planet.
A joint initiative of the Holy See and the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Together We
Discover more about “Together We” Caritas Internationalis’ global campaign that strives to foster collaboration and engage communities in addressing worldwide social and humanitarian challenges.