Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1503366
80 ASCP Skin Deep Summer 2023 adyu by Lucielle Salomon It's no surprise that today's business world is highly global and often characterized by long, linear, nontransparent value chains, making traceability, ethical practices, and sustainability challenging. These are the same issues that have prompted a growing interest in localism, which urges consumers and businesses to purchase or collaborate with locally owned, independent companies to promote local identity. These efforts reflect people's personalities rather than being a cookie-cutter approach where everything looks the same or is "place-less." 1 Localism connects people and creates community, says Tom Sullivan, vice president for small business policy at the US Chamber of Commerce. When people embrace localism, they reconsider their relationships with their employers, merchants, neighbors, and environment. It prompts businesses to reevaluate their value exchanges, hopefully simplifying certain aspects since geographic proximity often means stakeholders share cultural and communicational denominators. This rapidly growing movement is accompanied by heightened concerns about the environment and the need for the conservation of natural resources. 2 It has brought sustainability into the mainstream for consumers and organizations, driven by a rise in conscious consumerism. Younger generations of consumers are increasingly seeking ethical choices that are authentic and locally and sustainably made as a way to support a community's businesses and traditions. The COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted the importance of localism and sustainability. According to a 2020 Boston Consulting Group survey following the COVID-19 outbreak, of more than 3,000 people across eight countries, "nearly 95 percent of respondents said they believed their actions could help reduce unsustainable waste, tackle climate change, and protect wildlife and biodiversity." 3 When consumers were forced to stay in their communities during the height of the pandemic in 2020, the localism trend was accelerated by circumstance. More people than ever learned to care about sustainability and the provenance of consumer goods. For Leia Rodas, esthetician and owner of Organic Skincare by Leia in Tampa, Florida, embracing her community was one of the most critical practices to