Shopping
The choices we make when shopping can have a significant impact on the environment. We can lessen this impact by making environmentally friendly choices. And as consumers, the choices we make can influence and inspire individuals and businesses to change as well. Demonstrating that we want sustainable options helps to create demand for them.
Farmers' Markets
Buying produce at a time of year when it would normally grow means less energy use, less transportation and less refrigeration.
Visit CERES Fair Food to find out which seasons are best to buy your favourite fruit and vegetables. Buying your fruit and vegetables in season also means you’re more likely to end up supporting locally produced food.
You can also visit:
Ethical shopping
Use the Shop Ethical! guide to learn how companies score on environmental and social criteria. Knowing the good and bad of common brands’ supply chains means you can make a more informed choice when making purchases.
Good On You
Good On You is a brand-rating system for the fashion industry. It assesses a brand’s impact on important social and environmental issues. This provides you with the power to make choices that are better for the planet, people and animals.
Limit your plastic use
Try to avoid single-use plastic items when shopping such as plastic bags or takeaway coffee cups. This will help reduce the amount of waste we produce and limit harmful effects to the environment.
Plastic Free July has a comprehensive guide of alternatives to different types of plastic products.
Reusable and eco-friendly alternatives
There are many reusable and eco-friendly products available to help you reduce waste and lessen your environmental impact.
These are just some of the stores that stock reusable and eco-friendly products:
Sustainable Salons
Sustainable Salons is a social enterprise that helps salon members reduce their impact on the planet by diverting up to 95% of salon waste from landfill.
You can find a sustainable salon here.
If your favourite salon isn’t listed, let them know you’d like them to become a member.