Looking to become a more Environmentally Conscious Consumer? Here’s how:
Invest in reusable shopping bagsThough the availability of plastic bags from stores has decreased significantly in the UK, there are still many vendors who offer them. In fact, even the ‘bag for life’ from the bigger grocery stores is made of plastics. Plastic bags can take up to 500 years to decompose and threaten many species.
If you want to become a more environmentally conscious consumer the simple solution to this is to use reusable cloth shopping bags. These bags last a lot longer and are a much more eco-friendly choice. We’ve heard many people talk about how they buy these bags but often forget to bring them on shopping runs. Quick tip from us? Always keep them in your car or by your front door. Anything which will make it hard to ignore really!
Stop buying bottled water
Bottled Water? It’s not for you, the environment or your wallet. In terms of its impact on the environment - it’s not biodegradable, requires fossil fuels in production and creates plastic problems for marine ecosystems.
Want to be more environmentally conscious? Just get a refillable water bottle. The UK interestingly has several free taps around the cities to avoid using plastic bottles. If you’re ever stuck and don’t know where to get your next Refill from, there’s a helpful app which can lead you to a free tap!
Bulk buy food
Buying food in bulk has many advantages. It’s a super cost effective choice which can help save money over time. It’s even more important for the environment though. How does buying in bulk help the environment? Where do we start! Firstly, buying in bulk guarantees less packaging material which can help reduce the carbon footprint. Secondly, bulk buying cuts down on transportation needed for delivery helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
A key thing to bear in mind when buying in bulk is not to buy in bulk what you can’t consume. Food waste is a huge contributor to waste in total so it’s important when buying in bulk to buy what you can consume. If you’ve got a deep freezer to pop your items in to consume when needed, great! If like us, you live in a city and don’t have much space, be mindful when buying in bulk.
Buying in bulk can lead to you becoming a more environmentally conscious consumer. It might take some time to get used to this practise but once you start, you’ll be reaping the benefits of bulk buying in no time!
Shop second hand
Your consumption doesn't have to necessarily drive up production. From flea markets to thrift stores, second hand shopping can help the environment in so many ways. The most obvious benefit of second hand shopping? It reduces waste. By buying something used, you’re saving it from reaching the landfills which reduces environmental damage thanks to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions and chemical discharge. Also, by buying something that has already been produced, you’re reducing the need for retailers to produce more. Production of each and every new item has a drastic impact on the environment with pollution taking place at every step.
If you're thinking buying second hand isn’t easy, think again. There are many stores across the UK as well as online second hand shops selling amazing products. Whenever you buy a second hand item, you’re giving it a new life. Remember the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? It’s time to go out there and find your treasure!
Choose brands that put the environment first
At the end of the day, the products you’re purchasing are a reflection of the brand that's making them. So in a bid to make a more environmentally conscious choice, you want to start picking the brands who make it clear that they’re putting the environment first. How do companies protect the environment? In many ways. It may mean your favourite beauty or fragrance company not testing their products on animals or your favourite candle brand creating vegan candles that can be used more than once and using recyclable packaging.
Adopting eco-friendly business practises is not as difficult as some people make it out to be. So, if your favourite brands haven’t started making at least a few environmentally conscious choices then it’s likely they’re not going to change that for a while. But you shouldn’t worry, with a little bit of research and fact checking, you can find a potential replacement brand that’ll help make your purchases environmentally conscious.
Choose slower online deliveries
Adopting eco-friendly business practises is not as difficult as some people make it out to be. So, if your favourite brands haven’t started making at least a few environmentally conscious choices then it’s likely they’re not going to change that for a while. But you shouldn’t worry, with a little bit of research and fact checking, you can find a potential replacement brand that’ll help make your purchases environmentally conscious.
Choose slower online deliveries
Online retailers like Amazon have spoilt us all with their next day delivery services. We’ve gotten into a subconscious habit of ordering things as and when we need them because it’s convenient. One day it’s an order for some kitchen roll, the next day it could be hair ties - the story goes on really. However, the behind the scenes are disastrous. These choices that we make i.e. to have our stuff reach us quick and in so many different packages is not an eco-friendly choice by any means.
We’ll agree these services may be useful in some occasions but it’s worth questioning if you really need every single item delivered that quickly. Are you finding that some of your items can be grouped together and take their time in arriving? Well then opt for no rush delivery. In this case everyone wins - for the environment there is lesser packaging and drop offs, and for you it’s one box less to recycle. Now isn’t that a super environmentally conscious consumer choice!
These steps are a good starting point towards making some more environmentally conscious choices. Remember, the journey towards becoming an environmentally conscious consumer is a process - it may require a little bit of planning and research but together, we can make our choices matter and help the planet!