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Greatest Tips to Shop More Eco-Friendly

January 23, 2020

Environmentally friendly shopping starts with the decision on how to get to which market and then transport your shopping home. But there is also more to consider on-site than jute bags and organic bananas. Almost every supermarket department hides ecological and fair alternatives to conventional shopping. Let's see how you can easily shop sustainably.

 

How to Shop Eco Friendly

 

TL;DR

Making an impulsive decision on visiting the supermarket is not the best decision for the environment. Reflect and inform yourself about the consequences of every small action you take. Can there be a more eco-friendly approach to it? If so, is the time spent on it worth it?

 

On the way to the supermarket

After leaving the front door, the question arises as to how we get to which supermarket. If you want to shop ecologically, you should not only pay attention to sustainability in the food sector.

Anyone who can walk or cycle can save a lot of emissions, noise and air pollution. Public transport is also better than the car. If you live further away from the nearest supermarket and need a car, we recommend that you make bulk purchases to avoid daily shopping.

 

Refrigerated shelf and fresh food counter

In general, you should try to reduce the consumption of animal products, whether fish, meat, milk or cheese. That doesn't mean we should all necessarily be vegetarian or vegan. It just means that we should lower our consumption and consciously question it. The advice to prefer organic products to conventional manufacturers runs across the entire supermarket. 

In these departments, we do not support factory farming, no genetic feed, and we do not only feed on chemically added food at low prices. It pays to spend a few cents more on organic products if it protects the animal welfare and livelihoods of those farmers who produce in an environmentally and animal-friendly manner.

There are often boxes in refrigerated shelves in which, according to the best before date, groceries will soon be offered at lower prices. With the purchase of such products, you can not only reduce waste but also save money. There are also some supermarkets where you can shop waste-free at the fresh food counter with the help of a reusable container.

The fruit and vegetable department

Almost every supermarket starts with the fruit and vegetable department. The many plastic packaging is striking here. To avoid this and to reduce the waste of plastic products and similar packaging waste, one should - unless one can visit a weekly market - prefer supermarkets that offer free goods and also take them unpacked. Bags for trolleys or cash register tapes are not necessary. Reusable networks would also be an alternative.

 

New Zealand supermarkets are finally trialling less plastic on their fruit and veggies from r/ZeroWaste

 

Loose food also has the advantage that we don't have to buy in quantities that we don't need. Besides, regional, seasonal and best organic products from organic farming associations are more sustainable: it avoids pesticides, chemical fertilizers and exotic overseas goods that have had long transport and questionable growing conditions.

 

The drinks department

You don't believe how many people envy us for our clean drinking water! We always have it at home, and it costs far less than bottled mineral water, which often has a long transport route and weeks of storage behind it. Kitchen appliances give the tap water the desired bubbling if necessary.

This department also says "Reusable instead of one-way!" It also applies to juices. Avoid plastic bottles that are thrown away immediately. And be careful: deposit does not mean reusable! Also, please pay attention to sustainability when it comes to coffee and cocoa. Buy organic Fairtrade products. In this way, you support fair working conditions in the growing areas and environmentally friendly production.

 

Cosmetics and household cleaners

Less is more! Less applies particularly to the ingredients, the use and the dosage of cosmetics and household cleaners. Often you can help yourself with natural cleaners such as citric or acetic acid and thus do without chemical, aggressive cleaners. Also, avoid microplastics. This is usually found in the form of polyethene, copolymers or polypropylene in cosmetics and soaps.

It is easier to use natural cosmetics and eco cleaners than to look up the ingredients in the lexicon. They do not contain microplastics, nor are they hard to degrade or pollute the water. Toilet paper, handkerchiefs etc. can be quickly taken from recycled paper.

 

Sustainability at the cash register

You can also act sustainably at the checkout. Own bags make life easier. Thank the environment and your wallet, because, in the long run, it is worth not having to buy new bags again and again.

As consumers, we do more than we think. When purchasing, we can support producers who also value sustainability. Our purchasing decisions permanently influence the range of goods and thus even the productions and the trade.

To make ecological shopping easier, prior planning is also essential and sensible. So you don't shop indiscriminately and don't waste food because you don't need it at home. Especially concerning the upcoming Christmas shopping, we should take these tips to heart to avoid food waste, environmentally harmful and anti-social behaviour.

 

Second-hand for new clothes

Instead of stocking up on fresh outfits, you can, of course, shop for used clothing. Since the second-hand trend is still going on (is this even a trend?), you will find well-located shops with second-hand clothes in good condition, especially in larger cities, with which you can create a highly individual style can put your mood up when you put it on. In addition, you generate less CO2 indirectly, since your new clothes do not have to be sent from A to B as a package. So there are a lot of advantages.

 

Buy or repair things used

The throwaway society is such an issue at all. Sure, many products, especially technical ones, are produced in such a way that repairs by laypersons are impossible and professional repairs are too expensive compared to buying new ones.

Many household items, clothes, means of transportation and smaller technical devices can be repaired very quickly with a few skilful steps. How to do this is by watching YouTube tutorials, or it is shown in one of the increasing numbers of repair cafes. They work right to the motto "Each One Teach One" by bringing broken objects together with expert volunteers who then repair it if possible.

In addition to maintaining the value of the material, you also create new relationships in your neighbourhood, because a repair café is also an ideal way to talk to strangers. You can find a searchable list of repair cafes through google.

 

Use local transport and bicycle

We know there are more pleasant things than squeezing into a crowded regional train at high temperatures or having a heart attack while cycling due to wild overtaking manoeuvres by motorized road users - but do it for the kids!

Although the CO2 emissions per vehicle kilometre have dropped significantly since 1995, this does not help if there are more vehicles on our roads. Sure, that's a global problem, but you stop at your doorstep, right? With the bike you also do something for your fitness, save parking fees and see more of the city and country.


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