How to consume more sustainably

 

We all want to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle but It can be quite confusing to know what to do in practice. This article will cover a wide range from the definition of ‘sustainable’ to the ways we can all adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.

What is sustainability?

Sustainability can be defined by the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance.

Yes, this definition is very wide and many could argue what is sustainable and what is not. To make it simple, as it is a subjective definition, we will try to explain our vision of sustainability.

Instead of throwing your items away, Partage them!

Give a second life to your everyday items. Partage is the platform that makes sustainable consumption accessible to all, By giving your item a second life, you prevent the creation of additional waste and production of another item.

On Partage, you can give a second life to your unwanted item and get rewarded at the same time.

Take a close look at what you are buying!

The first thing that comes to mind when we think about sustainability is consumption. Getting to know how the items you buy are produced is an important step.

  • Do some quick research about the company's approach to sustainability on neutral websites. An excellent source is the CSR Hub, which allows you to search for a company to find out its sustainability rating.
  • Pay attention to the materials used in the production of the item to ensure that it is produced responsibly, safely, without hazardous materials and without involving child labour.

Reuse and repair your items!

Most of the items we throw away could be repaired.

In our fast-paced world, people tend to throw away and replace rather than reuse and repair. This is one of the biggest problems we face in modern day waste culture.

  • The items we throw away might be useful for someone else
  • The items we throw away cause pollution as it needs to be treated by waste management – and only a tiny fraction is actually recyclable
  • When we buy new items to replace the ones we loved, we increase the need for production of those items - and therefore pollution.

There are a few places and websites that allow you to repair your items such as:

Consume less energy

You could save up to 30% of your energy bill on average.

One of the most important tips to be more sustainable is to use less energy in general. There are numerous ways you can save energy (and money) by turning off unused appliances, turning off your Wi-Fi box when you are out of your house is a good example of what you could do in addition to the obvious steps.

Go paperless

In our modern digital world, we need less and less paper in our everyday lives. If you still receive paper version of your bills, bank statements and others, an average organisation can save around 48 trees a year in paper.

Don’t waste food

Food waste is one of the biggest issues in our world. Food is wasted at the source (by producers) and at the destination (by us – customers).

There is some progress being made on the producer side. Even if it’s taking quite a long time. But there is something we can do on our end to prevent it from happening. You can for example:

  • Plan ahead! Don't over buy and keep track of what you've bought and used. 
  • Shop by using the app TooGoodToGo– it will allow you to prevent waste of food by shops, cafes & restaurants and you will save money at the same time
  • Love your freezer
  • Composting is nature's recycling system and enables nutrients and organic matter from plants to return to the soil. You don't need a garden to deposit your compost! It can also be used to fertilize lawns, trees, bushes, flowers, and houseplants; or shared with a neighbor or friend who does garden.

Wear sustainable clothing

Re-use & re-pair! upcycling your old clothes or buying second hand is the most sustainable way of shopping but there are plenty of sustainable clothing brands around now as well. Here are just a few sustainable clothes stores where you can shop knowing that you participate in the preservation of the environment:

  1. BEEN London
  2. Mother of Pearl
  3. Elvis & Kresse
  4. Birdsong
  5. Beaumont Organic
  6. People Tree
  7. Beyond Retro
  8. Pico
  9. Bower
  10. L.V. Denim


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