If you are a seasoned eco-conscious girly, you know just how unsustainable some shopping can be. We live in a world where mass consumption is encouraged — the more, the better! However, some consumers don’t realize how many of their shopping habits are responsible for their large carbon footprint. Sustainable shopping is not often encouraged, but there are some sustainable shopping secrets that can help our environment. 

When shopping, there are many materials used that we, as consumers, may overlook. Small things like receipt paper and plastic bags can add up. If possible, let the associate assisting you know that you don’t need a receipt or ask if they have digital options. Additionally, reusable shopping bags are not just for groceries! Always keep a few reusable bags in the car to carry your new items. 

These are just a couple of shopping hacks that can improve the environment. Here are five more sustainable shopping secrets to consider the next time you shop!

1. Reduce packaging

Gone are the days when you had to wait weeks for your package to arrive or call a number to order your items. Online shopping has made our lives much more convenient. Unfortunately, it further harms our planet. Next time you order a clothes haul, select the option for fewer boxes. Some companies also offer eco-packaging options, which reduce the amount of paper and plastic used to ship your items. 

It is inevitable that we have to return items that don’t fit or we simply don’t like, but there are eco-friendly options for your returns. Brands like Amazon allow you to send back items without packaging. If you must return your item in a package, reuse boxes from prior orders!

2. Thrift

Although convenient, cost-efficient, and various, fast fashion is harming our environment immensely. Not only do fast fashion brands use overseas sweatshops for production, but they also promote terrible shopping habits. Because fashion has an unspoken rule that outfits can’t be worn more than once, consumers buy more clothes. Once they have worn the outfit, it typically does not get worn again and potentially is thrown away. 

This is harmful to our environment as it causes large landfills in struggling countries, and like other materials, clothes do not decompose, causing harmful toxins to be released. To shop more sustainably, consider visiting your local thrift store. Doing so allows clothes a second life, reducing the amount of clothes being disposed of. Additionally, donate your old clothes to thrift stores near you!

3. Shop Local for Produce

If you love fruits and vegetables, you can help the environment by shopping locally for your produce. When you purchase from local farmers, you not only support your community but also help reduce the carbon footprint related to transportation. Visit a local farmer’s market to shop for produce grown locally. You may even have a blast discovering all of the fruit you can buy to add to your yogurt for breakfast. 

4. Buy Produce In Season

This may be a little tough for veggie lovers and those who love fruit in their yogurt, but one of the best sustainable shopping secrets is to buy produce when it is in season. When you do so, it has the same effect as shopping locally! Produce grown in its natural environment and purchased in the same country improves the environment’s health. Produce that is in season does not need extra light to grow and doesn’t have to travel far if sold in the same country. 

5. Buy in Bulk

A lot of American families already purchase in bulk and are unknowingly shopping sustainably! When you buy items in bulk, you are championing sustainably. Several benefits arise, including less transportation because you likely have fewer grocery store visits. Additionally, packaging is not needed for individual items, saving paper and reducing plastic use. A lot of products are available in bulk, including low-calorie yogurt smoothies. 

Sustainable shopping secrets may seem daunting at first, but fear not! There are simple solutions to your biggest shopping worries. 

What is your favorite sustainable shopping secret? Let us know in the comments below!

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