Sustainable Shopping
A Strategy for waste reduction.
In our previous article, we discussed the importance of waste reduction to mitigate the adverse environmental and health impacts of wastes and achieve a sustainable solid waste management system. It outlined an approach towards avoiding the purchase of new products by following a decision-making tree and simple lifestyle changes. The present article delves into the second stage of waste reduction namely ‘sustainable shopping’ which should be considered only in case shopping is genuinely required. ‘Sustainable shopping’ essentially requires the consumers to buy eco-friendly products and packaging which are made of natural or recyclable materials, reusable and durable. For this purpose, the following graphic provides an assessment criteria and suggests several indicative measures which should be followed for sustainable shopping.
As a first stage, we should evaluate each product that we intend to buy using the assessment criteria. This will guide us to buy eco-friendly products that meet the sustainability parameters of reusability, recyclability, and durability. Accordingly, we should look for products made with natural/ recyclable/ recycled materials such as cloth, paper, metal, high-grade plastic (PET & HDPE), etc. Besides, we should prefer products with little or no packaging, that are durable and easy to disassemble for repairing and recycling. We should also check packaging symbols on recyclability to understand the type of material and the recyclability. For example, a coding system as given below has been introduced to inform the recyclability of the plastic . The plastic types namely PET and HDPE which are ranked 1st and 2nd are easily recyclable, while the other types are not easily recyclable as the rank increases.
To avoid the purchase of unnecessary items, we should make a shopping list beforehand and buy only the products from the list. We should possibly buy second-hand products. Besides, we should avoid online shopping to the extent possible which comes with excess packaging and GHG emissions associated with delivery. Instead, we should prefer to buy from local stores and carry our bags for shopping. We should buy in bulk and avoid small packets such as shampoo and hair oil sachets which most likely disperse into the environment and do not reach the collection channels.
Notably, we should refrain from the use of single-use items such as plastic bags, tissue paper, disposable cups & plates, disposable masks, straws, etc. We should look for reusable products instead of disposables that can be used multiple times before recycling or disposal. For example, we should use reusable cups (such as glass and steel) for beverages. We should opt to go strawless at restaurants since the straws are very harmful to the environment and aquatic life which are often perceived as food. We should prefer using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins and cloth diapers instead of disposable diapers. Other measures include the use of reusable razors, chargeable batteries, refillable ink cartridges, reusable filters for water purifiers & coffee machines, etc.
In addition, we should avoid using balloons at the parties which often end up in our waterways and are one of the most harmful pollutants threatening marine wildlife. Instead, we can switch up balloons for blowing bubbles which are easy to make at home using just sugar, water & eco-friendly detergent. We should also make small lifestyle changes such as shifting from a plastic toothbrush to a bamboo toothbrush, shifting from liquid hand soap to soap bars (more efficient & less packaging), subscribing to online catalogs/newsletters, switching paper bills for digital, and switching plastic cotton buds for bamboo cotton buds.
Conclusion
In light of severe environmental and health consequences of wastes, there is an urgent need to reduce, reuse and recycle the wastes as much as possible. To this cause, all of us should contribute by adopting ‘sustainable shopping’ in our lifestyle. In the first place, we should buy new products only if there is a genuine need and prefer to buy eco-friendly products that are natural, reusable, recyclable, and durable. We should buy products with little or no packaging and made of natural/ recyclable/ recycled materials such as cloth, paper, metal, high-grade plastic (PET & HDPE), etc.
We should make a shopping list, avoid online shopping to the extent possible and buy locally. We should prevent buying single-use and disposable items such as plastic bags, tissue paper, disposable cups & plates, disposable masks, straws, etc. Instead, we should use reusable alternatives such as cloth bags, washable bottles & plates (glass & steel), bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo cotton buds, etc. These are only indicative measures and there can be numerous measures to reduce and optimize our material consumption. To conclude, ‘Sustainable thinking’ built on the aspects of ‘avoid shopping’ and ‘sustainable shopping’ remains central for achieving a real impact on waste reduction. Henceforth, we should assess the eco-friendly alternatives of each product that we use, using the sustainability criteria.
Contributed By- Anirudh Pandav, Manager at Social Lab
Social Lab Environmental Solutions is a waste management company, which helps brands take back and scientifically dispose of post-consumer plastic waste of their products. Brands take our services to fulfill Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligation under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2018.
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