Sustainable shopping guide
Consumers have the power to change the world by just being mindful of what we buy and where we buy it.
This sustainable shopping guide offers vetted local businesses like pawnshops, consignment boutiques, and other retailers where you can shop with confidence in your community or online while supporting small business!
Thinking Globally. Shopping Locally.
We are in the early stages of a radical transformation in retail. In 2020 alone, the secondhand market reached $36 billion, according to a Thredup Report.
The rush to sustainable shopping doesn’t have to shut out local businesses. Shopping at small businesses in your local area puts money back into the local community and makes the area more vibrant and liveable.
Carbon-conscious shoppers can reduce their carbon footprint while helping their communitiess to thrive by shopping vetted resellers, consignment boutiques, and pawnshops.
This guide is designed not only to connect consumers with the businesses in their neighborhood where they can shop sustainably, it’s also a place to connect with the businesses who support them! Click below to learn more about these businesses who support shopping small and sustainable!
Repurposing Fine Jewelry
When it comes to selecting an environmentally responsible diamond, recycled diamonds cause far less damage than earth-mined or lab-grown diamonds. In fact they have nearly zero environmental impact.
A diamond is one of the most durable substances on earth, and a single stone can be placed repeatedly in different settings over its lifetime, and show virtually no wear. By choosing a repurposed diamond, consumers reduce the demand for mining new diamonds.
Research consistently shows the damages that come with mining. Mined gold and platinum use a lot of water, energy and emit Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
Laptops, Cell Phones, and Other Electronics
Extending the lifetime of an existing laptop/PC is much better for the environment than recycling it. By not buying new and buying refurbished we can reduce pollution from mining, reduce pollution of toxic substances from decomposing e-waste, and preserve the earth’s scarce raw materials.
Americans throw away a staggering 416,000 cell phones every day. That’s 151.8 million cell phones ending up in the 2,500 landfills scattered across America every year, with the potential of toxic substances seeping into land and water ways. Imagine if a bigger fraction of those cell phones were fixed and refurbished!
Household Goods
The federal Environmental Protection Agency tracks what winds up in landfill - known as components of the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream.
According to its 2005 figures, "furniture and furnishings in MSW has increased from 2.2 million tons in 1960 to 8.8 million tons in 2005" and makes up 3.6 percent of the total waste with no significant recovery of materials from furniture identified.
Luxury Handbags and Shoes
The fast fashion industry generates 100 billion garments per year. It's one of the most polluting industries in the world after oil. Luxury resale and consignment have an important environmental impact in this regard. It extends the life of something that’s already been produced, rather than quickly and unethically creating a trendy new item.
Re-selling your luxury handbags and shoes can do a lot more than previously thought. More than sparing landfills, research shows that buying a pre-owned designer bag rather than a new bag saves over 8kg of carbon dioxide emissions and 22ℓ of water. Buying a pair of pre-owned designer shoes instead of a new pair saves 3kg of carbon dioxide emissions. It also spares over 7ℓ of water.
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