Here are some things you can do in the shops to be an eco-friendly citizen.
- Think about the impact of your shopping
Our way of consuming has an essential role in maintaining the environmental balance of our planet. The more consumers turn towards environmentally-friendly products, the more manufacturers will offer these types of products. Change you purchasing decisions accordingly.
- Use green household products that are less harmful
Many household products are harmful to health and damaging to the environment, unless you choose ecological and biodegradable ones! For this reason, choose the ones with an eco label (e.g. NF environmental label or European eco label). Furthermore, use sustainable products such as a sponge instead of a wipe, a cloth instead of kitchen paper, etc.
- Think about using fair-trade products
Fair-trade products offer better commercial conditions for disadvantaged producers, mainly in developing countries, by guaranteeing them an acceptable income, a decent standard of living, and environmentally-friendly production methods. The Max Havelaar label now has a dominant position, with a label affixed to three-quarters of fair-trade products.
- Eat seasonal fruit and vegetables
Eating food that has been produced locally and is seasonal will enable you to limit its impact on CO2 emissions. Limit your consumption of meat: 1 kg of beef produces between 50 and 100 times more greenhouse gas than its equivalent in wheat. Don’t forget to eat and grow old varieties, which are disappearing on account of modern, high-yield, hybrid varieties. A variety that disappears, is a genetic pool lost irreversibly!
- Give preference to products with less packaging
Some foods have excessive packaging, such as yoghurt cartons, individual small tarts, plastic bottles, etc. Such packaging takes its toll on nature, what with the use of oil and natural resources for their manufacture and the production of waste to be transported and then eliminated. Avoid individual portion products, and choose instead bulk products. Remember to recycle packaging through selective sorting.
- Do not buy fish that is a threatened species
A WWF analysis shows that the population of bluefin tuna will disappear by 2012. This species is therefore now in the process of disappearing. Consumption of marine products concerns in particular 9 species, whilst there are on average 123 of them on the auction stalls. Avoid cod, Atlantic halibut, sole, skate or even sea perch for as long as it takes to replenish stocks. Opt for trout, sardines, plaice or even turbot.
- Opt for organic foodstuffs
By eating organic foodstuffs you are supporting an environmentally-friendly production means. Organic agriculture does not use chemical products (insecticides, pesticides and fertilisers), which are harmful to the biodiversity as well as to health. The official label is AB.
- Avoid products containing palm oil
The tropical forest of South Asia is being burnt and destroyed in order to plant oil palm in its place. The biodiversity is thus directly threatened, particularly orangutans. Palm oil is used in 1 out of every 10 supermarket products! So, avoid palm oil, which is omnipresent: chocolate, biscuits, yoghurts, margarine, crisps, soups, cosmetic products, etc. Read labels well, compare them and opt for products containing other fats.
- Try the “short circuit” option
This refers to producers selling directly to consumers. This mode of consumption is becoming increasingly popular, either as direct farm sales, on markets, on rounds, online ordering, etc. You can also join an association to promote smallholdings.
