Sustainable Shopping Tips

Who doesn’t love some retail therapy?? I know I do. But, it’s even more fun when you do it responsibly. While searching for some pieces to amp up your summer wardrobe, don’t forget to take the environment and working conditions in mind. Plus, there are so many ways to buy used - take advantage!

Used Luxury Items

Luxury items can be found on The Real Real. The app allows you to favorite your finds and you can wait until they go on sale too! They even sell household items, art, handbags, and shoes. Everything is authenticated and heavily inspected, so you know the quality will be great! Plus, they offer returns on most items. There’s also a brick and mortar in West Hollywood.

Thrifting and Consignment

Not only is thrifting good for the environment, you find the most unique pieces this way. Plus, there are so many avenues for buying used online now: Poshmark, Thredup, Depop. But, hit the flea markets for the ultimate finds. I get my favorite things from The Silverlake Flea or The Rose Bowl Flea, or The Melrose Trading Post. If you prefer to shop in person, you can’t go wrong hitting the stores on Melrose or in the Valley. We love the consignment shop Trove in West LA. It’s a great place to bring your clothes you’ve outgrown too.

Used Items
First, join your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook to trade items with your neighbors! Check Craig’s List and Facebook to find listings for local yard sales and estate sales. The website Everything But the House lists every kind of item you could ever imagine for resale. They pool a lot of their stuff from estate sales!

Shop Local

Shop local and support your local economy. It’s always better to support the mom and pop shop down the street than a conglomerate. Next time you consider ordering from Amazon, see if there’s a local business you can support instead.

Be Conscious of Where you Spend

Choose companies that are ethical, use recycled materials, and are aligned with your values. H&M is working toward using all recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030. Patagonia recycles their gear and uses recycled materials. 96% of Cuyana’s products are made from sustainable materials, they make cashmere sweaters from recycled materials, and they use ethical practices in production. Reformation is carbon neutral and also works for ethical practices across the board. Some other companies to look into are Melody Swim, which makes bathing suits from landfill waste and Solgaard which makes its suitcases from recycled ocean plastic!

Banking

Switch banks and change the way your money works for you (and them). Aspiration offers an investment system called the Redwood Fund that promises to only put your money into socially responsible companies, and not things such as fossil fuels or weapons. They also make their debit cards out of recycled materials and plant trees!

Groceries

Buy your groceries from your neighborhood farmer’s market. The environmental impact of buying groceries from out of the state or country goes far beyond freshness. Consider the gas it takes to truck your groceries to the store, the air conditioning, etc.

B Corps

Research B corps! This is a special certification a company can obtain if they have passed the test on treating people and the planet well.