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The Sustainable Shopping Basket - A guide to better shopping
The Sustainable Shopping Basket - A guide to better shopping
Day after day we take a lot of actions that co-decide, if the climate is protected, if limited resources are preserved or human rights respected: it starts with the breakfast egg in the morning, continues with the choice of the means of transport for the track to work and does not end in flipping through a catalogue looking for the new fridge, which should be taken into consideration. Consumers have power, because with their consumption and lifestyle habits they can at least influence the range of products and services or even the business practice in entire industrial sectors.
The Sustainable Shopping Basket - Making Life Easier
The sustainable shopping basket, which was developed by the imug (Institute on Market, Environment and Society) GmbH Hannover on behalf of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), sets its starting point in everyday life: The booklet (PDF, 5.3 MB) differentiates between frequent and rare shopping decisions and bigger, more scarce acquisitions and decisions as the purchase of a new car or investment. The booklet supports to develop new routines. The shopping basket describes the up to date debate on sustainable consumption. Currently there is momentum in the scientific, political and business driven discussion on that topic. Likewise dynamic is the presented publication that is published as fourth completely revised edition and experiences yearly updates in content.
Its predecessor, the sustainable shopping basket of 2003 has been completely updated to the latest level of information as the different labels available on the German market or additional sources of information. It has also been expanded with additional consumption fields as the choice of electricity supplier. In addition the brochure makes allowance for the fact that in many cases there are no definite answers. Is organically grown produce from foreign countries ecologically advantageous to conventional, regional produce? For such dilemma the guide gives simple rules of thumb. The aim is not perfection. But before everything is done the old fashion way, you should always find a personally good solution for such trade-offs.
Increasing Quality of Information: Your Opinion is Important for Us
The Sustainable Shopping Basket is an offer for discussion to all citizens, because the examination on sustainable lifestyle and consumption patterns is everything, but no one-way street. We look forward to your suggestions, critique and commendation!
Download "A small guide to take along when you shop" and "The seasonal calendar for fruit and vegetables" (PDF, 878 KB)
Broschüre auf Deutsch herunterladen (PDF, 3.7 MB)
Broschüre auf Deutsch kostenlos bestellen
Download brochure "The Sustainable Shopping Basket" for India, (in English), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Jan. 2011 (PDF, 2.4 MB)
Daily shopping
Information portals / guides
Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org/home.php)
Organic Farming Systems (www.organicfarming.com.au)
European Commission: Organic Farming (ec.europa.eu/agriculture/organic/splash_en)
Brot für die Welt (www.brot-fuer-die-welt.de/english)
Fairwertung (www.fairwertung.de/english/index.html)
A nationwide day for sustainable (dish) washing (www.sustainable-washing.eu)
Initiative for Sustainable Use of Paper (www.papiernetz.de/index.php?page_id=33)
KNOW clothes - ethical and ecological t-shirts (www.knowclothes.co.uk)
Shopping portals
Rare purchases
Information portals / guides
CO2 Online (www.co2online.co.uk)
atmosfair (www.atmosfair.de/index.php?id=9&L=3)
Major purchases
Information portals / guides
Comprehensive information portals & blogs
Information portals / guides
Sustainable Shopping Basket - a lifestyle and shopping guide (India)
The Sustainable Shopping Basket for India (in English), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Jan. 2011 (PDF, 2.4 MB)
Best Products of Europe (www.topten.info)
EcoShopper (www.ecoshopper.net)
Carbon Footprint Calculator (www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx, free of charge)
WWF Footprint Calculator (www.footprint.wwf.org.uk, registration required)
Oxfam Unwrapped - Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org/en/getinvolved/unwrapped)
Umweltbundesamt: Green public procurement (www.umweltbundesamt.de/produkte-e/beschaffung/index.php)
Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (www.lohas.com)
Federation of German Consumer Organisations - vzbv (www.vzbv.de/start/index.php?page=english)
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International - FLO (www.fairtrade.net)
Sustainable Products Corporation (www.sustainableproducts.com)
Forums / blogs