7 simple tips for sustainable shopping: How to reduce waste and save money

7 simple tips for sustainable shopping: How to reduce waste and save money

For most of us, shopping is instinctive. We enter a shopping mall for a pair of sneakers and before we know it, we’ve got three full shopping bags swinging from our arms. In the UAE, the rise in per capita income, higher living standards, and affordable goods in the market mean that we can now shop for more than we could in the past.

While this trend of fast fashion -- rapid production and sale of low-cost clothing to keep up with swiftly changing fashion trends – may seem comforting to some, the statistics are anything but. Today, fast fashion leads to more than 1.5 million metric tonnes of microplastics released into the ocean yearly. Not only is it bad for the environment, but it also raises multiple ethical and human rights concerns.

This is where sustainable shopping comes into play. The UN declared March 30 as the day of Zero Waste. Shopping sustainably and reducing waste are becoming increasingly important as we become more aware of the environmental impact of our actions. By making small changes to our shopping habits, we can reduce the amount of waste we produce and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Tips on how to shop sustainably

You