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All products need to be manufactured, transported and the resources collected, all of which require energy (most commonly obtained through the burning of fossil fuels) and resources which are taken from the natural environment.

Some products have higher impacts than others – electronic products typically have very high impacts, products made from recycled materials have lower impacts.

To reduce the environmental impact of your purchases, think: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”:

- Reduce – where possible buy less “stuff”. Do you really need the latest smartphone or branded clothing? Of the items you do buy, choose products made from recycled and re-purposed materials. Charity shops are great to reduce your environmental impact of your shopping.

- Reuse – Where it isn’t possible to reduce, see if there are alternatives that you can reuse. Many people dispose of items long before the end of their lives. Many products are also single use e.g. plastic cups and “fast fashion”. Where possible, reuse items as many times as possible and then towards the end of their life, see if you can repurpose them (e.g. reusable shopping bags). Reusable health products are also available such as reusable nappies, but make sure you follow the instructions on cleaning them properly!

- Recycle – where it isn’t possible to reuse an item, recycle. This might mean a trip to your local recycling centre, but improvements are being made all the time in the UK with recycling. Wales, for instance, is the second best country in the world for recycling household waste!

The Good Shopping Guide has comprehensive information on making your purchases more sustainable and ethical.