Sustainability and social impact are top of mind for most consumers today, and should be for brands and companies as well. The majority of consumers worldwide are willing to pay more for brands committed to sustainable practices, and customers are also more likely to advocate for those brands and promote their products on social media.
If you are one of the many customers looking for ways to make your shopping practices more sustainable, we’ve got some tips for you. And as always, one of the best things you can do when shopping online is to purchase product protection. Shopping with the Mulberry browser extension can help you make the most informed purchasing decision possible, saving you money not only by providing extended warranty coverage, but also by preventing you from buying low-quality products.
Typically, the issue of sustainability stems from the brand’s production processes, as well as the ordering and shipping process, which can pose a significant carbon footprint. Here are some options for you to consider that address both of these facets of sustainable shopping.
Shop local
Its really taken off in recent years, but the idea of shopping local is essential. When you go to locally-owned businesses, you are typically making purchases that have travelled shorter distances and potentially used a more local supply chain, thereby reducing pollution and unethical labor practices. Of course, this will vary business to business, but shopping local is a great way to ensure you are able to see the business you are supporting in ways that are often more challenging in larger marketplaces.
Verify the practices of the businesses you shop in
This makes sense as a logical practice, but how is it possible to know what's going on behind the scenes? One way is to use good on you, an app that rates fashion brands on their sustainability scale. Each company is ranked based on their treatment to the planet, people, and animals, and then given an overall rating so you can actually prioritize the issues that matter most to you within the sustainability movement. If you are someone who cares a lot about animal cruelty, for example, you can emphasize the animals rating in your shopping practices.
How to get your items with a smaller footprint in mind
Online sales are continuously growing, and as consumers increasingly want items delivered directly to their door, shipping, flying, and transporting goods is leaving a greater mark on our environment. Furthermore, the materials needed to send the goods also has an impact—think of how much cardboard the average household receives as a result of their online shopping. To try reducing these effects, you can be more intentional with your online ordering strategy and aim to:
- Order in bundles. When you are making a purchase, try to buy more than one item rather than making multiple orders each week or month from the same place. This can help retailers package your items more efficiently and reduce the number of times a vehicle has to transport to your location.
- Use a parcel locker. Companies like Amazon will deliver to a communal locker location that you can walk to from home or work to pick up your items. This means that trucks are not having to travel to each individual home, and it can help reduce the amount of transport associated with every online order that is placed.
Shop product protection with Mulberry
Mulberry wants to help you make informed shopping decisions. With a range of product protection plans on all sorts of items, chances are most of the products you're shopping for online are covered under a Mulberry extended warranty plan.
Shop with the Mulberry browser extension to view all the extended warranty plans available on your items in real time, and gain access to exclusive offers and savings.
