The Sustainable Shopping Basket

· Home and work
Where do I live? What are my living circumstances? Where do I work?
· Hobbies
Do I consume a lot of energy and resources in pursuing my hobbies?
· Consumer preferences
Do I enjoy eating a lot of meat? Do I travel frequently to foreign countries?
Do I like driving fast cars?
People who want to achieve sustainability step by step need to ask themselves the following
questions:
· Where should I start? What are the really important issues? Will I accomplish anything at
all by changing my behaviour in small ways?
· Can I afford to consume sustainably? Isn’t sustainable consumption an option for the
well-to-do only?
· What information can I trust? And isn’t it true that many of the issues that keep coming
up are no more than fleeting fads?
Everyone must answer these questions for themselves. A number of references, tips and
guidelines are provided on the following pages. They are meant to help you build your own
personal framework of consumer values.
Suggestions for getting started with sustainable consumption
Anyone can take the first steps. There is no need to start with the really big decisions. This
brochure offers tips that can help you take the first small steps in the right direction. They
are not all equally important for everyone. And not everyone needs to follow every suggestion
immediately.
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