Three sustainable business concepts that offer affordable products
- Beatrix Nitschke
- Jan 9, 2022
- 3 min read
Here are some business concepts that allow you to shop more environmentally friendly at a low price.
Sustainability can sometimes not only be quite exhausting because of checking all sustainability certificates of businesses, but it especially can be quite expensive. However, the business concepts listed below could help you shop more environmentally friendly at an affordable price or make investments that will pay off in the long term.
Buy second quality products
Not everyone is a huge fan of the idea of buying second-hand items. If you are such a person, it might be advisable for you to look for second quality products. In Germany the shop Mit Ecken und Kanten, for example, cooperates with various environmentally friendly companies and sells their products that have minor quality lacks. This way, the waste of companies and the general problem of environmentally harmful overproduction is being reduced and customers benefit by receiving products with minor flaws at a lower price.
If you do not have such shops in your country you might also want to look for outlets or factory sales of your desired brands. Sometimes you can also find cheap second quality products over there.
Shop at unpackaged and refillable stores
We all know that plastic waste is a huge environmental threat. To learn more about it you can also read our past blog post. Buying unpackaged goods therefore is one solution to reduce plastic waste. Shops such as Unpackaged in the UK, Green Planet Grocery in the USA or Original Unverpackt in Germany already pursue this concept for groceries. There are also other companies such as Minimal, Zao and Ecover from which you can buy refillable hygiene and personal care products. Hence, you only purchase the product packages once and can reuse it as long as possible. Sometimes those concepts can be quite expensive so it would be advisable, in case you have a limited financial budget, to first check out the prices at these shops before going there or reduce your shopping to only a few products that, for example, might have excessive plastic packaging at regular grocery stores. Nevertheless, in the long-term this concept is not only better for the environment, but you will also be able to save money.
Look for reworked clothes
As described above, not everyone is able to find their desired products and especially clothing items at second-hand stores. An alternative could be reworked clothing items. Shops with this concept either use old clothing items and textile scraps to create new garments or they accept second quality clothes from fashion companies and repair or upcycle them. This concept does not only allow you to shop one-of-a-kind items, but it also often offers cheaper clothes. The websites below show some shops that you could check out for unique and affordable fashion items.
Nevertheless, it is necessary to keep in mind that recycled clothes might reduce your environmental impact, but they are also not the best, most sustainable solution to fight the environmental crisis and the harmful impacts of the fashion industry. To learn more about this topic you can check out these videos.
Do you know other sustainable and affordable business concepts or have you yourself already shopped at some of the listed shops or any with a similar concept? What was your experience with it? Tell your stories in the comment section :D
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