How to be more sustainable in 2023?

18 January 2023

With the new year underway, and resolutions being made, many of you may be inspired to make sustainable lifestyle changes in 2023. This blog provides some ideas for practical actions that you can adopt .

In order to be more sustainable, we can draw on elements of minimalism which promotes possessing less items. It is a great mindset to have to avoid overconsumption and therefore means a more sustainable lifestyle. Overconsumption cannot continue at the current rate because humanity is using more resources than nature can regenerate, meaning that we are overshooting Earth's biocapacity. To continue at this pace, we would need the equivalent of 1.7 Earths to support us. When considering buying new items, you can ask yourself, in the words of minimalist author Marie Kondo, 'does it spark joy?'. If not then you probably don't need it, and you may even be happier without it. Avoiding clutter in your living space can help reduce stress levels and improve ability to focus.

However, it is not just consumption that we should be aware of when making lifestyle choices, another important factor to consider is how we deal with waste. If you are thinking of clearing out your home this year, which is great for minimalism, then it's a good idea to dispose of unwanted items in a sustainable way by considering products' 'end-of-life'. The best way to do this is to actually continue the life of your products a little longer by either getting them repaired or finding a way for them to be reused by someone else. There are normally many places that will offer repairs for electronics, clothing and other items that you can make use of in your local area. If you would rather pass on your items to someone else to use, then why not check out online platforms like eBay, Depop, Vinted, or even go back to basics with a car-boot sale? Alternatively, you can donate unwanted items to charity shops. If these options are not suitable then the next best option is to recycle . If you live in the UK, you can check out recycling points here. Electronics are particularly important to dispose of correctly because they can produce toxic chemicals when sent to landfill.

Another way to make your home more sustainable is to wait until your current products run out, and replace them with sustainable versions instead. This can be anything from transitioning to using sustainable health and beauty products, or even replacing unusable furniture with sustainable new furniture. Check out ESGmark's community page for a list of our pre-vetted sustainable brands.

Another opportunity to be more sustainable in your lifestyle is through food choices. With vegetarian and vegan food products booming, as well as some products showing that they are carbon neutral on their labels, there is plenty of scope to choose sustainable options. Could you start buying from a fruit and vegetable shop in your area or a butcher's that provides more locally sourced meat than your supermarket? Local food can reduce the energy and emissions used for transportation. Buying from smaller independent shops can also help with social and economic factors of sustainability by supporting local farmers and producers. Again, thinking about the 'end-of-life', you can reduce food waste by using left-overs creatively to make new meals (for example making soups with unconsumed vegetables), creating a meal plan so that you don't end up with more food than you will eat and composting food scraps.

An additional way to be more sustainable with food and drinks is to bring your own containers and/or pre-prepared food if you are likely to buy it on the go. If you can pack food with you before you leave your home, you could avoid buying a sandwich or salad in single-use plastic packaging. You may also like to make your own snacks which will equally avoid single-use plastic, for example you can make protein balls, trail mix, or your own cereal bars. These can be packaged in reusable Tupperware containers to avoid wasting plastic and can be a lot cheaper than snacking on the go. To add to this, it is a good idea to make a habit of keeping a reusable water bottle and coffee cup in your bag. With the sustainability agenda on the rise for most coffee shops, some places even offer a discount on hot drinks if you bring your own cup, and you can always ask for someone to fill up your water bottle if there are no water fountains nearby.

When you are out and about you can also think about the kind of transport you use to get around. Can you cycle or walk and enjoy the journey? If this is not an option can you take public transport instead of a car? You can apply this for your journey to work as well, and you may find that your employer is supportive of this because many work places now offer cycle to work schemes or carshares. You can also find sustainable ways to travel longer distances, for example if you are going on holiday – check out our slow living blog for more details on this.

To summarise, here are the ideas mentioned above broken down into small steps, so if doing everything seems overwhelming, you can just focus on one or two:

Avoid overconsumption – when buying a new product ask yourself 'does it spark joy?’ Or is it necessary?
When getting rid of unwanted belongings, look for whether they can be repaired, sold online on eBay, Depop, Vinted or a car-boot sale, donate items, or recycle them (check out where to do this here)
When current products run out, replace them with sustainable alternatives – check out ESGmark's community members for inspiration

Choose sustainable food such as vegetarian or vegan, or foods which show strong sustainability credentials on packaging
Buy food locally
Reduce food waste by using left-overs creatively, plan meals and compost
Prepare snacks and meals in Tupperware when on-the-go to avoid buying single use packaging
Keep a reusable coffee cup and water bottle in your bag