How to buy once and live more sustainably

 As the scale of the environmental crisis quickly reveals itself, many people are understandably scrabbling for practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint and make their lifestyles more sustainable. Of course, there are countless ways in which an individual can attempt to lower their carbon footprint - from turning off the lights more frequently in their home to keeping annual holidays to local destinations. The problem is that, because of the sheer scale of the sustainability issue, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by it, and slip into inaction. 

 

Naturally, this is the worst approach to take because you aren’t helping to solve the problem. Instead, you need to find small and easily repeatable habits to slot into your daily life, and then build from there. There is no doubt that we live in a consumerist society which values instant gratification over long-term sustainability, which encourages many people to replace items before they need to. Therefore, a fantastic way to live more sustainably (and cheaply) is to buy particular products once and continue to use them until the end of their working life.

 

This is how you can do it.

 

Buy the right product

If you want to buy a product with the full expectation that it lasts for as long as possible without needing to be replaced, then your focus should be on buying the right product in the first place.

 

Start by conducting detailed research on the market. Seek out product reviews – both from professional journalists or bloggers and from actual customers. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses and ascertain which product meets your requirements the best.

 

Then consider the price of the product. 

 

While a high price tag is no guarantee of quality or durability, you are more likely to find it in premium items. When a product has a cheap price, it will almost certainly have been created using similarly cheap materials, to a lower standard, by a less innovative team. 

 

Although it is tempted to buy a cheaper product, this could prove a false economy. If the product falls apart in a matter of weeks, then you will have to buy a replacement anyway, doubling the price.

 

You can also choose a type of product which is inherently designed to last for a long time – such as a single-speed bicycle. Given that there is less to go wrong than other bike variants, this could be a strong option if you want to live sustainably. You can check out a range of single speed bicycles at steedbikes.com.

 

Learn to repair rather than replace

One of the central tenets of living sustainability is the ability to repair, instead of replacing, products. The classic examples are sewing an old pair of ripped jeans back together, restoring your car or replacing the battery on your phone. 

 

Although it is more exciting to buy a new product; by repairing existing items, you can give them a new lease of life.

 

Live a more minimalist lifestyle

Another great way to be more sustainable is to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.

 

This means you put less emphasis on acquiring material goods and instead declutter your life. You focus on the essentials and eschew the rest. If you only buy the basic version of what you need, there is less likely to be parts that will go wrong or need replacing.

 

Not only is this good practice for leading a simpler life or saves you money, but it helps decrease demand for environmentally damaging products.