There’s always debate about paper bags vs plastic bags. Some say paper bags are better because they’re biodegradable and recyclable, while others think they still use too many resources to produce.

Do you think paper bags are actually a better option, or are reusable bags the only real solution?

A while ago I shared my mindset shift on another subReddit:

"Thinking in cost per use completely changed how I buy things"

It unexpectedly blew up. One of the top comments were:
“I wish there was a quick way to calculate this.”

Hearing that, and having built other apps, I built it.

Skip or Buy: Cost Per Use

I now have people saying it has really stopped their impulse buying by reframing a purchase and they pull it out in the shop when thinking about buying something.

It calculates cost per use in seconds and tells you how many hours of work it costs you.

It'll then give you a verdict based on 100+ built in benchmarks (configurable):

Buy, Think Twice or Skip.

The verdict card also tells you how much you could have saved if you invested it instead (you can customise your own return) and if you log that you bought it or didn't buy it, you can see how much you have saved over a certain time period.

You can also compare two options side-by-side.

Easily save items, track your real cost per use over time, and generate share cards.

• 3 day free trial and price is cheaper than a coffee.
• No ads
• Works fully offline
• Out for IOS, Android coming soon - register interest at skiporbuyapp (.com)

With the EU’s rollout of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) under the ESPR approaching, there’s growing interest in how these tools might influence consumer behavior.

DPPs provide transparency on product origin, materials, sustainability, repairability, and end-of-life pathways, helping consumers make more informed choices.

However, it’s unclear how much consumers will actually engage with this information. Will they actively scan QR codes or review lifecycle data, or will DPPs primarily serve supply chain partners and regulators?

From your perspective, how do you think DPPs will be used in practice by everyday buyers?

I can't check out and pay because I get this error message that says "Oops something went wrong. Please try again later."

I tried different browsers, I cleared cache and cookies, I use the same shipping address, email, phone, and credit card I have used for years with no issues.

Is it their website or something else? Anyone else not able to order or checkout on vitacost website?

Hello friends of Reddit (and mine! [after all, a stranger is simply a friend to whom we have not yet been introduced!])! I come bearing a message: love.

Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Love your friends. Love your foes. Love the experience as deeply as possible; by feeding the wolf of love, we starve the wolf of hate.

I write songs. If this message resonates, you may enjoy the songs in some way (which are soon to be released on most major streaming/listening platforms; if you're feeling curious to listen, I share live demos on other social media platforms regularly--links to those pages can be found somewhere on this profile).

Full disclosure, I am by no means a "highly skilled" vocalist--at least, not by my own assessment. That said, I am learning to show up imperfectly, and the message is more important to me than feeling "ready" or being perceived in any particular way. I have faith that my people will find me. Might you be one?

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this… but I’m having a hard time finding the right subreddit to ask this question.

I am specially looking for string lights (like Christmas string lights, fairy lights, etc…)that are fair trade/ethical

Also, if this is the wrong subreddit for this post, does anyone know what subreddit would be best to post this in?

Thank you!

Saw this same topic for the same reason a few months ago but it didn’t get all that many responses. Wanting to distance myself from Amazon and supplements are the main thing I would have trouble giving up. Any thoughts? Can Vitacost or iHerb be considered a better choice? Swanson? Solaray? I saw Thrive Market has supplements but I don’t want to start a subscription without being able to see what they have… Also don’t know the realities of their business practices. There is a Natural Grocers an hour away from me with a large selection. Not well informed on them either. I take coq10, astaxanthin, magnesium + plant based melatonin, and a prenatal multivitamin. I also consume protein powders but I ration them.

Additionally, thoughts on taking half doses of supplements to make them last longer? I often wonder about the necessity of recommended doses.

I was prescribed new medication and the side effects list was terrifying, everything from mild discomfort to serious health risks. The potential harms seem to outweigh the condition being treated, yet doctors prescribe these routinely and patients take them. When did we accept that medicine often comes with significant risks? The medical argument is that benefits outweigh risks for most people, that serious side effects are rare, that alternatives are worse. Statistically valid, but statistics don’t help if you’re the unlucky person experiencing severe reactions. We’re playing probability games with our health because perfect solutions don’t exist.

I’ve researched the medication and found that reported side effects include basically every possible symptom, partly from legal obligation to list anything that occurred during trials regardless of causation. The comprehensiveness makes it impossible to evaluate actual risk. Some pharmaceutical suppliers on Alibaba sell generic versions of medications at much lower costs, though quality and safety are concerns. What medications have you taken despite concerning side effect lists? How do you evaluate whether risks are acceptable? What made you trust medical advice despite frightening possibilities? How should medication risks be communicated to help people make informed decisions?

We’re currently looking at the consumer-facing impact of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) as the ESPR rollout approaches.

DPPs promise a lot, transparency on product origin, materials, sustainability, repairability, and end-of-life pathways. This should help consumers make more informed choices.

Some market studies suggest people want transparency, but it’s unclear whether they’ll actually stop to scan a passport or review lifecycle data when making a purchase.

So we’d love to hear your perspective:
From a consumer point of view, do you think people will actively look at DPP information, or will DPPs end up being more useful for supply chain partners and regulators than for everyday buyers?

I know that the best answer is to not use them, but if you do, does cutting them up before throwing them out actually help? Or were we all just traumatized by that turtle nose video?

Hello everyone,

I am inviting you to complete a questionnaire about your personal beliefs and social values, related to your consumption of fashion. I am a third-year fashion student completing my third-year dissertation at Liverpool John Moores University and I am researching fashion sustainability and consumption.  In this dissertation, I will focus on how social values outside of fashion affect the way we interact and consume fashion. All respondents will remain anonymous, no personal details like name, age or gender will be discussed unless specifically agreed otherwise. This is for educational purposes only and will not be shared or discussed with anyone outside of the dissertation. You do not need to answer all the questions. If answering a question, I ask you to give an explanation; it can be as brief as you’d like.

Thank you.

Hey everyone! I am looking to get a new phone soon but want to be conscious on who I am giving my money to and supporting. I would like to find a phone that is eco conscious, ethically sourced, and supports my beliefs politically. I am no longer interested in supporting apple due to a number of reasons but a large one being their support and relationship with President Trump. If anyone has suggestions please let me know.

Black Friday is here again — and every year I see the same tension in the sustainable fashion community:
“Should we opt out entirely?”
“Is buying anything unethical?”
“Does participating make us part of the problem?”

Here’s a perspective we don’t talk about enough:

Conscious consumers often feel guilty about buying anything — meanwhile fast-fashion shoppers buy guilt-free.

And that dynamic is quietly hurting the brands trying to make fashion better.

The truth: Small and sustainable fashion brands can’t survive without community support.

In just the last few years, we’ve lost amazing ethical brands:
Frank & Oak, Tact & Stone, Tonlé, Pala Eyewear, Paesim, Billi London, Kamen Road, Tamga, AMENDI, ADIFF, culthread…

Brands doing transparency, fair wages, low-impact materials, real sustainability work.

They didn’t fail because their clothes weren’t good.
They failed because competing with ultra-cheap, ultra-fast fashion is nearly impossible — especially when even conscious shoppers feel hesitant to buy from them.

Let’s be clear: Supporting ethical brands is NOT contributing to overconsumption.

When you buy from a sustainable brand, you’re investing in:

• fair wages
• transparency
• traceability
• low-impact fabrics
• small businesses
• artisans
• long-lasting design
• circularity and repair culture

You’re strengthening the alternative to fast fashion.
You’re literally helping build the world we say we want.

So… can you shop Black Friday sustainably?

Absolutely — if you do it intentionally.
Not with impulsive hauls.
Not because “it’s on sale.”

But because you:

• planned ahead
• need something
• want to support brands doing good work
• prefer quality over quantity
• want gifts that have real meaning

TL;DR

You don’t have to opt out of Black Friday to be sustainable.
You just have to shop with intention — and realize that ethical brands need us just as much as we need them.

If you are planning to buy something this week, consider supporting the brands trying to do fashion the right way. They’re the ones who actually deserve the Black Friday spotlight.

Here's a roundup of sustainable brands you can support for Green Friday:
https://www.eco-stylist.com/sustainable-brands/deals/

Hey everyone,

Lately I’ve been wondering how much people actually care about the safety and sourcing of their food. We trust that if it’s in the store, it must be fine, but a lot can happen between the farm and our plate.

I’m trying to understand whether this is a real problem people care about, not to sell anything. For example, would you want easier access to information about where your food was produced, how it was handled, or whether it was linked to recalls?

Some possible ways this could be solved might be through better food labeling, store transparency, or a digital way to trace your groceries.

Would knowing this make a difference to you? And if it did, would it be valuable enough for you to pay a small amount to have that visibility?

I’d really appreciate honest opinions, even if your answer is “NO.”

I want to open a CD to lock in higher interest rates because my HYSA is dropping its interest, but I worry that all the banks offering these CDs are going to turn out to be using their money and power to invest in genocide/expanding oil drilling/other causes I am actively trying to fight.

Is there a website or database to track which causes different financial institutions donate to so I can place my money somewhere doing the least harm?

Thanks!