10 tips: Live, shop & live more sustainably

Do you pay attention to sustainability in your everyday life?

Whatever your answer, let's face it: the vast majority of us could probably do more to reduce our footprint on the planet.

The word sustainability should not simply remain an intangible buzzword. It should become a topic that you can also pay attention to in everyday life. That's why we've done some research for you and collected some simple tips for more sustainability in everyday life.

Sustainable everyday life - You can implement these tips right now

• Fill up dishwasher & washing machine

Dishwashers and washing machines can be real energy guzzlers, depending on the model. If we're going to pollute the environment, it should at least be worth it every time. So always fill up your dishwasher and washing machine as well as possible before you turn them on.

If you also use the Eco program for both the dishwasher and the washing machine, you can save even more energy.

• Do without oven preheating

Did you know that you can save about 20% electricity if you don't turn on the oven until you put your dish in it?

Preheating the oven is absolutely unnecessary, because it only consumes energy without the food getting any of it. If you turn on the oven only when it is actually needed, the baking time will be a little longer, but the environment will thank you.

• Shopping bags instead of plastic bags

When shopping, an enormous amount of unnecessary plastic waste is produced, not only by the packaging of the food, but also by plastic bags in which the shopping is then packed.

Admittedly, here at home you see more and more people who already rely on reusable bags, backpacks or trolleys - but even here, plastic bags have unfortunately still not completely disappeared.

So get a handy bag or other reusable bag for your future purchases, too.

• Plan your purchase

A very simple tip, but often underestimated: Look at your supplies before you make your purchase.

If you know what you need and plan your shopping, you can avoid foodwaste much better. An additional tip: Don't go shopping hungry, because you're not you when you're hungry. That's when people tend to overdo it and you'll probably just buy whatever makes you "happy" at the moment.

• Regional & seasonal shopping

If you eat regionally and seasonally, you're not only doing something good for the environment, but also for your health and your wallet. Yes, we also like to have an avocado or a sweet pineapple now and then, but unfortunately they don't grow in Switzerland.

In addition, many of these products require an extremely large amount of water to be grown at all. In the growing regions, however, water is often scarce. The huge amounts of CO2 needed for transport also make this anything but sustainable.

Let's concentrate more on our regional and seasonal foods again. Our apples in all variations, the sweet cherries, strawberries and our plums are also unbeatable, aren't they?

• Waive receipts

Whether shopping or after a meal in a restaurant, we are often asked if we want a receipt. But honestly, how often have you accepted them and thrown them straight into the trash at home?

So in the future, just do without it and announce this in advance, otherwise receipts will simply be pressed into your hand.

• Glass instead of plastic

Reducing plastic is incredibly important when it comes to living more sustainably.

If you have a choice between glass and plastic when shopping, opt for glass in the future. You tend to be able to use glass more often, which makes it the more environmentally friendly option. Plus, you won't find any pollutants in glass, unlike plastic.

• Question the textile industry

It should be clear to pretty much everyone that the textile industry is dirty. For the clothes that we can buy in the well-known fast fashion stores, sometimes even children toil under inhumane conditions, without protection from dangerous chemicals and for a measly pittance.

If you want to buy more sustainable clothing, there are some alternatives. There is already a large selection of beautiful clothing from fair brands that produce sustainably and are completely transparent. If you want to go one step further, simply buy second hand or organize a clothing swap - there are more and more options in this area as well.

Sustainable living with the right furniture

The world of design and furniture is also changing at the moment and Livom is right in the middle of it with a sustainable selection of sofas, tables, chairs and outdoor furniture. That's why we have tips for you in the Home & Furniture section, too, of course.

• Pay attention to the origin of the materials

Trees are cut down - we don't have quite as much influence on that as we might like.

But in furniture stores today, unfortunately, you can find a wide selection of furniture made of tropical woods that bear a sustainability label. However, the sustainable extraction of tropical wood is an invention.

So why buy a table made of tropical wood, when you can have beautiful furniture made from domestic tree species?

• Durable is sustainable

Everyone needs furniture and to live beautifully is important to us. Unfortunately, too often only the price of furniture counts and other factors are neglected.

We have all had our experiences with cheap furniture. Whether it's holes that were pre-drilled incorrectly, sofas that are quickly worn out or closets that have to be disposed of during the first move: Cheap furniture often causes us trouble.

A big problem is that cheaply produced furniture is of poor quality and therefore does not last as long as quality furniture. It makes a difference if you have to buy a new closet every three years or if it lasts 15 years. In the end, it is therefore worth spending a little more money than having to buy new all the time.

Now it's your turn

You've seen: It's actually not that difficult to live more sustainably in everyday life. We can implement most of the tips in our everyday lives without any problems. We all just need to take a closer look at ourselves and pay more attention to how we live and consume.

With the Footprint calculator from WWF, for example, you can easily calculate your ecological footprint. This test also showed us that we still have some catching up to do when it comes to sustainability in everyday life - but nobody is perfect, right?

We are still far from perfect. But since we deal with the issue on a daily basis, we are also trying to adapt our behavior step by step and make sure we travel in a more climate-friendly way.

What are you doing to live a little more sustainably in your everyday life? Let us know! 😊