{"id":1636,"date":"2025-11-07T08:20:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/?p=1636"},"modified":"2025-11-07T09:25:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T09:25:30","slug":"sustainability-blog-guide-consumer-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/2025\/11\/07\/sustainability-blog-guide-consumer-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Blog Guide: Consumer Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Welcome to the Loughborough University Sustainability Blog Guide \u2013 your go to guide to practical yet fun ways to live and work more sustainably. This blog series is part of Sustainability Week (10-14 November) and is designed to support both students and staff in making meaningful sustainable changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"814\" height=\"458\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2025\/11\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2025\/11\/image.png 814w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2025\/11\/image-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/49\/2025\/11\/image-768x432.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 814px) 100vw, 814px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As the seasons change and we head into a time of reflection and celebration, it\u2019s worth taking a moment to think about the impact of our everyday purchases. Whether you&#8217;re a student or staff member, your consumer choices can shape a more sustainable future and save you money too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tips and to-do\u2019s<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Find out your carbon footprint<\/strong>: Understanding your impact is the first step to reducing it. <a href=\"https:\/\/footprint.wwf.org.uk\/\">You can use the WWF Carbon Footprint Calculator.<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Buy only what you need<\/strong>: Consider the carbon cost of different products before purchasing. From production to packaging to transport, every product has a carbon cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Choose local or UK-made products<\/strong>: This helps reduce emissions from long-distance transport and supports local businesses. The weekly Loughborough market is a great place to start!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Keep your tech longer<\/strong>: Avoid upgrading phones and devices unnecessarily. You can extend the life of your devices by repairing, updating software and using protective cases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Avoid fast fashion<\/strong>: Use platforms like eBay, Vinted and Depop to find stylish second-hand clothes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reuse, repair, upcycle<\/strong>: Give clothing, furniture, and household items a second life. Learn basic repair skills to reduce waste and save money.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shop second-hand<\/strong>: Loughborough has a great selection of charity shops worth exploring, offering clothes to kitchenware.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use Pilkington Library<\/strong>: Borrow books instead of buying new ones reduces paper waste and saves money. Loughborough University\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.lboro.ac.uk\/?l=pilkington-library\">Pilkington Library<\/a> has a wide range of resources for study and leisure reading.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Go plastic-free<\/strong>: Choose products with minimal or no plastic packaging where possible. Re-fill shops and eco-friendly brands often offer better alternatives for household goods and toiletries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Did you know?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything we buy has a carbon impact. The fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. By making more mindful choices, you can reduce your footprint and support a more sustainable economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Try this<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pick one item you were planning to buy new and try to find a second-hand alternative instead. You\u2019ll likely notice a positive impact on both your wallet and the planet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the Loughborough University Sustainability Blog Guide \u2013 your go to guide to practical yet fun ways to live and work more sustainably. This blog series is part of Sustainability Week (10-14 November) and is designed to support both students and staff in making meaningful sustainable changes. As the seasons change and we head [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":762,"featured_media":1638,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"lboro_blog_alternative_thumbnail_image":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/762"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1636"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1639,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1636\/revisions\/1639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}