We should all be taking steps to REDUCE our consumption by buying much less stuff - often we can REUSE what we have already or share /swap items with other like-minded people. If you do have to buy something then look in charity shops, or in a local zero waste store or in an independent retailer first. Get into the habit of giving yourself 'cooling-off' time to consider if you really do want/need it in your life. But what about when we have to buy something that isn't available locally?
There are lots of eco-friendly online shops to choose from, the ones I like to use for essentials are... www.peacewiththewild.co.uk
I also use Amazon from time to time (usually when I've tried all other options or when I'm in caught out and in a rush). I would prefer to shop in stores which pay fair taxes, treat their workforce kindly and package their goods in an eco-friendly way. Amazon may not have a great track record of doing these things reliably, but it is possible to influence the packaging they use for your orders. On a laptop / desktop computer (but not on a phone or tablet), here is how...
1. On a laptop / desktop computer, sign in to your Amazon account.
2. Scroll down to almost the bottom of the page and click on 'Customer Service' (bottom right).
3. Under 'Browse Help Topics' click on 'Need More Help' (bottom left).
4. Click on 'Contact Us'.
5. Click on 'Start Chatting'.
6. The Chat facility then opens and a generic message will appear.
7. Make the page full-screen (by clicking on the very top right-hand square corner icon).
8. Now you can see the button (at the bottom of the page) which says 'Got it' - click on it.
9. You will get a message asking you what you want to chat about, this is just a computer generated message. Copy and paste the following message (or something like it) into the box; "Please could you put a note on my account to make all future Amazon-fulfilled orders plastic-free, with minimal packaging and where absolutely necessary use only bio-degradable packaging materials like paper. I do not want any more pointless plastic in my life. Thank you."
10. Then you will be asked if you need to chat to a real person.Click the couple of response buttons to say that yes you do.
11. An Amazon associate will then come online and ask you what you need help with. Copy and paste the same message as above.
12. There will be a slight pause whilst they put the note on to your account. Within a couple of minutes you will get a message back to say that your request has been 'actioned'. The Amazon associate I 'spoke' to on chat was very receptive to this request and said that Amazon was working towards being more eco-friendly in general. *UPDATE* it may be necessary to ask to speak to a supervisor / try again later, as not all chat operators are up-to-speed on this, so some will be unable to help you.
So go on, do it now. It takes just 5 minutes to reduce the landfill waste Amazon deliveries generate.Please tell any other Amazon users you know to do this too.