User guide
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Jargon
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Help
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Clicking or tapping on the question mark will open this user guide. It opens on top of the page you're on and you can close it any time by clicking or tapping the cross in the top-right corner.
Introduction
At Which?, we regularly hear from consumers concerned about making sustainable choices in their shopping. Our focus on sustainability has been on environmental harm. That is any impact on the environment as a result of human activity – specifically climate change, air pollution and reduced biodiversity. We’re trying to ask ourselves: how do we produce and consume goods and services for our needs today, in a way that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs?
During the busiest shopping period of the year, how do we continue to make appropriate choices? Recommending products that are efficient, durable and long lasting has been part and parcel of Which? since day one, so becoming a champion of sustainability is a natural progression that builds on this rich heritage. Time, however, is no longer on our side. With the world facing an environmental crisis, sustainability is an issue of increasingly urgent importance.
Which? aims to be an organisation that enables consumers to make sustainable choices, as well as an organisation that minimises its own contribution to environmental harm. Find out more about our projects and initiatives that are already underway.
This is a shorter version of our Making Sustainable Choices digital supplement that ties into our winter shopping advice. It focuses on the issues that need tackling by both governments and businesses, as well as consumers, that are impacted by Black Friday, Christmas and the January Sales. So we've included lots of information about how what we buy, use and waste affects the planet, and lots of advice to help you to maximise your sustainability efforts.
We appreciate that trying to do your bit to combat climate change can often feel overwhelming, and much depends on your personal circumstances. However, as you browse the following pages, we hope you are inspired to make just a few simple changes to your winter shopping habits. Small steps can collectively make big strides, and forming new habits doesn’t have to be too much bother.
From reviewing your weekly shopping list (see Everyday essentials) to rethinking your waste (see Wise up to waste), it can be surprisingly straightforward to swap old behaviours for new, more eco-friendly ones. As the ongoing pandemic has demonstrated, people soon adapt to a different way of living and working, and nature can flourish when given the chance to do so. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if together we now all emerge from Covid-19 focused on positive change, for our own health and wellbeing, and for that of our planet?