Did you know that June 5th is World Environment Day?

Since 1973 it’s been the United Nations’ day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. At Castle Plaza, we’re committed to a 2030 Net Zero carbon target, which is central to our commitment to long-term sustainability.

This year, we’ve compiled our best sustainable shopping tips, with some that can even save you time and money too!

Sustainable Shopping Tips

1.      Shop seasonal produce

This tip doesn’t just help the environment; it can help you at the checkout too. By shopping seasonal, you can reduce the carbon footprint of imports and exports required in transport. Plus, fresh produce is often at its best quality and lowest price when in season.

2.      Try recipes to reduce waste

There are so many parts of our food we might be throwing out that can be eaten instead. To start, consider leaving the skins on fruit and veggies you might be peeling. Stems and leaves can also be used in the same way; broccoli stems can be cooked the same as broccoli, where cauliflower leaves can be roasted or stewed. Stems from fibrous greens (think kale and collards) might be tough to eat raw but can be sautéed into a side dish or salad topper.

Pumpkin seeds can be toasted in the oven with oil and salt to make a healthy snack. Fruit past its best is a great excuse to make fresh jams, while citrus fruits and their skins can be cooked into marmalades. And if you make coffee at home, your leftover coffee grinds can even be used as plant or garden fertiliser.

To use up the parts you’re not eating from fresh meat and fish, considering boiling the bones, shells and more to make a stock base. You can even add discarded veggie peels to use them up. Simply strain everything out before storing, and your stock can live in the freezer until make your next your next soup, pasta or broth.

3.      Buy in bulk (where possible)

This tip can save you money too, as the price per item often goes down in larger sale quantities. By avoiding individually packaged products, we can reduce our overall plastic waste.

4.      Avoid plastic bags

Many of us by now are bringing our own grocery shopping bags, but there’s so many other instances where we can bring our own bags too, from fashion to tech, stationary, equipment and more, so long as it doesn’t require special wrapping (e.g. fragile items).

5.      Look for natural fibres or recycled materials

Natural fibres often have much less environmental impact to produce than synthetic fibres, and they break down much quicker too. Keep an eye out for materials like wool, cotton, hemp, bamboo, silk, flax and linen, which are made from animal or plant fibres.

Where possible, look for items made from either mostly or 100% recycled materials too.

6.      Reduce waste with repairs

To reduce waste, check out our tailors and repair shops in centre, including Mister Minit. This could be patching clothes, fixing shoes, repairing jewellery, or even just tailoring clothes to fit that you’d otherwise be getting rid of. Plus, repairing an item is often much cheaper than replacing it.

7.      Check out retailer recycling initiatives

For the things that can’t go in household recycling, check out recycling and donation initiatives to keep them out of landfill. This could include items like electronics, fabrics, shoes, toys and even homewares.

Check out the recycling and donation programs at Coles, Target and even more in-centre.

What we’re doing

As mentioned above, we’re committed to a 2030 Net Zero carbon target, which is central to our commitment to long-term sustainability. So, while we’ve already taken steps to become more sustainable, you can trust that we’re rolling out even more to reduce our environmental impact. 

Let’s make a difference this World Environment Day.