Living more sustainably: for many, due to lack of time for knowledge, this remains a recurring new year’s resolution. Fortunately, there are many tools out there that help you to develop new habits. In this article we will discuss 9 apps that help you to reach your goal.
Due to our busy daily lives we sometimes hardly have enough time to complete all of our standard tasks, such as doing the weekly grocery shopping. Some additional time to carry out our hobbies is something many of us can only dream of. For this reason, it seems almost impossible to find the time to put extra effort into living a more sustainable life.
But there is hope: the apps that are listed below will help you be a little kinder to the planet, without (much) extra effort. Some sustainable habits will even save you time. If you are interested in how this can be possible, you should definitely check these apps out.
We will discuss the following apps:
- My Little Plastic Footprint
- HappyCow
- Keurmerkenwijzer
- Too Good To Go
- Afvalscheidingswijzer
- Klima
- Questionmark
- Eerlijkwinkelen
- Byewaste
1. My Little Plastic Footprint
My Little Plastic Footprint is a free app that helps you to reduce your plastic consumption.
In the app you will find a handy overview of all the different ways in which you can do this. It also suggests sustainable alternatives to commonly used items, such as plastic shopping bags – but also less obvious products, such as cosmetics.
Would you like to track your progress? Then calculate your PMI (Plastic Mass Index) in the app.
2. HappyCow
It is clear that a plant-based diet contributes to a more sustainable future. However, it can be a hassle to find a restaurant or snack bar that takes such dietary requirements into account. Often, looking at the menu is the only way to find this out.
For this reason, HappyCow was created. The app shows you all the good vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten-free eateries in your area. You can also find reviews from other users as well as photos of their dishes.
The app is available in more than 180 countries, making it easy to find your way even when you are on vacation.
3. Keurmerkenwijzer
With the Keurmerkenwijzer app from Milieu Centraal, making sustainable choices while shopping for groceries becomes much easier.
The app helps you to make more sustainable choices by listing the meaning of all the quality marks that you can find on the back of a product. For extra convenience, all quality marks are sorted based on their category. For example, you will find the Rainforest Alliance quality mark in the ‘Vegetables and fruit’ section of the app.
In addition, the app rates the level of ambition for each quality mark. This way, you know how much a product contributes to a more sustainable future.
4. Too Good To Go
Food waste is a global problem. Dutch citizens throw away about 34 kg of food per person every year. However, companies are also a big contributor to the issue.
In the Dutch catering industry, for example, an average of 200,000 tons of food disappears into the waste bin every year – even though many of these foods are still suitable for consumption.
With the Too Good To Go app you can buy the products that restaurants and shops have left at the end of the day at a low price. This popular app not only helps you to live more sustainably, but also to save some money while doing your weekly grocery shopping.
5. Afvalscheidingswijzer
Milieu Centraal’s Afvalscheidingswijzer helps you to recycle better at home. Do you regularly find yourself wondering what goes into which trash can? With this app you always have a handy overview in your pocket.
If you enter the name of the product that you want to dispose of (e.g. “Pizza box”), the app tells you how to get rid of it. In addition, it provides a number of relevant tips, such as clear instructions on what to do with the lid and/or any stickers that are on some product packaging.
6. Klima
With Klima you can easily calculate your own carbon footprint by answering some questions about your lifestyle.
In addition, the app offers various strategies to neutralize your carbon emissions, such as by sponsoring a sustainable project. The app also contains other useful tips for living more sustainably that you may have overlooked, such as switching to green energy.
The app makes it easy to track your environmental impact and encourages you to share your progress with your friends. This way, leading a sustainable life becomes a lot more fun!
7. Questionmark
Questionmark helps you to make more sustainable choices while grocery shopping.
The app scores the products you find in the supermarket in terms of health and sustainability. This way, you can see at a glance whether the product fits into a healthy diet and whether it supports your personal values.
You can search based on the product category, for example ‘drinks’ or ‘Meat products’. But you also have the option to select a specific supermarket chain or quality mark.
8. Eerlijkwinkelen
Eerlijkwinkelen shows you which fair trade, organic or second-hand shops there are in your area.
If you share your location with the app, it will show a map with all the stores that are nearby. Based on the different icons you can immediately see what kind of store it is.
You can also set filters to find specific types of stores. For example, you can search for ‘Clothing’ or ‘Home decorations’.
9. Byewaste
Lastly, we think that Byewaste deserves a mention in this list. In our app you can easily make an appointment to have your old books, electronics, toys, textiles and more picked up for free from your home.
We then make sure that these items are reused or recycled in the correct way, without having to go to the thrift store, the textile container or the recycling center.
This way, you can be sure that no harmful substances end up in the environment, meaning that you are doing something good for the environment with as little effort as possible.
