Another important question to ask is what material is the product you are about to purchase made from? Steel, aluminum, concrete and precious metals all require a great deal of energy to manufacture or extract in the first place. Buying products that include reused, recycled or materials from sustainable sources or that use less resources overall does help to limit the damage the products production causes to the environment.

In contrast, wood from sustainable sources is almost carbon neutral, for example, anything certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – so look out for the ‘FSC’ Certificate on wood products, including paper, books and furniture.

(However, when wood is from unsustainable sources and not managed correctly the deforestation associated with the process accounts for a large proportion of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It really is essential to ensure that the wood products that you purchase are from sustainable sources).

At the end of their life, items will incur further energy and resources costs when being disposed of. So when looking to purchase a product try and choose one that can be reused or recycled easily and one that does not contain toxic or harmful substances, which can damage the environment. Again this simple step can make a big difference, for example, did you know that there are now companies who will pay you for unwanted mobile phones? Not only are you doing your part to help protect the environment you are making some money in the process!