Sustainable consumption

This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.

   

What can we do:

• Local products and crafts. These have the advantage to facilitate the local economy which makes a country work. Furthermore, the short distances between producers and consumers saves hundreds of km, and allows to avoid CO2 emissions. To buy seasonal fruits and local vegetables allows to avoid the production under greenhouse and long transport.
• Products stemming from fair trade. Products stemming from fair trade result from small producers of developing countries and were produced in respect for the working conditions of the producers. Protected from a reasonable minimum income, no discrimination, a ban on child labor,...
• Organic products. Organic products are healthy food, good for the environment and animals. The seasonal productions are without pesticides, with organic fertilizers. Animals are raised in good conditions, their food is natural.
• Washing powders without phosphates. These washing powders exist in a big variety of brands, are environment-friendlier, effective and no dearer than classic powders. With the same efficiency as the classic powders, they allow to make twice more washings and you will thus need only half of a usual dose of product. The reduction of the dosages also entails a reduction from 60% to 90% of the waste of packagings.

It is also advised to:

• Facilitate the purchase of household electrical appliances with weak energy consumption (devices of class A ++ on the energy labels)
• To banish the purchases of disposable products and to prefer the reusable or refillable (rechargeable batteries rather than disposable, reusable carrier bags rather than disposable, sponge instead of kitchen rolls, reusable razors rather than disposable, boxes for sandwiches rather than some aluminium)
• To recycle, to repair old objects or clothes which can have a useful second life. In Brussels, associations of social economy such as Les Petits Riens, Oxfam, the Salvation Army, get back your old objects and will share them with peolple who need them.

Links

• Second hand: www.solid-r.be (clothes), www.res-sources.be (old objects)
• Brussels look-out post for long-lasting consumption: www.observ.be
• Network eco-consumption. All the information useful for a long-lasting consumption: ecoconso.be.
• ASBL Le début des haricots. Priority given to food, the creation of links between the consumers and the local producers, the groups of united purchases: www.haricots.org.
• Regional bonuses for the purchase of successful household electrical appliances.
• Guide of the labels to be recognized for a responsible consumption: www.infolabel.be.