Explainer | What you can do to limit climate change: practical ways to adjust what you eat and wear, and how you exercise and travel

Bring your own shopping bag, your own cutlery to a fast-food restaurant and a container for leftovers. Order less takeaway food. Buy clothes you can wear longer

If you go to a hotel, pack toiletries and only use services you need. For cardio exercise go for a walk, jog or cycle rather than use a gym’s powered treadmill

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Recycling your old clothes instead of throwing them away is something we can all do to become more eco-conscious, environmentally friendly consumers. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 4:15am, 29 Jul 2021Updated: 3:46pm, 30 Jul 2021

The calls to take immediate action against climate change have grown in volume as the coronavirus pandemic has dragged on. A 2020 survey, by management consultancy firm Accenture, found 60 per cent of global consumers have made more “environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical purchases” since the discovery of Covid-19.

However, plenty of us are still not consuming in an environmentally conscious way – think about the polystyrene boxes and plastic takeaway meal bags we have used during the seemingly endless cycle of quarantining, self-isolating and social distancing.

So how do we become smarter, more climate-conscious consumers?

Here are some tips on making responsible, sustainable choices in your day-to-day life, from the food you eat and the clothes you wear to the ways you keep fit and travel.

A customer weighs grapes at a supermarket. Bring your own bag when grocery shopping to cut down on your use of plastic bags. Photo: Getty Images

Food

Many people, aware of the massive carbon footprint that the meat and dairy industries produce, will adopt an “environmentally friendly” plant-based diet – but there are a few points to bear in mind when going vegan.