Responsible purchasing

Think about the need to purchase a product

Think about the need to purchase a product and then the need to purchase a new product. Many unused appliances that are still in good condition are left collecting dust in drawers or can be found online or at flea markets, often at a reduced price.

Repair your objects before replacing them

The website ge-repare.ch provides the public with more than 200 addresses of shops, companies, craftsmen active in repair in Geneva.

Buy second-hand goods

To find second-hand goods, consult the following websites and addresses:

• Keep In Use, a website offering objects free of charge;
• Flea markets, jumble sales, gratiferia;
• Materiuum, a recovery centre in Geneva where you can find materials at low prices.

Borrow items instead of buying them

The Pumpipumpe website puts you in contact with people who are willing to loan you items for occasional use (drill, telescope, children’s fancy dress costume, etc.). A map indicates the people living closest to you who have the item you need. You can also order stickers for your letterbox indicating the items available.

Buy more sustainable goods

Household appliances

SuisseEnergie provides you with tips in understanding the energy labels of household appliances and in buying the appropriate item.

The Fédération romande des consommateurs offers advice on how to reduce electricity consumption. 

IT and electronics

• Itopie: second-hand computers, repairs, advice, training courses, data protection, rental, repurchasing, Linux tips;
• why computing: computers with a 10-year guarantee;
• Fairphone: ethical and modular smartphones.

Clothes

The textile industry (notably Fast Fashion) is still experiencing sustained growth and causes enormous ecological and social challenges, especially since a large part of the production sites are relocated abroad. Indeed, according to the OFEV (Office de l'environnement), the Swiss clothing sector generates only around 1% of its environmental impact on Swiss territory, compared to 96% in countries where clothing and shoes are produced on behalf of large companies. chains.

It is therefore essential that the retail trade promotes fair and environmentally friendly items in its offer. For their part, consumers also play an important role, by favoring the purchase of clothing produced with respect for those who manufacture them and the use of quality, solid and environmentally friendly products. Finally, approaches such as buying second-hand, renting, exchanging and sharing reduce the pressure on the environment and apply to a multitude of consumer goods.

The textile industry is the second-largest polluter worldwide after the oil industry. You can:

• buy eco-responsible clothing on FAIR-ACT, a responsible fashion platform;
  buy second-hand clothes on the ge-reutilise.ch platform;
• increase your awareness of the problems linked to this industry via the Public Eye website;
• obtain information about and take action in favour of a more ethical approach in the clothing industry via the Public Eye website;
• call on the services of an eco-friendly dry cleaners.

Vehicles

Every year, the Association Transports et Environnement (ATE) evaluates new cars according to ecological criteria. It also publishes a guide to buying light commercial vehicles according to ecological criteria: EcoMobiListe.

Use CheckEnergieAuto and save up to 20% energy and money with your car.

Give your objects a new lease of life

Try to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle all the waste you produce. 

To repair your objects, telephones, clothes, IT equipment, electronic appliances, etc., consult the ge-repare.ch website created by the City and the FRC within the framework of the "Repair, don’t discard” campaign.

Are you looking for a place where you can drop off any objects or materials that are still in good condition? Consult the following websites and addresses:

• Keep In Use, a website where you can offer objects free of charge;
• Materiuum, a recovery centre in Geneva where you can sell materials at low prices.

If your furniture and materials are genuinely of no more use, contact the Street cleaning-clean city department to take your bulky objects away.