As far as sustainability goes, we’re super lucky to be living in Berlin. I’m reminded of this every time I speak to friends and family back home. Often marketed as trendy, time-consuming, and expensive, a lot of people assume you have to completely overhaul your lifestyle to be more sustainable…but that’s simply not true. Being more sustainable is about figuring out what you use the most, and then finding a way to get those same products in a way that doesn’t have such a negative impact on our planet.
There are some fantastic unpackaged stores to choose from in Berlin that not only enable us to support local businesses and encourage innovation but also give us the power to refuse — to send a clear message that we don’t want our products wrapped in plastic. And because we live in Berlin, we can achieve this without too much extra effort on our part, and without breaking the bank.
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by Guest Author | Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg, Shops
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If you feel tempted to always buy fashion at the same stores and are a little stuck in your day-to-day wardrobe the Fashion Council Germany and Bikini Berlin have your back providing you with updated and relevant fashion news just when you need it most. After their successful Pop-Up Shop at Bikini Berlin in June, they are bringing on another pop-up event in order to foster designer talents and offer them a platform to showcase their latest designs and present their labels. Hosted once more at Bikini Berlin’s rooftop terrace this week from Wednesday to Sunday, featuring cool drinks and interesting talks with the designers themselves.
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by Franziska | Charlottenburg, Fashion, Shops
photo: Elaine Casap
Old habits die hard. Not that this is an excuse for avoiding change, but… they just do. When you, like most of us, grew up in this affluent society of ours, you are used to groceries always being available to you. That yoghurt in the back of the fridge, that you forgot when you went away for a few days… oh well, sheepishly throw it away, you can get a new one today. That take away food, that you didn’t end up eating in the end – bye, there’s the bin. Again, you bought 10 eggs and ended up eating 3? If you are recognizing yourself right now, this article is for you!
There is that indifference, in all of us. But if global food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases next to China and the USA. Unshaped fruit and vegetables, overproduced goods, portions at restaurants that are too large or expired groceries that are still fine to consume – all of it ends up in the bin, even though it is still perfectly fine to eat. Food waste is on of our biggest problems today and the fight against it should become habitual. This is why we are giving a shoutout to these awesome Berlin-based food projects that are taking a stand against it.
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by Franziska | Cafés, Food, Products, Restaurants, Shops
Sponsored
Berliners love it green, not only when they go shopping, but also at the workplace! So it was time for us to have a look around for the most innovative, green ideas in the capital. For this we teamed up with GASAG Berlin who are amidst their new campaign for their climate-neutral “Strom Fix” electricity produced with 100% renewable energies. Just like us they like the idea of Berlin getting greener and greener each year thanks to all the pioneers of sustainability out there.
But now let us introduce you to four young start-ups and projects that are not only eco-conscious and fair-trade, but are also fun and look good!
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by Andy | People
photo: Marlen Müller
Lina Jachmann’s new book Einfach Leben, the title meaning live simply, is a lifestyle guide that escapes the usual traps of this kind of literature: it’s neither about fast trends nor is it pretentious or preachy. On the other hand, it provides you with a lot of practical insights into the minimalist lifestyle based on portraits of (extra)ordinary people who have found ways to incorporate this philosophy into their everyday lives to make them more sustainable. Since quite a few of them are somehow linked to Berlin, we’re introducing them and their alternative habits we could all learn from below!
by Michalina | Books, People
There recently seems to be more awareness in the fashion world in terms of the consequences of our choices. We feel more and more guilty about having a stack of clothes at home we don’t even wear. Meanwhile, clothing brands have been adopting a new approach: H&M, for instance, has introduced permanent Conscious-collections, Weekday followed with a so-called Remains-Collection and & Other Stories asked their customers to bring in their empty beauty packaging. All of them actually offer their clients a possibility to bring in their old clothes in order to get discounts or other profits so that the fashion cycle actually is concluded.
In Berlin, we have been conscious of sustainable fashion concepts from the very beginning. Just take the Greenshowroom and Ethical Fashion Show that assembles international top players from the eco-fashion-segment each year. Berlin, as the capital of veganism is definitely bringing a lot of inspirations and potential for fair and sustainable fashion into the world and designers build their young brands based on those values.
When it comes to bags, not solely fashion, it still seems hard to find the real pearls in the city, though. That’s why we put together a list of amazing bag labels that are sustainable and/ or fairly produced as well. Read on…
by Alicia | Fashion
Did you ever wonder what happens to all the used coffee grounds in coffee shops and homes all over the city? Berliner Julian Lechner wondered if there was a way to use the leftovers and came up with a genius idea, that frees you from any eco-guilt: Coffee cups made of coffee leftovers.
In the spirit of reincarnation, Julian takes used coffee grounds to manufacture new, re-usable cups. So basically, he is the Jesus of coffee, turning the leftover powdered beans into new, sturdy coffee cups. What kind of sorcery is this, you ask? Be filled in after the jump. Read on…
by Yasmin | Design
Technically this edition of Berlin Goods should be called Potsdam Goods because the streetwear label Rotholz is from the pretty neighboring city with the beautiful castle Sanssouci. But since it’s only half an hour S-Bahn ride away it kind of feels like yet another district of Berlin, so I decided to feature it in our series after all.
Rotholz has been founded in 2005 by Moritz Baur. The label started with unique T-shirts that were hand-printed with carved woodplates, an old printing technique from Japan. Over the years they added different lines to their collection including artistic graphic prints, collages and a reduced line without any prints. Their products use a lot of organic, fair traded materials and the production is done in collaboration with social institutions which makes Rotholz a full-on sustainable label which we think is really great! Check out their cool new collection after the jump and have a look at some of their iconic pieces from previous collections in their webshop.
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by Frank | Fashion
Julia Starp
During Berlin Fashion Week I checked out two simultaneous Green fashion showrooms that were running in the city, thekey.to and the GREEN Showroom. I for one was on the look out for labels which were unique and fashion-forward rather than the usual ‘this Tee may be eco-friendly but it still makes me look like I belong on the Lord of the Rings set’ sorta thing.
And thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Truth be told, I ended up being enamoured with quite a selection of creative, green ideas that really made me wish I knew how to operate a sewing machine. Hmmm. Anyway, check out my gorgeous, green discoveries after the jump.
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by Diwa | Fashion
