PriceRunner wants consumers to shop more sustainably

Shopping more sustainably for our planet

The e-commerce industry has been a sector with impressive growth, especially during the pandemic. But with an increasing amount of people shopping online, now is more important than ever to make purchases with the environment in mind. PriceRunner has launched a wide range of filters to enable consumers to make more sustainable and informed choices.

Online shopping is a growing phenomenon that’s here to stay. According to a report from watchdog Ofcom, online sales in the UK increased by an estimated 48% year on year in 2020, reaching £112.7bn in total revenue, compared to £76.1bn in 2019.

“We really have to start thinking about the products we buy and how they affect our planet. Making sustainable choices when shopping online should be easy, but that is sadly not always the case. This is why we have rolled out sustainability filters on our site to make it easier for consumers to make informed purchases.” said Christine Gouldthorp, Consumer Expert at PriceRunner.

But making a sustainable purchase isn’t always easy. It can be hard to find the information you need or even know what to look for. For example, it isn’t always possible to find out from a website where the product was made or how it was transported to you.

Another part of the problem of online shopping is free deliveries and returns. This option has become increasingly popular in the UK with large retailers even offering same day delivery. As often recently in the media, some consumers have made a habit out of ordering more than they need as they know returns are free and easy. Even so, deliveries are only a small part of the problem.

So how can we shop more sustainably?

We need to think about the bigger picture when shopping online and consider things like if the materials used to make the product are recycled, if the product was made with a good enough energy class, if the products have been tested on animals, etc. The list can be made very long.

This might seem like an overwhelming and time-consuming task, which even consumers with the best of intentions might not prioritise in their busy lives. Enter PriceRunner!

“In an effort to make it easier for consumers to make smarter choices, not only for their wallets but also our planet, I am happy to say that we have introduced a wide range of sustainability filters to a large number of product categories. Hopefully this will also put pressure on the e-commerce industry and retailers to think hard about the whole supply chain and how they increase their sustainability efforts,” said Christine Gouldthorp.

Here are a few examples of our categories with sustainability filters:

• Children’s shoes: Consumer will now be able to filter out shoes that are made with vegan-friendly materials, created with recycled or organic materials. 
• Cookers: Ability to sort by energy class. Having a cooker with a higher energy rating might cost you a bit more upfront, but will likely last you a lot longer than cheaper models that have shorter life spans and cost more in energy per month.
• Kitchen accessories: Now you can sort out retailers with BPA free products, i.e., no more of that toxic plastic.
• Nail products: Let’s go cruelty free, as the option to sort out products that have not been tested on animals is a new feature on PriceRunner, as well as to sort out non-toxic and vegan products.
• Fitness products: With recycled, organic and non-toxic materials.

Whatever you might be after, remember that a low price is not the only factor. If we think about the bigger picture, we can actually save money down line by shopping more sustainably. That’s good for your wallet and good for our planet.