The pandemic’s most popular sustainability apps 

The desire to be more sustainable in our daily lives is not a new phenomenon. But evidence shows that UK consumers embraced sustainability more than ever over the last two years.

According to research from consultancy Deloitte, 85% of consumers made at least one lifestyle change to be more sustainable in 2020, during the COVID pandemic. While 15% of survey respondents said they were “highly engaged” on sustainability issues before the pandemic, this figure rose to 32% last year.

Even when people isolated at home, their smartphone apps enabled them to improve their sustainability habits. From food waste apps like Too Good To Go and OLIO to recycling apps such as reGAIN; popular sustainability apps have allowed consumers to make a difference.

Tacking food waste

With data from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) finding that the UK produces around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste each year, Too Good To Go offers stores and consumers a win-win solution. Users of the app can search for local restaurants and cafes that have unsold food and pay as little as £2 to collect a surprise bag of items.

Major brands including Costa Coffee, Greggs, Caffè Nero and Morrisons have signed up to the app, as well as many independent cafes. According to Too Good To Go, every surprise bag a user collects saves the equivalent of 2.5kg of CO2.

Recycling focused

Consumers of fast fashion are increasingly becoming aware of the damage these products do to the environment. The creators of the reGAIN app encourage users to recycle clothing in return for discount coupons and make the entire process as easy as possible with more than 20,000 drop-off points in the UK.

As around £140 million worth of unwanted clothes get sent to landfills in the UK every year, even a small decrease in this figure would convert into a major saving in the amount of clothing in landfills.

In the aftermath of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), companies and consumers alike are refocusing on the differences they can make in their own lives to create a more sustainable future.