5 Apps to Help You Become a More Conscious Consumer

Consumerism has become a mindless habit for many of us, one that’s especially hard to break in today’s world. We are constantly bombarded with ads or tuned into social media comparing ourselves to others, making us feel like we need more. Turning our thought patterns around can be difficult, but there are steps we can take to get there, along with tools that will support us. Here are five apps that will help you become a more conscious consumer.

Slow Fashion

We’re starting off with one of my favourites that I use personally all the time: Stylebook (affiliate link). I bought this app a few years ago, and it looks like it’s still selling for around the same price. It was such a good investment and I’ve fully got my money’s worth from it. Stylebook is basically a way to catalogue all of the items in your wardrobe, make outfits, plan packing lists, and record how often you wear what’s in your closet. I use it to plan all of my capsule wardrobes and outfits, and I’m at the point now where I wouldn’t want to live without it!

Another, similar version of this is Cladwell. I haven’t personally tried Cladwell, only because they are a subscription-based app which is quite expensive compared to Stylebook. They do have a neat feature which randomly selects items from your wardrobe and suggests outfits for you, so if you need help in that department it might be worthwhile springing for the subscription. But Stylebook has always worked really well for me, and no subscription keeps it simple and budget-friendly. Either way, both of these apps will help you get more use out of the clothes you already have versus buying new ones all the time.

There is a downside to each of these, which is that they’re only available on the Apple store for iOS devices. So unless you have an iPhone or iPad, you might be out of luck. If you know of a great substitute for Android devices, please let us all know in the comments below!

Download Stylebook: iOS

Download Cladwell: iOS

Ethical Fashion

Shopping ethically can be hard, especially if you’re new to the game and don’t really know where to start. Good On You is an app that provides ethical ratings for fashion brands around the world. Not only can you find out how the brands you normally shop at rate on an ethical scale, it’s also a great way to learn about new brands that you might want to try. I highly recommend it if you’re at all interested in how your clothes are made and the ethics behind your go-to stores.

Download Good On You: iOS | Android

Clean Beauty

Think Dirty is another one of my favourite apps. It allows you to scan in the items in your toiletry cupboard – think makeup, skin and body care – as well as household items, like laundry detergent, and tells you on a scale how toxic the ingredients are. The higher the number, the more toxic or carcinogenic a product is. Not only that, but they also break down the list of ingredients, showing you which ones are particularly harmful and explaining why. It’s been such a great help for me as I try to clean up my makeup and skincare regime. The one thing I will say is that it can be hard to find the product you’re looking for, but you can add new ones yourself if you’re not able to find them already. Get ready to pull this one out and go through your entire bathroom cupboard – it’s a real eye-opener!

Download Think Dirty: iOS | Android

Recycling

Recycling might not be as exciting as slow fashion or clean beauty, but it’s still so important for our environment. That said, we also need to know how to recycle properly. I don’t know about you, but we didn’t learn that when I was going to school here in Canada. So, I found an app that is actually pretty helpful called iRecycle. It tells you what you can and can’t recycle based on your city. The only problem? I can’t really use it because it’s for the states only!

However, most cities and larger areas will also have their own app. For example, there is an app called RecycleBC that does the same thing, but for BC where I live. Whichever one you download, it’s sure to be a great way to quickly check whether you can recycle something in your city and how to do it the right way so that it doesn’t just end up as trash.

Download iRecycle: iOS/Android

Download RecycleBC: iOS | Android

Simple Living

Okay, so technically this one isn’t out yet, but I’m very excited for it. It’s called Slow the App and it’s all about helping you simplify your life and slow down. I’m expecting tips, reminders, and/or goals for things like shopping less, having less to do, owning less, etc. It sounds right up my alley! That’s pretty much all I know about it right now, but for now you can follow their twitter account for updates if it sounds like something you’d be interested in.

Those are my top five apps for helping you be a more conscious consumer. Have you tried any of these yet? What are some of your favourites? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

Emily