Ethical & Sustainable New Year's Resolutions for 2023

The last days of 2022 are here – and this might be the ideal moment to take your time and reflect on what this year meant to you. And of course, also meditate about what you expect and hope for in 2023. New year – new me, right?

Well, New Year's resolutions usually revolve around exercising and quitting unhealthy habits. That’s wonderful of course – and we are cheering for you! But what would you say about making it a bit more special this time? Are you ready for 2023 – the year in which we aim to live more sustainably and make more ethical decisions? We’re talking New Year’s revolutions here!

This article lists 30+ ethical and sustainable New Year's resolution ideas worthy of your 2023 New Year's resolutions list. But don't get overwhelmed – just pick a few that resonate with you!

We promise that it won't only be Mama Earth enjoying the perks of these adjustments. A more conscious lifestyle can take some worries off of your shoulders (it will save you some money, for instance) and make your life more simple and happier. Doesn’t that sound like a pretty awesome goal for 2023?
 

Sustainable New Year's resolutions: Slow fashion in your wardrobe

Changing your (fashion) shopping habits can have a great impact on our planet and its inhabitants. Did you know that the fashion industry is responsible for about 10% of all humanity's carbon emissions?¹

This is more than the amount produced by all international flights and maritime shipping combined! (If you need a minute to wrap your head around that – we get you.)
 

So, it would be amazing to leave your support for fast fashion brands in 2022 and go for the equally stylish but more sustainable and fair alternative. How? For instance, you could:

• Repair, don't throw away. Make yourself the promise that each time your clothes get damaged, you'll first try to repair them before throwing them away. Online tutorials might be your new best friend – or you could find a clothing repair near you.
• Set a limit on how many pieces of clothing you can buy. This can be per month or even the whole year. Not only can you avoid impulsive purchases, but you can also give your to-shop list more thought and ensure that you will truly make a good and long-lasting purchase.
• Decide on the number of days you will wait before making a purchase. Again, this will give you more time to think it through. Yes to being more mindful in 2023!
• Commit to #30wearschallenge. Wear every piece of clothing you purchase at least 30 times and before each purchase, ask yourself: 'Will I actually wear this at least 30 times?' This may not sound like a lot, but perhaps you’ll be surprised. This can also change your mindset about the price of an item and you can start using the cost-per-wear technique.
• Say goodbye to fast fashion. Promise yourself that when you need to buy something new, you'll only support ethical and more sustainable fashion brands.
• Opt for pre-loved clothes. When you want to buy something 'new', go and experience treasure hunting in thrift stores or second-hand stores.

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Stylish & made of vegan wool! Thanks, gran!
 

• Rent your clothes. Whenever you need an outfit for a special occasion, you can rent the clothes instead of buying a brand new outfit that you'd wear only once.
• Try a shopping fast for a month. Simply no fashion purchase for a month. Challenge accepted? It might be a bit tricky at first, but also truly satisfying. You might learn how to be creative with your style and clothes and realise that you already have everything you need (or even way more than that).
• Unsubscribe from fast fashion newsletters. You won't feel the constant need to spend your money on every silly trend, because you won’t get tempted every time you open your inbox. (Did you know that our digital activity – because it requires servers, computers and routers to run and these gigantic data centres consume huge amounts of electricity and water – leaves some carbon footprint behind? So you’ll also save some CO₂ emissions, too!⁴
• Shop in your own wardrobe. Dare yourself to discover new combinations of clothes you already own. This way, your older clothes can still excite you!

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It's trendy, trust us. (The Devil Wears Prada, 2006)

• Organise a clothing swap with your friends. Or attend one organised by someone else. It’s fun, sustainable and brings you loads of new options!
• Start a capsule wardrobe. By having a small collection of clothes that you love to wear and are easily combined, the need to shop every month will disappear.
• Wash your clothes only when absolutely necessary. And only when your washing machine is completely full. Sometimes, simply hanging the garment on a coat hanger outside for a day, will do all the freshening up it needs. Try turning your laundry a bit colder, stay away from aggressive detergents or fabric softeners, and instead of using a dryer, let your laundry air dry.
   

New Year's resolutions for eating more sustainably and ethically

Your environmental resolutions could also focus on the food you put on your plate. Did you know that...

“A vegan diet is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on our planet?"²

So, make sure that your sustainable resolutions for 2023 have the greatest impact possible! How to ease into a plant-based diet?

• Incorporate more plant-based food into your daily diet. You could start off by having only vegan breakfasts (and maybe even become a Part-Time Climate Warrior), only vegan lunches or dinners. Or by having vegan Mondays and Wednesdays, for instance.
• Eat plant-based except for that one thing. If you tell yourself “Oh, I would love to go vegan, but I can't live without cheese”, then simply cut out all animal-based foods except for cheese for now. See how that feels, educate yourself further while you’re changing your lifestyle accordingly and eventually you’ll find a way to enjoy yummy, healthy food that is better for the planet, the animals and yourself too.
• Eat plant-based at home. If the thing that is holding you back is eating out with friends or at your grandma's, simply eat plant-based food at home, but not necessarily elsewhere.
• Say goodbye to all animal products. You can also go vegan straight away. The Veganuary challenge is a great way to start. It’s a yearly challenge, started by a British non-profit, inspiring people all over the world to go vegan.

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Can't find us? We’re busy dating vegans in 2023.
 

• Eat local and seasonal. Checking where your food comes from and doing a bit of googling to find out which veggies and fruits are in season can also help to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Prevent food waste. Learning about the correct way to store your food, organising your fridge so you see which products need to find their way to your tummy first, not buying fresh products in huge amounts or cooking from leftovers at the end of the week can all help you to avoid wasting food.

In the wise words of author and animal rights activist Colleen Patrick Goudreau:

“Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything."

Take it slowly and on your own terms, like with the example of cheese. At least do what you’re able and willing to do at this very moment. But to not do anything at all, just because you think you have to do everything right immediately, would be a waste. “It’s the ultimate example of self-sabotage.”

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'Wake up, it's time for vegan breakfast, remember?'

Why do Veganuary in 2023?

A great start to a vegan New Year is doing the Veganuary challenge. Trying a vegan diet cannot get any easier – you will get delicious recipes, easy meal plans and helpful tips for this transformation. During the 2022 campaign, more than 600.000 people took their pledge to try a vegan diet.

This challenge only takes 31 days and by the end of it, you will know how to cook delicious and easy vegan meals and how to properly eat a balanced vegan diet.

Not only that, in those 31 days you’ll save around 125 litres of water, 543 kg of grain, 84 m² of forest, 273 kg of CO₂ emissions... and 30 animals!³

Tip: Try Veganuary (in English) or the Vegan Challenge (in Dutch)
 

New Year's resolutions for a more sustainable lifestyle in 2023

There are quite a few more things you could add to your New Year's resolutions:

• The golden rule: only buy what you really need. (Or really want, but do sleep on it for a couple of nights before getting it). Simply buying less is one of the best things you could do. It’s why we keep saying: shop compassionately, but as little as possible.
• Swap single-use products for reusable products. For instance, you could start using a safety razor, more sustainable period care products like menstrual cups or period underwear. And definitely check out our low waste products (spoiler alert: you'll find there a reusable sanitary swab, washable and reusable makeup pads made from organic cotton and bamboo, scrub/soap bags and much more!

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Let's make it to 2023, shall we? (Toy Story, 1995)

• Minimise your waste when grocery shopping. Try to do your groceries packaging-free and bring your own bags and jars. Our reusable and washable food bags might help. Or at least try to find alternative options for those heavily cardboard- and plastic-wrapped goods.
• Recycle your waste. It might be that you are already separating your paper, plastic and glass waste. If not, this is your sign!
   

 

• Start composting. Find a place in your city where you could bring your compost waste. If it doesn't exist (yet), consider getting your own (indoor) compost bin.
• Make the cruelty-free switch. Switch to cruelty-free & more sustainable makeup and vegan & eco-friendly personal care products. Avoiding the 25 common animal ingredients in cosmetics has never been easier!
   

Resolutions to do good, give back and be active in 2023

The year 2022 has taught us many lessons, one of which is that every individual matters and every ounce of positive change you can bring to this world matters too. In 2023, you might feel the urge to help the cause you believe in and feel so passionate about.

• Join an organisation as a volunteer. Find an existing social, environmental or animal rights organisation and dedicate your time to a good cause you believe in. Working with like-minded people who are driven by the same passion, knowing that together you are contributing to a better, sustainable and compassionate world is wonderful and so worth it. (Trust us, we know!)
• Start your own initiative. If you can't find an organisation that resonates with you, it might be your chance to start something from scratch.
• Donate your money to a good cause. You could send a one-time donation or place a standing order for a monthly donation. A tip: find out what effective animal charity you want to support by using the Animal Charity Evaluator.
• Sign petitions. Promise yourself that when you see an important petition worthy of your signature, you will actually sign it.
• Join protests. To keep yourself in the loop, make sure to follow organisations that organise protests for important causes.
• Become an activist also online. Ask (fast) fashion brands #WhoMadeMyClothes, demand them to #PayUp, call out greenwashing and more.
• Start your letter writing activism. Writing letters is a powerful tool, so don't forget to use it in 2023. You can write to fast fashion companies, other unethical and unsustainable corporations or even politicians.

“I can’t do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do.” – author Jana Stanfield
 

Hold on – you just read through plenty of New Year's Resolution suggestions. Maybe, you feel inspired and excited for the new year (and new you) to come. Or maybe you are a bit skeptical about whether you can actually keep them. In that case…

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Hold your horses, Grumpy Cat, we have tips for you!

What is the key to successful New Year's resolutions?

The key to any New Year's sustainable resolution is to make them realistic and specific. What does it mean exactly?

Be real with yourself and only set achievable goals. For instance, you probably won't be able to 'wear only sustainable clothes' when your wardrobe is still full of clothes you bought from fast fashion brands in the past. And that is completely okay.

Simply being committed to not contributing to the fast fashion industry anymore, and only buying (or even better, swapping, renting and thrifting) ethical and sustainable clothes from now on, while still wearing and making use of the clothes you already own, is probably the most environmentally-friendly and ethical approach you can take.

Another tip is: make your resolutions more specific and set measurable goals. This will increase your chances of actually achieving them.

For instance, 'I will eat vegan food six days a week' is more concrete than 'I will eat more vegan food'. Or, 'I will buy only 10 pieces of new clothing this year' is more specific, and therefore, more effective than just 'I will shop less'.

It also helps to describe concrete situations – make use of the four Ws: when, where, what and why. 'Every other week (when), I will only eat plant-based dinners (what) at home and in restaurants (where) because I want to reduce the carbon footprint of my diet (why).

If you want to take it a bit further, you can always brainstorm about what you would do in situations when you face some challenges. What if, in your plant-based week, your colleagues invite you to a restaurant with no plant-based options? “In this case, I will…” and that part is up to you!

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‘Being awesome in 2023’? 'Nope, you already are!

So, did you end up with a list full of ethical and sustainable New Year's resolutions? If so, we are happy to see that our ideas were useful.

But we couldn't end the year 2022 without acknowledging your awesomeness. Thank you for getting ready to make the world a better place in 2023!

And of course, Happy (Ethical & Sustainable) New Year!

Sources:

1. 'The fashion industry emits more carbon than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Here are the biggest ways it impacts the planet.' M. McFall-Johnsen. 2019
2. 'Avoiding meat and dairy is ‘single biggest way’ to reduce your impact on Earth.' D. Carrington. 2018
3. 'How Much Have You Saved?' The Vegan Calculator. n.d.
4. 'Clean your Inbox. Save the Planet.' Leave Me Alone. n.d.