Even black market purchases are included in the phrase 'vote with your dollar'. So if you're wondering whether ketamine is sustainable or if your casual cocaine habit is bad for the environment, read on for more information about which drugs are most environmentally friendly.

Some days it feels like the battle to reduce the amount of waste I produce is steadfastly uphill. The more you get into the movement, the more you realise just how many things are hard - or just about impossible - to find without packaging that can be reused or recycled. 

There is, however, good news on the horizon. Companies are becoming more and more aware of what we want, and indeed what the environment needs. It's also a win for them - if approached strategically, becoming more sustainable can produce significant benefits including lower costs and increased efficiency. 

On Tuesday, Unilever called for greater industry action on packaging waste, saying that more progress is needed in the move away from things like single use plastics, towards a circular economy. This follows their 2017 announcement that they will ensure all of it's packaging is re-usable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Other companies that have taken this pledge include L'Oreal, Pepsi, The Coca Cola Company, and Walmart. 

Henkel (the company that owns Schwarzkopf) are aiming to implement a 20% reduction in their packaging to sales ratio by 2020, and UK giant Iceland Foods will eliminate plastic packaging from it's brands by 2023.

It's a good start, and it's great to see industry getting on board, considering there is a huge amount of packaging waste being created, however more work needs to be done. In the EU-28 in 2014, almost 163kg of packaging waste was generated per person. Over the decade to 2013, Australia regressed in terms of waste management, generating 53.0 million tonnes of waste in 2010-11.

So what can be done? Money talks - vote with your dollar. Stop buying products with unsatisfatory packaging. And for those products that you can't seem to find without it, speak up. Write an email, file a complaint, get on social media. It's time to start calling this out. 

I'll be the first to admit I love shopping a little too much, and am undoubtedly guilty of buying a lot of things I don't actually need - particularly in the fashion department. I am making a conscious effort to change this behaviour, starting with a whole month without purchasing anything new. I love a great hashtag, so let's call it #nobuynovember.

Why?

Consumerism, fast fashion and a throw-away culture are more prevalent now than ever before, and this is problematic for a number of reasons. Gone are the days when we fix our possessions - whether that be a sock with a hole or a smartphone - and instead we are throwing them out and buying new ones.

Our constant demand for unnecessary items is wreaking havoc on the environment, animals, and human beings, and I'll be the first to admit that I've been engaging in this kind of behaviour for far too long. When we make purchases on impulse, we don't take the time to consider whether we actually need what we're buying. We don't think about who has made it and under what conditions, what t's made of, how long it will last, the impact on the environment when we discard it mere months later like a child bored of a new toy.

By going a full calendar month without buying anything new, I'm aiming to highlight my own behaviours, and reinforce more positive ones: making do with what I already have, taking care of what I own, and letting go of the constant need to have the newest, best, most fashionable possessions. Because after all, they are just that - things - that deep down I know I don't want or need.

I'm going to stay conscious, and write down the details of anything I have to stop myself from buying - what, where, how much, who I'm with and how I'm feeling at the time, what I do instead of buying the item.

This way, when I look back at the end of the month, I will hopefully be able to draw some conclusions about my spending habits, and prove to myself that almost every month could be a month without buying anything new.

What is included?

I will not be purchasing any brand new items: electronics, clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, skincare, makeup, homewares, fitness equipment, and so on. 

Anything purchased second hand (ie. from an op shop), food and drink, and feminine hygiene products are allowed. 

Give it a go

I'm sure I'm going to need some moral support, so why not try it with me? I'd love to include everyone's results and lessons learned at the end of the month, so let me know in the comments, on Twitter or via Facebook.