Benefits for the planet

#ComercioLocalEsVital

Reduce travel by generating less pollution

Buying in local stores allows you to reduce the distances of the trips to be made. Shorter distances lead to less CO2 expenditure in the case of motorized trips, but the positive impact applies especially where the consumer uses more ecological means of transport: on foot, by bicycle, by public transport… Shopping in your neighborhood or in the city center, they often avoid the use of the car, especially because more and more cities, eager to decontaminate the centers, are implementing polices in favor of smooth mobility, facilitating the circulation and parking of bicycles while making use difficult of the car in the urban environment. In short, shopping on foot or by bike as often as possible helps to reduce the carbon footprint of our daily consumption.

Promote local production

Beyond customer journeys, it’s worth looking at the miles traveled by consumer products to get to the store. Some products or raw materials may come from the other side of the planet even though there are resources and skills locally. To curb these aberrations, the Locavore movement has been developing for several years and represents a type of consumer who daily consumers local products, produced in their area.

On the other hand, the Km.0 philosophy proposes the consumer to reflect on the kilometers that the product has traveled to reach their hands and if that long journey is really necessary or can they buy an equal and even better product, produced within their own geographical area of influence.

Zero residue

Is it possible to reduce and even eliminate the waste we generate? The answer is yes. And it all starts with the decisions we make when making the purchase and consuming. Consumers who want to reduce their impact on the environment will avoid disposable products (plastic cutlery, plastic bags, etc.) and will prefer products with little packaging or even products in bulk. To meet this demand, bulk stores have been opened in recent years, and while beginnings are still shy, the trend is real. In fact, there are already bulk shelves in some large stores, and the normalization of this type of distribution is near. The general trend echoes the consumption patterns of yesteryear before the advent of hypermarkets and the Internet. We buy the quantities we need, often smaller, in reusable containers (bulk bags, returnable bottles, jars, etc.). There are more and more shops where there are “zero waste” labels that indicate to customers that they can bring their bags or boxes to take their purchase, which avoids the use of containers that go to the trash immediately upon arrival home.

Reduces the carbon footprint of e-commerce through the network of package collection points

Keeping local business has a positive impact on the carbon footprint of e-commerce. In fact, home delivery of products purchased on the Internet consumes more CO2 than delivery to a collection point, which groups a large number of packages. In the same way, the customer will group their trips by choosing a collection point that they are used to frequent in their daily purchases. It is a winning partnership that fuels a virtuous circle. On the one hand, local businesses benefit from the public traffic generated by the collection of packages in stores and which allows them to publicize their business. On the other hand, e-commerce is reducing its carbon footprint by bundling its parcel shipments.

Support local employment

Maintaining local economic activity helps maintain local jobs that contribute to a real quality of life for workers. Otherwise, we are witnessing the desertification of rural areas, the establishment of dormitory towns and the densification of cities with all that this implies in terms of overcrowding and rising prices. Therefore, consuming locally is a civic action with a real impact on employment in Spain.

Strengthens the local economy

Local commerce contributes greatly to the economic development of the city, reinvesting the wealth it generates in its surroundings. Additionally, these small merchants often source from local suppliers, enabling a circular economy. And they pay their taxes in the territory where they carry out their activity, unlike the large groups that practice tax optimization and pay taxes in the capitals or even abroad. Small merchants remain anchored in the territory, selling and consuming in a local area, improving the neighborhoods in which they are located.

Supports a healthier diet

Eating balanced is as important as basing our diet on healthy foods. Spain is one of the leading agricultural economies in Europe, with 25% of community production of fruit and vegetables, it ranks second as a producer country in the EU behind Italy and sixth worldwide. The variety and quality of the supply of agricultural products is the foundation of the Mediterranean diet, recognized throughout the world. The consumption of local products is a true guarantee of quality.

Preserves diversity and cultural richness

Local stores and stores anchored in the territory are an essential means of disseminating the culture, the artisan industry and the products of a region. In the face of globalization and large standardized chain stores whose styles and flavors can be found all over the world, small independent stores are often the guarantors of local culture. By directing their purchases towards local crafts and cultural goods, the consumer contributes to supporting the diversity of knowledge that makes up the wealth of the regions.