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Take action

As a consumer, you can:

• Become more informed about the environmental impacts of the goods and services you buy
• Reduce your own impact by buying less and buying smarter
• Actively seek out more sustainable products
• Become an avid reader of product labels and compare the attributes and claims of competing brands
• Get smart about 'green-wash' and products that claim to be more sustainable than they really are
• Consider the impact of products, not just when you use them, but how they have been manufactured and how they should be disposed of (reused, recycled etc)
• Lobby companies whose products are having a major impact on the environment to improve their performance and go green
• Lobby governments to improve their own performance
• Get involved in community campaigns to raise awareness of sustainability issues and the impact of over-consumption.

As a manufacturer or supplier, you can:

• Become more informed about the environmental impacts of the goods and services you buy to make your own products. Identify opportunities to make them more sustainable.
• Look at the whole life-cycle of your products and identify what you can save in both financial and non-financial terms.
• Incorporate sustainability considerations into your own procurement systems and work with suppliers to improve their own environmental performance
• Scope out the market for sustainable products within your market sector. Identify opportunities to increase your market share and get an edge on competitors
• Seek assistance and support from the government and industry groups to incorporate sustainability initiatives such as cleaner production into your business.

As an institutional consumer (buying for a government or business organisation), you can:

• Become more informed about the environmental impacts of the goods and services you buy
• Gain support of senior management to develop sustainable procurement initiatives across your organisation
• Increase the capacity of your organisation to buy green products, for example by incorporating sustainability considerations into your procurement systems
• Work with suppliers to identify, source and continuously improve the sustainability of the goods and services you purchase
• Run pilot programs to trial different types of sustainable products and services and test their effectiveness. If they work, use them and tell others about your successes
• Regularly report on and communicate your successes (and problems) to the rest of your organisation.