5 apps to help you lead a more sustainable life in the Netherlands

Sustainability is a major topic in today’s society and there are plenty of innovative ways in which Dutch companies are helping the environment. But what can we do in our day-to-day lives in the Netherlands? Well, there are dozens of apps out there you can use to help you do your bit for the environment. We thought we’d round up five you can download and start using today!

1. Too Good To Go

Food is being wasted at every point in the food chain. And it’s not just the end product; it’s the resources like water, soil, labour and transport that are being wasted along the way too. We can do something about this at a consumer level by ensuring less food is thrown away at the end of the day.

Here’s where Too Good To Go comes in. With the app, you can purchase a “Magic Box” at supermarkets, hotels, shops and restaurants in towns and cities across the country at a huge discount. This box contains food that would otherwise have to be thrown away. This doesn’t mean it isn’t edible, just that it would otherwise go bad or stale if it is not eaten that day.

Pro-tip: bakeries always have a lot of delicious items in the box and you can always freeze bread and then eat it at a later date. The same goes for meat and fish - you can often freeze it and eat it another time.

2. Vinted

There are plenty of online marketplace apps where you can sell anything from old bikes to… well, anything. Vinted is specifically for buying and selling clothes and other fashion items. It’s super easy to use and it’s free!

Ok, ok, but how does this make your life more sustainable? It’s probably obvious, but producing new clothes and fabric uses a huge amount of resources - did you know it can take up to 2.700 litres of water to make one cotton shirt!? A great way to combat this is to buy pre-loved, second-hand items. Clothes and other fashion items can last an extremely long time if you take care of them, so download this app, spring clean your closet and get some new, second-hand treasures.

3. Good On You

On the topic of fashion, if you still want to buy new, why not do so from retailers that are trying to make the fashion world sustainable and fair? But how can you tell if a clothing store is ethical? Just because some brands look green, doesn’t mean they necessarily are…

Well, thankfully, there’s an app for that! The Good On You app rates fashion brands according to People (their impact on workers throughout the supply chain and supplier relationships and auditing practices), Planet (resource use and disposal), and Animals (the use of animal products like furs and leather). The ratings go from: We avoid, Not good enough and It’s a start, to Good and then Great.

So, it’s time to get browsing on the app for your favourite brands to see how they are doing in terms of sustainability and, of course, to find new brands you can buy from guilt-free.

4. Think Dirty

No, no, it’s not what you think. Think Dirty is an app that allows you to shop clean when it comes to beauty products or find the ones you use and see how clean they are. When we say “clean” we are referring to the ingredients they include. After all, do you really want to be using toxic products on your skin or hair?

Take a look at this short video to see why you need to download the app and start thinking dirty.

5. JouleBug

JouleBug is an app that helps you out with little habits that go a long way to making your life more sustainable. The app is filled with little things you can do and also enables you to compete in local and national challenges as well as with friends. After all, a little competition is healthy! When you compete to be the best at sustainability, everyone wins!

You can also follow friends to see what they are doing to make a difference and get inspired. Actions earn you points and this allows you to track your progress and total impact. All in all, this app has a great user interface and is a brilliant tool to help you live more sustainably!

Know any good apps?

There are so many apps out there that can help you live your best life and save the planet, and by being able to download them directly to your smartphone, it means they're really accessible and super easy to use! Got any other apps like these that we should try out? Let us know in the comments!