Sustainability apps are mobile tools aimed at building green habits and making an environmentally-friendly lifestyle more accessible. Whether you’re looking for local recycling resources or trying to eliminate your dependence on fast fashion, these mobile apps can help you reach your goals. The best sustainability apps are typically free, user-friendly, and simple to integrate into your day-to-day activities.
Here are some of our favorites:
PaperKarma
Price: $3.99 per month
Purpose: Eliminating junk mail
It’s estimated that the average American receives about 41 pounds of junk mail every year, with the wasteful practice accounting for 80 to 100 million of the trees cut down each year. PaperKarma makes it easy to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive—and your carbon footprint. Just photograph your junk mail, opt out, and the mail will stop within six to 12 weeks.
5 Calls
Price: Free
Purpose: Contacting your representatives
Sustainability goes beyond zero waste and organic gardening. Using our voices to request more environmentally-friendly policies is an important but oft-ignored part of green living. Luckily, the 5 Calls mobile app takes some of the difficulty—and perhaps trepidation—out of contacting your representatives. The app is free to download and only requires users to enter their address or zip code. It then provides a list of important issues, contact information for the relevant senator or congressperson, and a script tailored to the issue. When you’re done, just choose one of the results (Unavailable, Made Contact, Left Voicemail, or Skip) to track your call.
HappyCow
Price: $3.99
Purpose: Finding local vegan restaurants
If you’re traveling, moving to a new area, or just exploring more options in your neighborhood, HappyCow is a convenient way to locate vegan-friendly restaurants on the move. Unlike other top sustainability apps on our list, you’ll have to purchase the app for $3.99. But happy users love that the app lets them find restaurants that have vegan and vegetarian offerings, are vegan- or vegetarian-friendly, or are 100% vegan or vegetarian. The app is available for Android and iOS users, but you can also access the database through HappyCow’s website.
thredUp
Price: Free
Purpose: Buying and selling gently used clothing
It’s estimated that up to 85% of textiles go to landfills each year. By purchasing gently used clothing instead of new, you can join the growing number of consumers giving fast fashion the boot. The thredUP app makes this more convenient than ever by letting you shop for high-quality, sustainable pieces that fit your budget. If you’re trying to streamline your wardrobe or embrace minimalism, you can also use the app to request a bag for clothing donation.
JouleBug
Price: Free
Purpose: Building eco-friendly habits
If you’ve ever struggled to incorporate more sustainable habits into your busy schedule, JouleBug has the tools to help you succeed. With habits like shopping local and taking public transit, this sustainability app lets you choose from practices that make sense with your lifestyle. Once you choose a habit to develop, use the app to track each time you do something sustainable. You can also opt into challenges, find friends, and follow trending activities. If you’re a business owner, consider JouleBug Enterprise, which helps organizations build habits that let employees thrive.
Pro Tip: Building habits is much easier—and more effective—if you keep it simple. Choose one new habit to focus on and then build additional habits from there. This approach can increase your chances of fully adopting the habit and prevent burnout as you begin your journey to sustainability.
OfferUp
Price: Free
Purpose: Buying and selling used items in your area
OfferUp connects consumers with secondhand items for sale locally. The platform includes everything from clothing to cars and operates similar to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Like some of the other apps on our list, OfferUp can also be accessed from the platform’s website, but the mobile app is more convenient—especially if you’re on the road. To start shopping for products, just enter your location and start searching for deals. You can choose local items for pickup or search listings that offer shipping. To sell on the platform, just create an account to get started.
Think Dirty
Price: Free; $2.99 per month for premium features
Purpose: Shopping for clean beauty products
The Think Dirty app helps shoppers choose clean beauty products. To use the app, scan an item’s barcode to see ingredients, reviews, and whether the product is considered clean, dirty, or half n’ half. You’ll also be able to see clean alternatives to each product and purchase them online. Products that aren’t already in the database can be added easily. If you want to keep it simple, consider purchasing the Think Dirty beauty box to receive over $300 worth of non-toxic beauty essentials for just $129.
RecycleNation
Price: Free
Purpose: Finding local recycling facilities
Interpreting recycling codes and finding local recycling centers can be a hugely frustrating part of living sustainably. RecycleNation takes some of the guesswork out of recycling by letting users choose a material category and then find nearby recycling locations. Simply choose a material category, narrow it down to a specific type of materials, and view the available recycling centers on the map. You’ll be able to see when the facility is open, what kind of materials it accepts, and other helpful information.
Choosing the Best Sustainability Apps for 2021
Mobile apps can make it easier to incorporate environmentally-friendly habits into your daily life and be more sustainable in 2021. Whether you need help choosing non-toxic beauty products or want to find the closest vegan restaurant, there’s an app that can help.
If you try any of these sustainability apps—or have other favorites—we’d love to hear about it! Drop your favorites in the comments below ✨
