If you’re committing to making more sustainable choices in your everyday life, you’re not alone. More people are demanding that businesses take measurable steps towards sustainability, environmental responsibility and minimal waste. Whether it’s shopping for new office clothes, seeking vintage homewares, dining out or buying a gift, The City is flush with ethical and eco-conscious traders to help you feel good and do good with your purchases. 

Lush, Uptown

When you step into a Lush store, the sensory hit of colours, smells and sparkles make the first impression but the company’s long-standing principles remain indelibly on your conscience. A long-term leader in the sustainable and ethical retail sector, Lush is one of Brisbane’s best options for shopping sustainably. It is a company that strives to do good business without exploiting people, the planet or animals while also actively campaigning for these same principles.  

Felix For Goodness, Burnett Lane 

A hideaway haven tucked within Burnett Lane, it might be easy to walk right past Felix For Goodness but it’s time to fix it firmly on your radar with the café serving up sustainably minded food. Brunch hotspot by day and wine bar by night, Felix For Goodness prides itself on crafting food from scratch, sourcing ethical products, reusing where possible and reducing waste at every stage.  

Pigeonhole, Wintergarden 

With humble beginnings as a tiny gift store in Perth, Pigeonhole has spread its wings east to Wintergarden. Cementing itself as a local favourite shopping destination, Pigeonhole includes second hand and vintage clothing and stocks locally-made boutique fashion brands, too. You can also score gifts that encourage sustainability such as reusable coffee cups, plants and handy gadgets. 

Mecca, QueensPlaza and Wintergarden

It’s exciting to see so many brands taking the initiative to explore how they can play a role in sustainability. Everyone’s favourite makeup, skincare and beauty store, Mecca, is taking steps towards sustainability by partnering with TerraCycle to offer a customer recycling program. This means you bring along your empties – think mascara tubes, shampoo bottles, skincare bottles, lip balm tubes and more – and place them in TerraCycle bins (which are made from 100% post-consumer waste) so they can be turned into something new. 

R.M. Williams, Wintergarden

Head to Wintergarden to visit an iconic Australian brand, R.M.Williams. Operating since 1932, R.M.Williams is founded on the philosophy of sustainably-minded design. With a commitment to operate responsibly and renewably, R.M.Williams source regenerative and responsible leather and fibres. R.M.Williams are committed to their people, keeping operations local, plus have a goal to eliminate plastic packaging by 2025.

Suitcase Rummage, Reddacliff Place 

There’s nothing more sustainable than wearing the clothes already in your wardrobe but sometimes you need to declutter. Suitcase Rummage comes to Reddacliff Place in Brisbane City on the first and third Sunday of every month. Shop from the wardrobes of your fellow Brisbane fashion lovers or snap up a second-hand curio, artwork or knick-knack.  

Op Shopping, Adelaide St 

Refresh your wardrobe sustainably by visiting one of The City’s op shops. Lifeline on Adelaide Street is full to the brim with amazing second-hand scores. You’ll find racks of quality high-street fashion, office-ready pieces, handbags and shoes. There’s also plenty to poke through in the homewares section, so make sure you visit with plenty of time to browse through vintage table settings and classic crystal.

Boom Boom Room, Elizabeth St 

One of Brisbane’s glamorous and heritage-listed cocktail lounges is more than just a pretty face, it’s also actively working to make its gourmet experience a little kinder on the earth. The Boom Boom Room uses seasonal, local Australian ingredients to support local growers and the use of bamboo straws over plastic is a no-brainer. Bartenders even use leftover flat champagne to create syrup to use in other drinks!  

Grow your own 

A growing number of City restaurants are growing – and producing – their ingredients. Patina at Customs House, famed for its commitment to serving local, regional, farm-to-table cuisine, grows mushrooms in an on-site cellar. Sustainability is more than just a “buzz” word at Hilton Brisbane with the five-star hotel producing up to 500kg of honey each year from beehives located on its level nine roof garden. It also tends a kitchen garden growing herbs and edible plants for use in its kitchens. 

If all this shopping has left you parched, pop into one of Brisbane City’s favourite coffee shops to refuel. Or if your shopping appetite has yet to be satiated, it might be time to explore more of Brisbane’s local designers. 

Sustainable buildings

Capri by Fraser and Heritage Lanes are leading the way in sustainable building practices in Brisbane City. Capri by Fraser is the first hospitality property in Queensland to receive the Climate Active Carbon Neutral certification, setting a new standard for eco-friendly accommodation. Meanwhile, Heritage Lanes has become Brisbane's most sustainable building, reusing existing structures, utilising lower-carbon concrete, and recycling 90% of construction waste.