Shopping Sustainability In Bayside This Christmas

Shopping sustainably at Christmas positively impacts the Bayside community and ecosystem, and even our wallets! We were so pleased to see locals getting into the sustainable shopping spirit during Black Friday with Green Friday, an annual four-day online event and movement that encourages shoppers and businesses to make environmentally friendly choices.

You don’t need to leave Bayside to find some of Melbourne’s best sustainable wares! The Bay is filled with an array of exciting shops that boast exciting up-and-coming designers, trusted retail brands, and some of Melbourne’s most popular thrift stores so you can give back to the community as well as the planet.

Let’s go shopping in Bayside!

Second-hand shopping at Family Life: Elwood

We were so excited to help Family Life launch here in Bayside, and we are sure they will be very popular over Christmas! The new Elwood op shop is the perfect place to find second-hand homewares and fashion to spoil your loved ones this Christmas. The best part? All proceeds from Elwood sales are reinvested back into our community!

Go plastic-free at South Melbourne Market

Melburnians flock to the South Melbourne Market during the festive season for all their Christmas needs. The market has taken multiple steps to reduce its carbon footprint in recent years, making it easy for shoppers and stallholders to do the same!

Single-use plastic bags and plastic straws are banned in favour of reusable options. Instead, visitors can either borrow a boomerang bag created from 100% recycled materials, purchase a reusable shopping bag from the Market Office or grab a paper bag from any vendor. Shoppers are also encouraged to bring their own containers, which will be accepted by all SMM stallholders.

Need your caffeine fix? SMM regulars will have noticed Simply Cups disposal units across the market. As Australia's first takeaway coffee cup recycling program, Simply Cups has developed new technology that separates the plastic liner from the paper cup. This allows both materials to be recycled into new products such as bench seats, kerbing and car stops!

You can learn more about sustainable shopping at the South Melbourne Market here.

Rent a tree from Bayside Christmas Trees

Not only do plastic trees take up ample storage space before eventually ending up in landfills, they don’t bring quite the same level of festive cheer as a real Christmas tree. The clever folks at Bayside Christmas Trees offer an easy and sustainable way to enjoy having a real tree at home without the hassle. Whether it’s for your home, office or business site, Bayside Christmas Trees will deliver your tree in time for the holidays and pick it up between the 29th of December and the 4th of January! $10 from every tree goes towards St Kilda Mums, a Bayside charity that provides essential items to families and young children in need. Learn more about Bayside Christmas Trees here.

Shop local at Elwood Village

One of the best ways to shop sustainably is to choose local businesses instead of major online retailers. Look no further than our friends at Elwood Village for variety, quality and local shopping options to get all of your Christmas shopping done in one place.

Here are just some of our favourites to get you started!

South Village Trading

A boutique homewares, gift, furniture and fashion store with a stylish range of products sourced locally, nationally and internationally.

Elwood Flowers

Owners Greg & Karen and the team are passionate about beautiful flowers and deliver only the highest quality products. Their seasonal range of Christmas plants and flowers are breathtaking!

Alafia Gallery

You’re guaranteed to find a special gift at Alafia Gallery with their large showcase of handcrafted furniture, home furnishings, jewellery, textiles and artwork.

Cleo's Deli Elwood

Established in 1985, this iconic gourmet food store is a local favourite. Be sure to get your Christmas orders in early!

Elwood Organic

A fantastic way to make your Christmas more sustainable this year is to go plant-based! Look no further than Elwood Organic’s 100% certified organic range of produce including fresh fruit and vegetables daily, nuts, seeds & grains.

Need more inspiration for your Bayside Christmas shopping? Be sure to stop by the Chisholm & Gamon office for a chat!