RESPONSIBLE SHOPPING

The activity takes place in a fully equipped educational supermarket located within the Visitors’ Centre of the Valdemingómez Technology Park. The supermarket recreates a real shopping environment where participants can compare products, analyse packaging, and make purchasing decisions based on waste prevention criteria. Although Responsible Shopping is carried out on a daily basis as part of the educational programme for visiting school groups, during the European Week for Waste Reduction particular emphasis is placed on waste prevention, helping participants understand how consumer choices made before waste is generated can significantly reduce environmental impacts. The Visitors’ Centre includes educational activities on responsible shopping as part of its environmental education programme

Working individually or in small groups, the visitors receive a shopping list and a specific challenge: complete their shopping while generating the smallest possible amount of waste. To achieve this, they must carefully evaluate different products, considering factors such as packaging quantity, reusability, recyclability, durability, and the use of unnecessary materials.

As they move through the supermarket, participants compare alternative products and discuss the environmental implications of their choices. Educators guide the process through questions and practical examples that help children understand how consumer behaviour influences the amount of waste generated every day.

Once the shopping activity is completed, they go through the cash register with their shopping and they receive a ticket that gives them a score on how sustainable was their shopping. Then, the  group analyses the results together, comparing different purchasing strategies and calculating which options would have generated the least waste. The workshop concludes with a discussion on practical actions that participants can apply in their daily lives to become more responsible consumers.

The activity reinforces the key message that the most effective waste management strategy is waste prevention, highlighting the importance of responsible consumption as the first step towards a circular economy.