Sustainable Amsterdam Shopping Guide | 6 Unique Stores

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De Wallen: Amsterdam’s notorious red light district – is probably not the first place that comes to your mind when I say: let’s do some sustainable shopping in Amsterdam, right? Yet sustainability is a hot topic here, as I learned during the Green Light Walk. Will you join me for a walk?

This is a guest post written by Honeyguide. You will find more information about them at the end of this post!

The Green Light Walk: a sustainable Amsterdam shopping guide

The organization “Green Light District”, focused on the postcode 1012 in Amsterdam, has developed an Amsterdam shopping guide route through the center of the city to show us unique places and lets us meet sustainable entrepreneurs and hear their story. Their goal is to make Amsterdam more green and set an example for the rest of the country. You can follow the route in the web app of Green Light District (in Dutch, but nothing Google Translate can’t help with!) It’s 3 kilometers long and takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. These are some of the shops you will encounter shops during the walk:

1. VEGA-LIFE

NIEUWE HOOGSTRAAT 3A, AMSTERDAM

In this shop all products have two things in common: they were made in a responsible way and no animals were harmed.

Besides, the product range is very diverse: from shoes and bags made from alternative materials and all-vegan cosmetics to products from local businesses. At VEGA-LIFE, all products are organic and fair trade to ensure that the people who made these things work under healthy working conditions.

2. Capsicum

OUDE HOOGSTRAAT 1, AMSTERDAM

When you enter this shop, it feels like you’re stepping into a fairytale. Handwoven fabrics, interior pieces and fashion items made from natural materials, with prints from Thousand and One Nights. Capsicum collaborates closely with local Amsterdam businesses, but most products are made in India. No matter their origin, every piece stands for artisanry and fair production.

If you buy something at Capsicum, you won’t get it in a plastic bag. Instead, it will be inside a unique bag made of newspapers. Those bags are made by street children in India and this project provides them with a safe home.

Read more: The Insiders Guide of Rotterdam in The Netherlands

3. Condomerie

WARMOESSTRAAT 141, AMSTERDAM

If you pass Condomerie, you’re going to see some tourists standing awkwardly in front of the shop. Do we dare to go inside? We do! Condomerie is specialized in, surprise, condoms in all forms, colors, flavors and sizes. 

There are quite some condom stores in De Wallen, but this one is special. They are continuously working on making product and packaging more sustainable. For example, they have minimized the packages to save packing material and all condoms are made in an ecological way.

4. Mirjam Nuver Hats

SINT JANSSTRAAT 15, AMSTERDAM

In a small alley you can find the atelier and store of hat-maker Mirjam. She makes almost all the hats by herself, in the atelier in the back of the store. Her creativity has no limits and her designs are extraordinary.

For Mirjam, sustainability is a no-brainer. She aims to minimize waste as much as possible, reuses packing materials when sending orders to clients, and uses scrape and recycled fabrics. In the future, she wants to experiment with other alternative materials such as fabric made of orange peels. How cool is that?

Read more: A Day Guide to Middelburg in the Netherlands | City in Zeeland

5. Nature Bar

SINT ANNENDWARSSTRAAT 9, AMSTERDAM

Located in a small shop at the Sint Annendwarsstraat, you will find a special soap store. As soon as you enter, the most delicious odors will tickle your nostrils.

Nature Bar has a mission, namely to inspire people to take better care of themselves and the environment. That’s why they make natural, circular soap in a traditional, artisan way. Every soap bar is unique and made with locally sourced “waste”. Such as coffee from a local roastery for their coffee scrub bar or an orange peel from the coffee shop next door to make their shampoo bars smell fresh and fruity.

6. The Upcycle

SINT ANNENDWARSSTRAAT 13, AMSTERDAM

“Waste is food for creativity” – is the slogan of THE UPCYCLE. They make the most fun products from stuff that most people consider garbage.

If you’re looking for a unique gift with a good story, this is the place to be. How about a belt from an old Swapfiets tire (you know, the rental bikes with the iconic blue tires you see all over town)? Or jewelry made from a piece of an old graffiti wall? If you still have some old candles at home, you can hand them in here. THE UPCYCLE will turn them into new candles. This store proves that waste is never useless!

About the author

This guest blog was written by Laura, editor at Honeyguide. Honeyguide is a Dutch-speaking platform for sustainable travel. They continuously look for hidden gems and special experiences in the Netherlands with a positive impact for people and the planet. Since the start of the platform in 2020, I have been an ambassador for Honeyguide and travelled to numerous of authentic and unique places in the Netherlands. I am so pleased to introduce them on my blog!