Sustainable shopping and enjoyment in Munich - from secondhand to vegan

Munich attracts locals and visitors to stroll and store in the city's shopping arcades and pedestrian zones. Even away from the main shopping area of the old town, numerous small stores and boutiques with exclusive ranges offer everything you need for sustainable shopping in Munich. Whether fashion, cosmetics, accessories or home furnishings - you can find everything your heart desires in Munich. Some stores offer exciting sustainable alternatives to conventional offerings and store concepts.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of sustainability and environmental protection. If you want to store in an environmentally conscious way, you buy locally and use public transportation. To help you keep sustainability and environmental protection in mind on your next shopping trip through Munich, we've put together a list of stores where you can indulge your shopping whims with a clear conscience. Best of all, the train will take you comfortably and in an environmentally friendly manner right to the heart of the shopping paradise.

Your sustainable shopping experience in Munich is rounded off by a visit to one of the numerous restaurants and cafés that specialize in vegan cuisine. In addition to dispensing with animal products, many of these eateries focus primarily on regionality and seasonality to improve their carbon footprint.

Sustainable shopping in Munich's old town: Secondhand away from the big department stores.

We start our sustainable shopping day in Munich at the main train station.  From here, it's about an 18-minute walk to the pedestrian zone in Sendlinger Straße. At number 24, directly at the entrance to the Asam Passage, we find the Vintage Fabrik,

a store that gives used fashion a second chance. Among the selected secondhand pieces of popular brands are mainly sweaters, hoodies, shirts and shirts. Passing on and reusing garments not only extends their life cycle, but also reduces their ecological footprint.

Also the small boutique Vintage Love at Frauenstraße 22, right next to the Viktualienmarkt, specializes in secondhand fashion. Here the store owner attaches great importance to exclusivity and uniqueness, so there is rarely a part twice. All year round Vintage Love offers a wide selection of ball gowns, evening and cocktail dresses, as well as bags, shoes and belts. For the Oktoberfest season, there's a large assortment of traditional costumes - from traditional dresses to noble dirndls made of brocade, velvet and silk.

Also in the center of the old town, not far from Sendlinger Tor, is a sustainable store that does not fall into the "fashion" category: The Kräutergarten München at Pestalozzistraße 3 is the first certified herb house in Munich. The assortment consists of over 1,000 herbs and spices in organic quality. Wherever possible, the Kräuterhaus uses no plastic packaging and offers its customers the option of bringing their own containers. Recyclable packaging or materials made from sustainable raw materials are good alternatives that contribute to the conscious avoidance of waste.

Did the thought of the fragrant herbs and spices make you hungry? Then we recommend a visit to the Organic Garden Eatery directly at the Viktualienmarkt. The delicious vegan bowls and purely plant-based hot dogs provide the energy you need after a successful shopping trip through Munich. With its restaurant, the food-tech start-up relies on regional partners to produce the food and avoids unnecessary waste by using reusable packaging.

Sustainable and fair in Maxvorstadt

Another district of Munich that can be reached on foot in about 25 minutes from the main train station is Maxvorstadt. Named after the Bavarian King Max Joseph, this neighborhood is located north of the main train station as well as the old town and is an absolute insider tip when it comes to sustainable shopping in Munich. You can also take the U2 subway line and get off at the Theresienstraße stop to get to the center of Maxvorstadt. At Adalbertstraße 45, right at the intersection with Barer Straße, we find iki M. This Munich fashion label stands for fashion that is produced with respect for nature and people - from biologically sustainable materials and fair working conditions. The store also offers selected secondhand pieces and vintage fashion.

Just around the corner at Barer Straße 74, we discover a special feature among the secondhand stores in Munich. The Vintage Shop The Second Gerdismann sells only men's fashion in good condition, and its lovingly designed salesroom invites you to browse for unique vintage treasures. If you could now use a little refreshment, it's best to head to Theresienstrasse 93, where the SOY München has its headquarters. This vegan eatery with Vietnamese cuisine uses mainly tofu derived from soy. This versatile meat alternative has become indispensable in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Just try how different tofu can taste.

Sustainable shopping in Munich's Isarvorstadt district

South of the Old Town, between the Isar and Lindwurmstrasse, is the hip Isarvorstadt district, where urban life is in full swing. So it's no surprise that a wide range of sustainable stores have settled here. The neighborhood is within walking distance of both the train station and the Marienplatz and Isartor S-Bahn stations. Here we find with the nkm Atelier

an owner-managed family business that specializes in vegan natural cosmetics. Because it is not only in the fashion sector that sustainable alternatives are increasingly establishing themselves. Consumers are also increasingly paying attention to the ingredients of care products. Natural cosmetics deliberately avoid chemical ingredients, silicones and microplastics in their formulations. In addition, sustainable care products are manufactured using environmentally friendly packaging and are produced fairly and without any animal testing.

A bit south of Gärtnerplatz, at Reichenbachstraße 36, is the RESPCT.ME Gallery. In addition to upcycling art, this gallery also has a sales area for fair fashion and small regional labels. Among other brands, the gallery carries products from akjumii.

The idea behind this label is to make a timeless coat new and individual again and again through interchangeable add-ons. Transparency in production and sustainability in the materials are taken into account.

Our sustainable shopping tour in Munich continues just around the corner. In the store of About Given sustainability is a matter of course. Here at Baaderstrasse 55, only ecologically and ethically produced fashion for men and women is sold over the counter. The store has existed for over 14 years with the goal of inspiring people to be more conscious about fashion. Culinary-wise, Isarvorstadt also offers numerous vegan and sustainable restaurants. How about a visit to Doctor Drooly? What awaits you here at Häberlstraße 7 is not a classic ristorante italiano, but rather an urban snack bar with purely vegan Neapolitan pizza made to an in-house recipe. At Doctor Drooly, however, it's not just the food that's vegan and ethically correct; the packaging, the payment system, and the staff's clothing are also designed with sustainability in mind.

Upcycling for a better world in Haidhausen

The next stop on our sustainable shopping tour through Munich is Haidhausen. The district west of Munich's Ostbahnhof station is a popular trendy and amusing neighborhood and a quiet residential area all in one. At Innere Wiener Strasse 24, between Gasteig and Wiener Platz, you'll find the HIER Studio. At HERE only selected products of local Munich labels are sold. In the shop-WG there is also a studio for screen printing and the optician-store of Jules&Mel.

Here, of course, only sustainable eyewear models are sold.

Another special feature in Haidhausen has taken up residence at Kellerstraße 35d. In the Bridal Studio hugs & kisses gith Simone Stark old wedding dresses of different styles a second chance. So that you can also celebrate the wedding with a clear conscience, Simone Stark additionally offers in cooperation with ZURÜCK also offers sustainable wedding napkins. In addition to kitchen textiles, ZURÜCK also produces accessories and storage solutions according to the zero-waste principle. The products are all produced in the region from materials that already have a life cycle behind them. So if you like to shop sustainably for your wedding, this is the place to go. 

Shopping makes you hungry. That's why, at the end of the shopping day, you can enjoy a bowl or a salad at Heartbeet Haidhausen. Vegetarian and vegan bowls made from seasonal, regional products are on the menu here. Even the takeaway boxes are made from compostable corn starch. Enjoy your meal!

Not only in the aforementioned neighborhoods, but all over the city, you'll find a wide selection and range of fair and organic stores to discover on your next sustainable shopping trip to Munich. For today, a beautiful day comes to an end with a relaxing train ride home.