Stephanie Konya
A lot of the time consumers are unaware of how much waste they produce from an everyday product; more people tend to go for the unethical product because it is less expensive, but in the long run, sustainable/eco-friendly products are the way to go. Not only are eco-friendly products more durable, but they benefit the environment along with the consumer; there are various simple swaps that can be made to start your journey to sustainable living!
Shopping sustainable is all about finding out where to buy from. In regard to preventing and avoiding fast fashion, all you have to do is change where you shop! For outdoor apparel, shop at Patagonia instead of Columbia. For trending clothing, shop at thrift stores instead of H&M. For sustainable shoe companies, go to Veja or Toms instead of Asics.
The biggest sustainable swap is switching from plastic to metal straws. The majority of restaurants and coffee shops completely stopped giving out straws and started producing the sip lid, while others decided to invest in metal straws. The reusable straws somewhat kicked off the interest in sustainable products and brought it to a lot of people’s attention. Similar to reusable straws, reusable bags are another easy switch that can be made, so when grocery shopping, avoid the plastic bags and bring your reusable bags. Speaking of food shopping, swap the plastic produce bags in grocery stores for mesh bags.
Reusable bags and metal straws are well known swaps but there are sustainable swaps that are beginning to gain attention, specifically products women use while on their period. Instead of using single use tampons or pads, women are beginning to trash those products and use a reusable menstrual cup or period underwear. Saalt, is an ethical and toxin free company that recently released a natural collection of reusable period underwear that absorbs a woman’s flow; along with their Saalt menstrual cup. The cup is the alternative for tampons and can protect for up to 12 hours; the padded underwear, made up of three recycled water bottles, supports heavy flow and overnight support.
Menstrual products are essential for women and, for some, so are makeup products. Every time a woman removes her makeup, she uses a makeup wipe once and then throws the non-biodegradable wipe away. Today, companies are beginning to notice how harmful makeup wipes are to the environment, so they developed a swap! Makeup removing pads. Blush Off is an Australian based company that developed a natural way to remove makeup. Their makeup removing pads benefit those using it along with the environment. One pad is the equivalent to using 200 single-use makeup wipes. Also, this product removes all stubborn makeup without drying out skin, unlike common single-use makeup wipes. All products bought and manufactured from Blush Off are vegan friendly, cruelty free and non-toxic! The company even expanded to release a body glove that exfoliates the skin.
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