Sustainable Swaps for 2019
Have you made New Year's Resolutions? Have you ever stuck to your New Year's Resolutions? Thinking about trying to be a little more sustainable in 2019? Following up on our Instagram Sustainable Swaps advent calendar, here's a recap on a 24 changes you can make that seem small but make a big difference.
Part 1:
1. Switch up sweet treats: choose chocolate wisely by find palm oil-free brands like Divine Chocolate or The Raw Chocolate Company.
2. Avoid plastic bags of rice and pasta and try plastic-free dried goods. Bulk food stores are popping up all over the place (The Source, E5 Bakehouse) or shop online at places like Plastic Free Pantry.
3. No more meal deals, plastic packages of sandwiches or takeaway Tupperwares - save money and the planet by using a tiffin tin lunchbox like these from Peace with the Wild.
4. If you're not quite sure about making the full move to a Mooncup, you can still make your periods more eco by trying card/paper/cotton tampons to avoid plastic applicators.
5. Get green with your dental care - try bamboo toothbrushes and silk floss from pioneering brand Georganics.
6. Wave goodbye to scratchy, blunt and single-use plastic Bic razors and get yourself a longer-lasting metal safety razor which you can find on our go-to eco-health site Acala.
7. Make some swaps in the kitchen by investing in wooden brushes for cleaning and washing dishes.
8. If you're storing leftovers, try bees/soy wax wraps instead of cling film, they're reusable and cuter! We got ours from Atlas & Ortus.
9. Get on trend and start carrying reusable water bottles and coffee cups everywhere: Chilly's and KeepCup are our favourites.
10. Make your morning brew more environmentally friendly by buying coffee grounds or beans in bulk or in jars instead of those fake-foil bags.
11. If you haven't changed your milk to a plant-based version, why not try a milk delivery service that drops and collects to avoid big plastic cartons - Milk & More do daily deliveries.
12. If you have transitioned to a plant-based milk, why not have a go at making your own: rice, almond, oats whatever you want without the Tetrapak.
13. Freshen up! Deodorant is a product designed to come in a plastic tube or aerosol spray. Not any more! There's a few new kids on the block making natural deodorant in cardboard packaging - we like Earth Conscious, but Nuud are also pretty good.
14. Say farewell to ferocious chemical cleaning sprays and hello to natural concoctions. There is no harm in cleaning your house with vodka, vinegar and lemon. Mix 1 cup of vodka with a half cup of vinegar, a few drops of lemon or lavender essential oil and pop into a re-usable spray bottle (again, available from bulk food stores like The Source or Acala).
15. Love the planet with your bottom!! We all need toilet roll but it can be pretty damning on the world's trees. We recently ordered a bulk box from Who Gives a Crap who deliver to your door in 100% recycled and recyclable packaging and make all their loo roll from recycled paper or bamboo. The also do some pretty great things for charity.
Part 2:
This part of our sustainable swaps is a little insight into what you can expect from us this year, each of the swaps below we'll be helping you to make through our own handmade products in just a couple of short months:
16. Rid your kitchen and bathroom of single-use plastic pump bottles of soap. Bar soap is in, and it's here to stay (for much longer than your liquid soap would last). In a range of different scents, fragranced with essential oils we'll be bringing you bar soap for every occasion.
17. Oh, and to go with those soaps, we've got a handy little pouch in the pipeline. Hand-knitted using 100% compostable plant-fibre yarn you'll be able to use these as soap dishes, travel pouches AND gently exfoliating sponges.
18. Plastic bags have been a no-no for a while now, and what better way to replace them than with a soft but sturdy 100% organic cotton and hemp tote bag.
19. Ditch the disposable face wipes and opt for a washable alternative. Made from organic cotton and towelling our make up wipe pads will come in a range of fun designs.
20. Avoid plastic tubes and pots of cream. It's hard to find good products in nice recyclable jars. Not for long - all our moisturisers and serums will come in reusable and refillable jars.
21. Bye polyester cloths for food and face, we're working on some super soft hand-knitted cloths made from eucalyptus fibre that are 100% natural and compostable at end of life.
22. Plastic-free hair care is hard to find, but using shampoo bars or shampoo cubes to lather up your locks avoids hundreds of plastic bottles going to landfill in your lifetime.
23. Produce bags: strong, practical and oh-so French, our embroidered produce bags are coming this summer.
24. In our opinion, Febreeze doesn't smell any better than the stink you're trying to hide. Move away from plug-ins or aerosols by scenting your home with natural candles. Our first range of soy wax candles fragranced with essential oils will do just the trick.
So there we have it, a tonne of inspiration and we'd love to hear any other ideas you have on simply everyday sustainable swaps. Good luck, and Happy New Year!