Green Shopping – Towards sustainability

Jan, 2022

Your Extensive Guide To Natural And Non-Toxic Period Products

Sustainability is trending right now- everyone is aiming to be more sustainable to save our resources and limit waste. It is a trending topic on social media; actors, activists and influencers are all talking about sustainability, but one aspect is constantly disregarded.

According to statistics, women have an average of 456 periods in their life, which translates to 9,120 tampons used all of them end up in landfills. It is also good to highlight that single-use menstrual products generate more than 200,000 tonnes of waste annually.

There is a lot of misinformation concerning period products, even though they are readily available. On top of this, green-washing is becoming more prominent. If you don’t know about green-washing, it is a marketing strategy used by different companies to make their products seems as if it was sustainable even if it is not.

If you are willing to be more sustainable, you may want to research before buying a product. We have noted some important things that may be useful;

Natural materials; You will want to look for period products with little to no synthetic materials such as plastics. As you may already know, plastics are not biodegradable and can last for hundreds of years. Plastic can be as bad for you as for the environment; period products made of plastics can develop rashes and are uncomfortable compared to cotton.

Non-Toxic; Apart from the primary materials, other things made up period products, for example, phthalates, parabens, dioxins, and PFAS. Your vagina is a sensible part of your body, and when you use any period products, these toxins may enter your body.

Sustainable packaging; Apart from the product, the packaging should be made sustainably. Stay away from plastic, even if it is recyclable. I would recommend you go for paper.

Ethics; Some brands claim to be sustainable but are not, so it is better to choose a completely transparent brand. Be honest and truthful about their supply chain, where they are getting their material from, their workers’ conditions, etc.

Impact; The brand you choose should be only looking to make a profit; of course, it does count a lot, but they should be impacting the world and contributing in their ways. There are a lot of girls in the world that don’t have access to proper sanitary products, which affects their lives as they cannot go to school during this time which is 5-8 days missed. Please choose a brand that contributes to making the world a better place.

Now, different options are more sustainable than the standard pads or tampons seen in supermarkets.

Period Panties

The name describes itself; it is panties used when you have your period. There is no need to use pads or tampons. Different models depending on your flow. The maximum time you can keep them on is 6 hours. If you take good care of it, it can last 6 months.

Menstrual Cup

These menstrual cups, also known as period cups, are made of medical latex, so they should be inserted into the vagina during your menstruation. It does not absorb the blood but instead collects it, and then you should disregard the content every 6 to 12 hours, depending on your flow.

Menstrual cups are made of 4 % plastics but compared to standard pads made with 35 % and tampons 6 % plastic, they are reusable. Studies have shown that menstrual cups have a less environmental impact than pads or tampons.

Reusable Pads

The reusable pads have the same set of instructions as the period panties. Except for this one, you have to attach it to your panties and then wash it when you are done using it, instead of throwing it away as regular panties.

There are a lot of alternatives to standard period products right now, and we should embrace them. Let us know in the comments if you are willing to try these Eco-friendly alternatives…

Dec, 2021

Why Fashion Brands Don’t Just Stop Overproducing?

Conversations about fashion sustainability usually center on new materials, zero-waste design, or the idea that we can consume our way out of the climate catastrophe. However, as the dialogue progresses, a growing number of individuals are wondering, “Why don’t brands just manufacture less stuff?” Over-consumption has been a problem for a long time and is usually the least addressed topic. We are going for greener fabrics, vegan leather, but not over-production issues.

While exact figures are tough to get, it is estimated that between 80 and 150 billion pieces of clothing are created and sold each year. The biggest culprit is, of course, fast fashion, and unfortunately, many of these pieces end in landfills.

Why Fashion Brands Don’t Just Stop Overproducing?

To minimize greenhouse gas emissions, reduce clothing waste, and alleviate environmental deterioration, fashion must eliminate chronic overproduction – and, by extension, over-consumption. As flashy and amazing as all of these environmental technologies and projects are, there’s just no other way to do it. This should be by far the main concern for all fashion producers.

Why does fashion overproduce?

Because technology has reduced the cost of fashion production and allowed consumers to shop for deals on the internet, firms strive to deliver the fastest, cheapest, and most convenient service to satisfy their customers. The only way for a fashion company to earn from this business model is to produce and sell millions of products.

How Can De-Growth Be Used in the Fashion Industry?

De-growth is an economic strategy that focuses on reducing consumption and production; while it is a very complex part of limiting over-production, it is reliable.

It would save energy and minimize the number of materials we use, allowing us to focus our efforts on establishing a more equal and healthy society. Although it may not appear that fashion can exist inside this system, our relationship with fashion would improve if we were not subjected to the fashion industry’s pressure.

It is not only the role of the producers; consumers, governments, and businesses will need to work together to accomplish a significant transformation from a consumption-driven to a degrowth economy.

The Countries Already Pursuing DeGrowth

It is crucial to have government support to have a true change in these situations. Legislative action is critical to any substantial systemic change; if governments continue to provide tax benefits and subsidies to fashion firms, they will remain lucrative. More government intervention, both positive and punishing, is required.

Laws will help to ease over-production. This included tax reform to reward companies that produce clothing with a lower environmental impact. This proposed virgin plastic tax would include polyester, taxing brands a penny per garment produced to fund sorting and recycling infrastructure, and prohibiting the incineration and landfilling of unsold stock that could be reused or recycled.

What Can You Do?

These solutions can feel abstract and out of our grasp to the common customer. It’s easier to apply it to yourself as an individual than to consider the country as a whole. You may want to start to think on a smaller scale. Think about actions that you can start within your home; for example, limit your purchase from fast-fashion producers. Then you can bring ideas to your community and grow accordingly.

One thing is certain: fashion cannot continue to produce apparel at its current rate. De-growth provides a framework for moving away from our growth-driven economy. Still, its success is dependent on international cooperation, individual action, government and business accountability, and a sense of urgency.

We all must work toward sustainability together to make the world greener. Share with us in the comments what are the ways to diminish overproduction…

Mar, 2021

Going Green: Top 10 Eco-Friendly Shopping Tips

The purchases of products that we need in our daily lives can be made with more or less impact on the environment. Consumers who adopt purchasing criteria based on sustainable guidelines reduce their ecological footprint and, incidentally, save money. Do you want to do the shopping sustainably? In this article, we show you some tips to fill the shopping cart while respecting the environment. Do you know how to shop sustainably? Filling the shopping cart can and should be an act of responsible consumption and helps reduce our ecological footprint. Taking care of the environment and saving on your supermarket purchase are fully compatible actions. Take good note of the following tips and apply them whenever you can.

#1. Check Your Fridge and Pantry to See What You Need

First of all, take a look at the foods you already have at home. On the one hand, you will be aware of what you really need and, on the other, you will know the expiration date of the products you have, to be able to take advantage of them before they spoil.

#2. Plan Your Menus

Plan your meals for the next few days before going to the supermarket. In this way, you will avoid storing more food than the account (which, possibly, you will have to throw away later), and you will save much more on your purchase. And, if even so, you see that you have something left over, try to be creative and opt for the kitchen of use. You will be amazed at what you can do!

#3. Make a Shopping List with What You Lack

A widespread mistake is to go to the supermarket without making a list beforehand. Without it, the usual thing is that you end up buying more products than you need and accumulating more food than you can consume. Take a few minutes to make a list of everything you need to purchase and try to stick to it as much as possible.

#4. Buy Fresh Seasonal Products and Prioritize Local Ones

Food products from far away need to be transported. And this has a significant impact on the environment, such as CO2 emissions. Local and seasonal products defend domestic biodiversity, support markets close to the consumer, and are cheaper. And they are also fresher and more durable.

#5. Bring your Own Bag

Reuse gives products the longest possible shelf life. In addition to generating less environmental impact, citizens save money. You can use jars, jars, or boxes at home to store all kinds of products, refill printer ink cartridges, use rechargeable batteries, etc. The reusable bags are the perfect complement for our purchases. They are durable and do not have as negative an impact as virgin plastic. There’s also the option of bioplastic bags; these can be used as a container for organic garbage. They can also be made of paper with a forest certificate, which takes care of the environment. If you opt for the plastic bag, make sure it is certified (made with recycled materials, for example, certified Blue Angel) and is reusable.

#6. Choose Products with Sustainable Certificates

Product labels can help you discern which ones are the most environmentally friendly. The consumer can find more and more information: recycling symbols to know if materials will be recovered after their useful life, energy certificates to see which are the most efficient, sustainable production labels such as FSC for forest products or MSC for fisheries, etc.

#7. Don’t Buy Excessively Packaged Products

Some products come with packaging that they don’t need. The skin of fruits is a natural protective covering that does not require plastic wrap or polystyrene trays. This extra packaging becomes waste that can be avoided with products that do not carry it. Another option is to buy in bulk and choose what is needed only!

#8. Avoid Throwaway Products

Disposable products waste natural resources and significantly increase waste. Any sustainable purchase worth it’s salt must replace these products with others of a more durable and reusable nature.

#9. Don’t Shop Hungry

Another fairly common mistake is shopping on an empty stomach. Hunger drives you to buy more products than you really want (or would not choose if you had already eaten). Try to go to the supermarket without hunger; otherwise, you will fill the cart with things you do not need.

#10. Benefit from the Offers Wisely

Take advantage of opportunities to save money, but before deciding to buy, think about whether and when you will use the product. You can benefit from an offer by cooking in the short term, freezing or storing, but always keeping the expiration date in mind to avoid food waste.

Reducing your ecological footprint can be very simple. Thanks to these tips, you will be able to make the purchase sustainably and save money at the same time.

Options for Plastic-free Shopping

One of the simplest ways to be more sustainable is to green your home, office, and travel. For example, taking a set of reusable cutlery prevents thousands of plastic forks and knives from ending up in landfills. Imagine the collective impact we could all have with these small changes.
While it hasn’t always been easy to find zero or low garbage stores, some stores help us live a greener, cleaner lives. Even today, when in-store shopping is not possible everywhere, these online stores encourage us to adopt a sustainable lifestyle (starting with plastic-free packaging, of course). In general, the hardest to recycle the plastics are the softest, those that can easily be crumpled in hand, such as food packaging (think of pasta packets or individually wrapped portions of food). Polystyrene is another ubiquitous culprit that is never recycled in the waste stream.

So let’s take the next step in this dynamic of minimal waste and no plastic. Start small, take your time, and develop your good habits one by one.
1. BYO bag

Always take your shopping bags to the supermarket or stores. They don’t have to be made of canvas, the eco-friendly kind if you don’t have one. Even the simple reuse of plastic bags from your kitchen cupboard can help reduce waste.

2. Use a thermos or KeepCup

If you regularly find yourself buying coffee to go, take your clean thermos and avoid adding to the pile of Styrofoam and plastic-coated cardboard waste. Coffee makers generally appreciate not having to buy their cups to dispense and the environmental values being taken care of. Some coffee shops even give you a discount!

3. Avoid individually wrapped products

Don’t buy food in pre-portioned packages. Buy in bulk instead! Instead of buying 15 mini-packs of cookies or potato chips for school lunches, buy a sizeable individual box and put it in portions in containers. Apply this theory to yogurt, blanks, and anything else that can be purchased in larger quantities. Every little bit counts!

4. Don’t buy fruits and vegetables that are wrapped in plastic!

As with bulk packaged foods, avoid buying pre-packaged or pre-weighed fruits and vegetables. You know that bananas packed on foam trays and the like are useless and waste money. Instead, choose bulk bananas and put them directly in the fruit basket or refrigerator when you get home. In fact, why does a banana need more packaging than nature has already provided?

5. Replace the Gladwrap with beeswax wrappers or containers.

Invest in good, airtight storage containers used both in the microwave and in the freezer. It’s a good idea to have several different sized containers for the different types of foods you’ll be storing, as well as snack-sized containers for lunch boxes and for storing liquids, dressings, etc. The phthalates in the plastic film are very harmful to your health, which will benefit you, your friends, and your family.

6. Buy your meat or cheese at the delicatessen and ask to use your container.

Pre-packaged meat and cheese are usually sold in plastic or polystyrene trays, but if you buy directly from the deli, you can bring your container to carry your treats.

7. Have a bottle on hand

Plastic water bottles are one of the most common items in the world. Don’t help perpetuate the market for this ridiculously wasteful product; take your water bottle when you’re on the go. Water comes out of the tap for free, so why the hell pays for it!

8. Refuse the straw! Use your lips.

They may seem small and harmless, but they build up incredibly fast for a night of drinking. If you have to drink through a straw, try using it again overnight. Better yet, invest in a reusable straw, such as the stainless steel or glass straws. We’ve found that stainless steel straws are a little stronger because glass is not the thing.

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