Sustainable Shopping – Towards sustainability

Feb, 2022

The Best Eco-Friendly Humidifiers

Do you suffer from nasal congestion, dry skin, or colds every winter? It can happen to anyone! That’s why we like to start the season off well by investing in a dependable humidifier. Humidifiers keep us warm and hydrated by adding just the right amount of moisture to the air.

While Vicks and Dyson’s humidifiers are popular, they aren’t necessarily the most environmentally friendly since they sometimes require plastic filters or a lot of power. Instead, these are the finest humidifiers for an environmentally conscious house that use energy-saving technology, paper filters (or none at all! ), and automated controls. Many are dual-purpose air purifiers and humidifiers and humidifiers and diffusers—perfect for the winter!

Check out these eco-friendly air purifiers if you want two different units. Better still, try these indoor plants that are naturally clean and provide moisture to your home’s air!

1. The Canopy

Excell at purifying and humidifying the air. Paper filters, incorporated UV lamps, sophisticated sensors, replacement filter subscription accessible, USB-C charger are just a few of the features.

Size | 500 sq. Ft. and up

Price: $150.00

Look no further than Canopy for a healthy humidifier for both the air and your health. It cools down rooms up to 500 square feet for up to 36 hours of continuous use while also utilizing anti-mold and UV sensor technology to ensure that the air is as pure as possible.

This air purifier and humidifier combo will aid with dryness and dullness, nasal congestion and cough, and scent diffusion as required. For the most environmentally friendly clean, it exclusively utilizes paper filters.

2. Vornado

Ideal for medium-sized areas. Energy-efficient, with auto-humidity management and water-level sensors, as well as 5- and 10-year warranties.

Size | 750 sq. Ft. feet

Cost | $89.99

We like the energy-efficient humidifier from Vornado, prominent air circulation and humidifier manufacturer. The EVDC3000 humidifier uses 90% less energy than a standard Dyson or Vicks humidifier and can cover up to 750 square feet at once. We like that it includes auto-humidity management, low water indications, and a long guarantee, all for less than $100.

3. Missed Global

Wireless, transportable power bank, two nano-mist adjustable sprays, USB charger, seven-color lights, numerous warranties, and a 30-day trial return policy. Best known for its power & mobility.

Size | Up to 150 sq. ft.

Cost | $85

Missed Stella, one of three models in a series from Global, combines power and mobility for the greatest air care. It’s a 12-hour-running wireless air humidifier that’s ideal for the office, bedroom, or even the vehicle for road trips. Are you looking for something that is quick-acting, low-maintenance, and portable? And cleaning it takes less than 30 seconds? Consider us perplexed.

4. Objecto

It can be used without a filter. It is remote-controlled, has an automatic shut-off feature, and has a detachable water tank.

Size | Up to 800 sq. ft.

Cost | $299.99

The Objecto H9 Tower Hybrid Humidifier is one of the few filter-free humidifiers on the market, which means no single-use accessories are required. With a height of three feet, it provides tremendous coverage of up to 800 square feet. Even though it’s an investment, this hybrid humidifier comes with remote control, scent settings, automatic shut-off, and nearly 22 hours of continuous use.

5. Essentique

Made in the USA with earth-friendly materials, essential oil diffuser, automatic shut off

Size | Up to 500 sq. Ft.

Price | $120

If you like humidifiers and diffusers, check out the all-in-one Essentique Casa Aroma Diffuser. It produces 2.5 million ultrasonic vibrations each second, releasing clean, fresh air that is perfumed with your favorite essential oil. It’s as functional as stylish, with multiple color options, an LED light, and a porcelain base. It’s a pleasant approach to obtaining a good night’s sleep because it has an automatic shut-off.

Do you find any of these humidifiers interesting? Let us know in the comments…

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

What Happens To The Clothes You Return?

Online shopping is at its peak right now; people are more inclined to buy online rather than go to the store because of the pandemic, but what happens quite often in online shopping is that some you get the measurement wrong. The item does not fit, or it won’t fit just as you imagine and are disappointed. And most of the time, you will return the item, which you certainly didn’t know is a very environmentally unsustainable action – you are not to be blamed, you do not want to waste your money, but have you ever asked yourself what happens to clothes that you return?

In the point of view of a customer, returning items are very easy and quick (if the brand customer service is on point), but it is not that simple for the brands, as it is a whole lot of process involving logistics, quality control, and other ‘paper work’. Now just imagine the panic, where most U.S. citizens are now resorting to online shopping. According to some research, in 2020 only, online shoppers will return more than 100 billion dollars of purchases.

We are coming to a point where returning clothes have become part of the online shopping process. On top of that, fast-shopping platforms, such as Shein, Zaful, and other Chinese brands produce bulk clothes every day.

What Happens To The Clothes You Return?

There are different possibilities for what can happen to those items; for example, ASOS, a zero-waste retailer, promises to resell 97 percent of returns by repairing, cleaning, repackaging, and reselling them, with the remaining 3% being recycled. It isn’t, however, a perfect system. Customers have reported finding face masks, receipts, cigarette butts, and other objects in their ASOS purchases, which were worn returns.

This is because they are finding themselves overwhelmed with that many returns, but yet respecting the zero-waste policy even if it is in the worst way ever. Following this idea after the logistic process, the damaged items must be inspected, then repaired and cleaned, pressed, wrapped, and sent to the distribution center to be resold. This takes a lot of time, a new team dedicated for that that need a pay-check and products, machinery and so on, in a nutshell, it costs a lot of money, and we’ve concluded that it is easier for the brand to destroy the item.

Apart from ASOS and some few brands, it is quite unusual to resell an open item, normally underwear and other things that can bring sanitary issues. Some brands do not even ask you to return the product and proceed with refunding their customers.

Can We Make Return More Sustainable?

A small number of brands have sprung up to address the fashion industry’s reverse logistics issues, devising inventive ways to save landfill-bound returns. It is important to tackle the logistic process to make it easier for the companies too; there are emerging companies that are willing to tackle all returning procedures from different brands, including transportation, cleaning and repackaging.

Avoid Returning Clothes

Customer evaluations, high-resolution photos and videos, and sizing guidelines seek to provide the most accurate information about a garment to minimize return rates. Around 70% of returns are due to clothing not fitting properly, largely due to the accuracy of product information provided by a firm.

In the fashion industry, sizing is a big issue since firms like to grade clothing from a sample size (U.S. size 0, U.K. size 6-8) and then use an algorithm to calculate the dimensions for the rest of their sizes. This implies that apparel that looks fine on the e-commerce model can look radically different in a larger size, but the brand didn’t bother to test it on anyone other than a size 0 to see. Customers may get around this in a few ways; the most basic is to invest in a tape measure and compare your dimensions to a brand’s size chart.

In the comments, let us know what you think about installing a sustainable returning policy…

Green-washing Alert: What is Bamboo Fabric, and is it Sustainable?

With pollution and climate change on the rise, people are trying to be mindful of our resources. We’ve sounded the alarm too many times, and it seems that now is the time to change our destructive habits before it’s too late. Many brands have responded to the cry for help, but some unscrupulous brands are taking advantage of the situation. They merely see sustainability as a trend or a label they can plaster everywhere to increase sales. The worst part is that some of them don’t even change their production to fit into the sustainability category but just label their product as such. Let’s find out what greenwashing is and why bamboo is not sustainable in the fashion industry…

Bamboo…

Lately, we’ve been experiencing a real bamboo craze. We have toothbrushes, straws, and even cutlery made of bamboo. The reason for this new obsession is that bamboo is a very sustainable material…. but does the same applies to bamboo fabrics?

Did you know that the textile industry is one of the top five most polluting industries in the world? People are rushing to find solutions to make the fashion industry more eco-friendly and reduce its impact on the environment, but some brands take advantage of this situation to increase their profit margins.

Greenwashing…

If you’ve never heard of greenwashing, let me introduce you to the concept. Brands that claim to be sustainable, but are only partially sustainable, or not at all, engage in greenwashing. Environmental issues give our marketers ideas; terms like “green”, “eco,” or even “natural” are thrown at any product to increase sales. Do some customers believe that something that is natural is automatically sustainable, but is this really the case?

Is Bamboo Eco-friendly?

Bamboo fiber Raw Bamboo Fibre, for Textile Spinning,Yarn, Packaging Type: Loose, Rs 500 /kg | ID: 21391530997

Brands that use bamboo rely on true facts: Bamboo is the fastest growing plant, as it grows up to ninety centimeters per day, and it also removes pollutants from the soil and purifies the air. However, all manufacturers have pounced on this material, leading to great demand and the destruction of bamboo forests- not something that is sustainable in any sense of the word.

Bamboo is one of the biggest businesses in China, worth more than $60 billion. Research has shown that bamboo is not grown or harvested ethically, defeating the whole project from the get-go.

If the harvesting is unsustainable, what of the production side of things? There are two ways of producing textiles from bamboo: bamboo rayon and closed-loop.

Bamboo rayon is not sustainable at all, and producing it resembles the way synthetic fibers are made. A lot of energy and chemicals are used in its production, and there is so little bamboo in the final product that it cannot be called sustainable.

Closed-loop is closer to the sustainable side. Ethical companies try to replace toxic chemicals with much less toxic ones. It’s not perfect, but it’s better.

Should You Buy Bamboo Fabric?

I guess you’re all waiting for a clear and direct answer, but I don’t know. I would have waited until I was sure the raw material was grown and harvested sustainably, but if you want to try it out as is, that’s fine, and I have some tips for you.

When buying, try to ask the seller about the fabric to avoid buying bamboo rayon or bamboo viscose. Pay attention to the production method and look for the closed-loop production process used to make the Lyocell bamboo fabric. Ensure there are fair trade certifications and that the bamboo producer is organic (look for FSC certification).

Sustainable production of fabric has a long way to go, so we will have to be patient. Let us know in the comments what you think of bamboo fabrics…

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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