Back in January I made a New Year’s Resolution to “make more sustainable choices” and throughout the year there have been many simple ways that I have managed to stick to this commitment. I am keen to share these easy changes with you so that you can consider making these more eco-friendly choices too.
Here are 5 easy ways you can live more sustainably:
- Opt for plastic free alternatives
- Buy vintage furniture instead of new
- Choose slow fashion brands instead of fast fashion
- Rehome, fix or upcycle old clothes
- Switch to reusable products; face wipes, wet wipes, period pants
1) Opt for plastic free alternatives
Fortunately, the knowledge of the impact of plastic waste on our planet has become more widespread over recent years and many people are looking for alternative options and ditching the single use plastic. I have recently learned that another place we can all make a more eco friendly choice is with our oral hygiene products. DenTek for example has a new eco range of interdental brushes that are made from Birch Wood. This is a sustainable material that creates less waste and uses less energy in the manufacturing process – it’s even more eco friendly than the most common alternative material bamboo! Birch trees are climate-positive as they work to reduce additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere so DenTek have also made a commitment to plant more new trees than they use. As well as this, DenTek’s Eco Cross Flosser, Triple Clean and Triple Clean floss pick products are manufactured from a bio-resin made from sugar cane. Making the switch to use this renewable material compared to plastic creation reduces carbon emissions by up to 80% – crazy! To care for your teeth and the planet at the same time, buy DenTek products from Boots, Amazon, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Superdrug, Weldricks Pharmacy and through the DenTek website.
2) Buy vintage furniture instead of new
As well as being more sustainable for obvious reasons, buying secondhand furniture is more fun and a great way to give your home a more unique style. I personally love to think of the history and stories behind vintage and preloved furniture. When shopping for your vintage furniture, look locally such as in dedicated furniture charity shops or local auction houses in order to keep mileage down too.
3) Choose slow fashion brands instead of fast fashion
Now’s the time to ditch fast fashion brands that produce cheap and poor quality clothing that will only last for one season. Instead invest in slow fashion brands such as Frugi and Lindex where clothing is designed to not follow trends and instead they are stylish for many years, but will also last for longer – this is especially important for children’s clothing. Kids can grow so fast (too fast if you ask their parents!), so choosing clever clothing that grows with them is much more sustainable. Look out for adjustable waistbands, roll-up and down cuffs, adjustable straps, 2 sets of poppers or buttons etc. and always opt for GOTS certified organic cotton instead of alternative materials.
4) Rehome, fix or upcycle old clothes
Did you know…. An estimated €140 million worth of clothing ends up in landfills each year with less than 1% being recycled into new products. That means that 99% of all textile production goes to waste! These startling facts mean that it’s more important than ever to do our bit to extend the life of our clothing wether that is by re-homing them, upcycling them in to something else or mending them when they are broken. I personally love using repair patches to mend clothing, especially that of my children, as they are quick and easy to use and cute too. Frugi’s new repair patches are cleverly made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and they have a cotton backing, meaning that you can remove them and re-use them again and again as children outgrow their mended clothes.
5) Switch to reusable products; face wipes, wet wipes, period pants etc
Making small switches to reusable products can be an easy habit to get in to. There are now many sustainable brands offering products such as reusable face wipes and wet wipes. Some fashion brands have also introduced new lines of period pants. Lindex is one of these – their new “Female Engineering” range includes a variety of period pants in different styles, sizes and colours and promises you up to 10 hours leakproof absorbency. Replacing traditional period protection with these reusable pants is not only more sustainable, but also more comfortable and better for your body too.
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