How To Be More Eco-Friendly

So back in December you made your New Year's Resolution “Be more eco-friendly” + it’s now the 127th of January + you’re still wondering how to actually kickstart that habit? We’re here to help!

Here’s your ultimate (+ easy!) guide to making more eco-friendly choices in your day-to-day life.

Before buying anything NEW ask yourself 3 R’s:

• Reduce (Do you really need it?  - Only buy what you need)
• Reuse (Can it be reused? Will I get enough uses out of it?)
• Recycle (Can it be recycled + turned into something else?)
• If you have to buy new, try to shop from small businesses + brands - you’ll be supporting someone’s dream, + they’re more likely to be ethical + transparent than big corporations, as well as custom made + so less wasteful

When you’re running out of/needing a new product, look for eco alternatives:

Fashion

• Local swap shops/charity shops
• Search on second hand platforms like eBay, Etsy, depop + Vinted
• Start renting your clothes with One Wear Freedom! - All your occasion needs sorted so you can wear an outfit once without any guilt, save on wardrobe space, washing + ££s.

Bathroom/kitchen swaps

• Replace all single use plastic with reusable items: cloth bags, bamboo toothbrushes, bamboo ear buds, beeswax paper/silicone stretch lids, sanitary underwear, cloth face pads, coffee cups etc. Avoid plastic in general - use fabric, metal or wood alternatives (natural fibres)
• Most bathroom items can be replaced with bamboo

General

• Repair + upcycle before buying anything (if possible!) 
• Make YouTube + Pinterest your new BFFs for tutorials + inspiration

Words to look out for when shopping:

• Biodegradable (be careful here - the conditions have to be right in order to biodegrade)
• Compostable - You can pop it in your food waste collection or home compost + it will break down
• Recyclable 
• Recycled 
• Reusable

List of ethical/eco-friendly online marketplaces: 

• ethy
• Depop
• eBay
• Etsy
• Compare Ethics
• Veo
• The Clean Market
• Green Providers

It’s about progress not perfection!

If you’re striving to be 100% waste-free all at once, then DON’T. Strive for small changes that build up over time. This is the best way to create healthy habits that stick.

Zero waste Chef Anne Marie Bonnaeu famously once said  “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly” - so no matter where you’re at or how many habits you’ve altered, as long as you’re doing a little of something, you’re doing something to help save our planet!