6 Sustainable Swaps
-this post includes PR samples-
My efforts to be more sustainable in my everyday life is something that’s constantly changing and evolving. Thankfully, the world is making it easier than ever to be more eco-friendly and so much has changed even just a year with how big businesses operate but we’ve got a long way to go. Whilst I know that I’m never going to be someone who can achieve a zero-waste lifestyle as I’m not even sure something like that even exists there are plenty of changes that I can make and these are some of the best swaps I’ve made as of right now.
PACKED LUNCHES
Whenever we go up to the Peak District for the day something we used to do was stop at Tesco on the way and get a meal deal for our lunch. But, there’s quite a lot of plastic involved with that lunch option and even though we do always reuse the water bottles it still seems a little unnecessary when we could make our lunch at home. So a good lunchbox that can keep hot or cold food fresh as possible is something that is a necessity. In a PR parcel from Snack a Jacks before Christmas, I received this lunchbox from a brand called Black & Blum and the design is fantastic. It’s pretty stylish for a lunchbox and it’s lightweight even with food in it and it has a vacuum-seal closure so there is absolutely no chance of it leaking which is always a worry when taking food on the go and it comes with a band that you can keep the reusable fork in so that’s not floating around in your bag either.
REUSABLE CUPS
I’ve got a few reusable coffee cups that I’ve been collecting over the years and my all-time favourite is from Keep Cup. I bought this back in 2012 and it’s still something I use every week eight years on and it’s in great condition. I don’t believe they make this particular design anymore and if I were to buy a new one I’d probably go for glass one as they look a little sleeker. I find this keeps my coffee warm the longest out of all my reusable cup options too which is perfect if you’re taking this in the car for a long drive and don’t want to drink it straight away. I also have a Stojo cup which is something that I like to take cold drinks out in as it has a straw and I love the fact it’s collapsable as I don’t have to worry about it taking up loads of room in my bag after I've finished the beverage inside.
BAR SOAP FOR HUMANS
Instead of going for a hand wash in plastic packaging something that I’ve gone back to using lately is bar soap and I think it’s something that I’m going to strive to only buy instead from now. My hands feel just as clean and more often than not they feel more nourished as a good bar soap doesn’t have as many foaming agents and as long as you’ve got a nice soap dish it’s no more inconvenient to use than something in plastic with a pump. Something I want to look into is bar shampoos and conditioners as they’re not something that I’ve ever used before and having those two things plastic-free would be a great way to reduce my intake.
BAR SOAP FOR DOGS
As well as us using bar soap something that I switched to last year is bar soap for Josie and Edie. Josie in particular struggles with dandruff and switching to soap from The Dog & I has been a complete game-changer. I have to admit I was pretty sceptical about this as I was worried it wouldn’t lather properly and get all the dirt out of their fur but it lathers incredibly well and their fur is softer than ever after using this. These bar soaps contain essential oils (that are used in dog-friendly amounts) so not only do they smell incredible but they’re kind to your dog's skin too. After using these instead of traditional pet shampoos Josie no longer gets dandruff and her coat feels in much better condition.
REUSABLE COTTON PADS
These were something I’d been meaning to buy for what feels like forever and before Christmas, I finally picked some up when we visited the Form Lifestyle Store in Manchester. At first, I was a little apprehensive to use them and I still don’t use them to take my makeup off if I want to use micellar water but I use them for toners and micellar waters in the AM when my face is clean and they're brilliant. As to be expected they don’t feel that different and they’re very reminiscent of using a muslin cloth in place of a flannel. Personally, I like to rinse off any product after I’ve used these so I get around 4 different uses from before I throw it in the wash and they come up like new once they’ve been washed. At the moment I only have 5 so they’re going to be something that I buy more of as they’re so useful and have helped me cut down my cotton wool usage so much already.
PERIOD UNDERWEAR
My periods are not completely plastic-free as I do still use tampons throughout but something that I do now use (washing dependent) are the ModiBodi period pants (gifted). I have written a complete blog post dedicated to them which you can read here and a few months on I still love them and use them every month, using something like reusable period underwear feels much kinder to my body than tampons which is great. I’m fortunate enough to not have crazy heavy periods so something like this works well for me so I have no idea if they would be suitable for everybody and of course, they are quite an investment, to begin with, but funds allowing they are something I will buy again so I can use them on more days throughout my period as I much prefer them to tampons.
