Shop in charity shops as much as you can
The fast fashion industry is one of the biggest environmental polluters, following swiftly behind big oil. Over 80 billion items of clothes are consumed every year, with hundreds of thousands of these clothes either never being worn or being thrown away. Clothes that aren’t sold from fast fashion chains are burned, releasing CO2 into our atmosphere. It is estimated by the World Resources Institute that 1.2 billion tons of CO2 is released by the fast fashion industry every year.
With fast fashion ever-present in social media adverts, online and enticing people in with free next day delivery, it is very easy to forget the world behind a cute pair of jeans. By no means am I suggesting everyone stops shopping entirely but slowly shifting to shopping in charity shops, vintage outlets and online thrift stores gives old items of clothes both a new home, and a new lease of life.
There is also something really special about finding an amazing pair of vintage Levi jeans for £19 pounds and then falling in love with them so much your flatmate has to remind you that you do own other jeans. The added bonus is also that your money makes its way to charitable causes, striving to make a difference in people’s lives.
Buy an electric or a bamboo toothbrush
As much as it sounds weird to advertise electric toothbrushes in a sustainability article, I’m hoping that as we move closer and closer to renewable energy the impact of using an electric toothbrush is better than throwing away a plastic one every 2-3 months. The alternative is bamboo toothbrushes. Bamboo is a highly sustainable material, growing incredibly quickly with no fertiliser. It also regenerates from its own roots so doesn’t need to be replanted. Importantly, it can be recycled fairly easily so is far better than the popular plastic toothbrush!
Take advantage of the re-usable cup trend
The re-usable cup trend has taken off in the last couple of years, with coffee chains and start-ups like keep-cup trying to reduce the number of plastic cups that end up in landfill. On top of this, lots of coffee shops (even independent ones!) are offering money off if you use a re-usable cup.
Chains like Boston Tea Party don’t sell take-away drinks to people without re-usable cups, allowing them to either borrow one using a deposit scheme or to purchase one at a surprisingly affordable price. Just to give you an idea of figures, the brand keep-cup estimates that due to their sales of re-usable cups, 5 million disposable cups are saved from landfill every day!
Cut back on meat and dairy consumption
This January, popular coffee chains like Pret and Costa have made their dairy-free milk alternatives available at no extra cost, which has made my entire world complete. Since coming to University, the choice of vegetarian and vegan food in supermarkets and restaurants has accelerated dramatically. With so many alternatives now available – that actually taste pretty yummy – it’s becoming easier and easier to shift our diets and lifestyles to more plant-based ones.
It doesn’t even have to be as extreme as going completely vegan: it can be a simple as meat-free Monday. I think the key thing when it comes to food, is understanding what is personally right for you, whilst also making small changes to be more sustainable when and where you can.
Try re-usable cotton pads and ditch the make-up wipes!
In my third year at Uni, my best friend came back after Christmas and her mum had bought her some re-usable cotton/face pads to try. I absolutely loved the idea and bought some of my own!
They really are a great alternative and with an oil-based cleanser they take all the make-up right off your face. Just chuck them in the wash every week with your towels/bedding or hand-wash them in the sink like you would your make-up sponges!
Make-up wipes, like cotton-pads, are single use which makes them pretty bad for the environment. They can also be an irritant to the skin, as we tend to apply a lot of force to get rid of every last inch of mascara. Using re-usable muslin clothes, flannels and re-usable cotton pads are a great alterative that are less abrasive to the skin and better for our environmental footprint!
Click here for some re-usable cotton pads!
Load of HCX Love xoxo