1 Year of Waste Makes Waste

Happy Birthday to this blog! Wow, I can’t believe that I’ve been writing stuff on here for an entire year, and what a year it has been. There’s no doubt that I wouldn’t have done as much on this blog if it wasn’t for the pandemic, because I had so much more time to spend on writing and researching. It’s also been a year where I started my masters degree in sustainability, so I have 100% more knowledge than I did this time last year! My perspective has changed a lot since I started this blog, so I thought that this week I would discuss that.

When I started this blog a year ago, I wanted to focus on waste (hence the name) and reducing what we use and throw away. Specifically, I was concerned about plastic. I had heard so much about plastic in the ocean, and seen how much we throw away in my own household, so it was initially my biggest concern. Naively, I thought that other forms of packaging were basically fine, because they’re easier to recycle. Of course, they are easier to recycle, but it’s still better to not have the packaging at all. I also started looking at the sustainability of products as a whole – for example, avocados come without packaging, but they are also imported and so they have a lot of airmiles. So as I started researching, I started realising that everything has multiple considerations, which is why sustainability can be hard.

I also started looking at sustainability from an individual point of view, like ‘what changes can I make to save the planet’. But, as I’ve gone through each topic from clothes to food to periods, I have realised how many of the problems that we have start at the very top. For example, I stop travelling by petrol car, but until better infrastructure exists for public transport or electric cars, it is very difficult to be truly sustainable. This applies to almost everything, which can be a little demoralising. I realised eventually that this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try our best individually, but it means that we have to also focus on the bigger picture, and keep these things in mind when we vote. Voting, signing petitions, activism and campaigning are all just as important (if not more in some ways) as recycling, using less or eating less meat and dairy.

So what will I do in the next year of my blog?

I hope to take all these things that I’ve learnt and learn even more. I love a tutorial on how to make wax wraps as much as the next person, but I also want to talk more on a larger scale about politics, conferences and climate strategy. Hopefully, I’ll be able to combine the two. As always, if you want to see more of me then follow this blog and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (@WasteMakesWaste)

New Year’s Resolutions

Even after the car crash that was 2020, people are still excited for 2021. As per tradition, people are starting to talk about their New Year’s Resolutions. Those of us who make resolutions tend not to keep them, with only a quarter of us keeping all of them. We know the usual ones – lose weight, save money, bake more etc, but maybe there are some that we should really consider giving some thought to this coming year. Unsurprisingly, the top category for resolutions this year so far is health, but one that we don’t often talk about is sustainability. The key with resolutions is to make them flexible, simple and achievable – otherwise we end up not doing them because life is busy and hectic and we’ve got other things to do.

I thought that this week I’d share my New Year’s Resolutions in the hope that it will inspire you to create some of your own. And ‘resolutions’ are a bit formal – I see it more as things that I’d like to do, get better at or try next year. And, if you forget to do your resolution one week, that isn’t a failure, you simply try another week. So, here are mine:

  • Go for a run once a week
  • Keep email inboxes tidy
  • Bake something once a fortnight and share with friends/family
  • Switch to non-dairy butter and yoghurt permanently
  • Investigate zero-waste make-up as I use up current make-up

What I tend to end up doing is adding resolutions on to this list as I go, as I find that there are things that I didn’t think about the year before. As you can see, these aren’t all sustainability inspired, and that is really ok. All of these resolutions are things that make me happy when I achieve them, therefore I should do more of them. The running is something I started in the first lockdown, having never run before in my life. I loved it, but once I went back to work, I lost the momentum that I’d gained – I’d go occasionally but I was never as good as I was. I recently cleared out my email inboxes, as I still had emails from 2015 that I just didn’t need. It was an unexpected relief to delete them all! So, I want to keep them as clear as I can. I have always loved baking, and I did some during lockdown, but now I want to challenge myself with more complicated recipes. I tend to bake something every couple of weeks or so anyway, this is just a more concrete promise to myself. The non-dairy butter and yoghurt one has sustainability in mind, as I can see myself cutting out dairy 100% of the time in the not too distant future (I’m currently vegetarian, but vegan about 50% of the time). These are two dairy based things that I’m not that bothered about and I like the substitutes, so it’s just a change of habit. The last one is potentially the most interesting. I love make-up, and I’m coming to the end of a lot of products. I don’t buy make-up often, but I’d like to find some more sustainable products so that I don’t have to just stop wearing make-up altogether (if anyone has any brands they would recommend, let me know).

So those are my resolutions. Now that I’ve put them all out there, I guess I’ll have to stick to them! I’ve tried to keep them relatively small, shown the most with cutting out dairy yoghurt and butter – I could vow to go vegan, but at the moment that isn’t realistic for me, so it’s better to have a smaller goal and work my way up. Never discourage someone for their New Years Resolution, even if it seems small to you – it might be a huge deal to them. Good luck with the New Year, regardless of whether you have any resolutions or not – let’s hope it’s better than 2020 right?

Christmas Jam and Christmas Chutney

So it’s the week of Christmas! I’m not feeling especially festive this year, as I’m sure a lot of people aren’t what with the restrictions and general gloomy atmosphere. But something that always makes me feel Christmassy is cooking and baking. So in these last few days before Christmas, I thought I’d share my two favourite recipes for Christmas Chutney and Christmas Jam. It’s also a great way to re-use jars, and both of these recipes can be vegan, with ingredients that are available at most fruit and veg shops. They are both based on a collection of recipes from Nigella, BBC Good Food and The Rustic Elk. You can change up the fruits if you like, and you can alter the quantities too, but stick to these top tips:

  • For jam, use fruits high in pectin like currants, cranberries and lemons.
  • If you don’t use these fruits, either add pectin or ingredients to help the setting process like chia seeds.
  • For chutney, keep an eye on your balance of sweet and savoury – you don’t want a chutney that is too savoury or too much like jam.
  • Both of these recipes make a large saucepan’s worth, which for me was about 4/5 mixed size jars.

Christmas Jam:

  • 1 small underripe apple, peeled and chopped
  • 340 grams of Cranberries (fresh or thawed from frozen)
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 orange peeled and chopped into small pieces
  • 450 grams of raspberries (fresh or thawed from frozen)
  • 1/4 tsp of Ground Cloves
  • 1/2 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp of mized spice
  • 400 grams sugar (more or less depending on what fruit you use)
  • 150 ml of water (again, alter this depending on what fruit you use)
  • Spoonful of butter (vegan if you like)
  1. First, sterilise your jars. You can do this by washing them with hot water and soap, then putting them in an oven at 140 degrees whilst you make the jam.
  2. Next, chop up all of your fruits (cranberries, apples, raspberries and orange) – you want everything small, but not pureed.
  3. Add your apple, cranberries, raspberries and orange to a pan. Then add your spices and your orange zest.
  4. Stir in your water, and bring to the boil.
  5. Then, simmer for about 15 minutes or until the fruit is soft.
  6. Add your sugar, and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
  7. Next, rapidly boil the jam until it reaches 105 degrees.
  8. Take it off the heat and stir through some butter to reduce foaming.
  9. Leave for a few minutes, and then transfer into jars.
  10. Keep an eye on the jam – if it doesn’t start to be gel-like, then you may need to re-cook it.

Christmas Chutney:

  • 650g cooking apples (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 eating apple (peeled and chopped)
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 500 grams of cranberries (fresh or thawed from frozen)
  • 250 grams of dates (chopped)
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 orange (chopped)
  • 350 grams sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 450 ml white wine vinegar
  1. First, sterilise your jars in the same way as you did for the jam.
  2. Chop your apples, onion, cranberries and dates and add them to a large saucepan.
  3. Add the orange pieces and the zest, and all the spices.
  4. Pour over the vinegar and stir all the ingredients together.
  5. Bring to a boil, and then leave on the lowest heat for about 45 minutes or until it is a sticky and combined consistency.
  6. Spoon into the warm jars and seal. This can be kept in a cupboard, and can be prepared weeks before you want to eat it.

And that’s it! These are great to give as gifts, or to make to have around Christmas. The chutney goes really well with cheese, or in a Christmas sandwich with stuffing. The jam is great on toast, but you can also use it to sandwich a cake if you want a Christmassy flavour.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

So Christmas will be a bit different this year because of Covid, but maybe we can all make it different in a positive way – by being greener. Christmas presents are tricky – there is so much that is coated in plastic, that has high air miles and that we don’t use for very long! So, this week I wanted to do a list of eco-friendly gifts to give you all some inspiration. Some are a bit DIY (and you’ll see more of them soon), and others can be bought. As I keep saying, we can’t be perfect. But, it’s worth giving low-waste options like these a go, even if you only do one!

Jams and Chutney:

Jam is shockingly easy to make – it’s also a perfect gift to personalise with different spices or alcohol if you like. You can use pretty much any fruit you like, you can make it vegan and you can reuse old jars to package it! Chutney is also quite easy and has lots of variations – it’s also great to pair with other gifts like biscuits or crackers. I’ll be doing a post on jam and chutney making soon, but you can get general jam ideas from here and chutney recipes here.

Soap:

There’s always a joke in my family that if you get gifted soap, it’s because you smell, but actually it can be a really luxurious thing that people like to receive! Soap is also quite easy to get zero waste, vegan and cruelty free. Some of the best places to buy them are zero waste shops, markets and online eco-friendly shops – these are from an eco shop in Whitby. If you have friends or family who are interested in zero-waste stuff, a shampoo bar might also be a good idea, like these from the friendly soap company.

Biscuits and Crackers:

Again, I’ll be doing a post about these two soon, but for now, here is why they are such great gifts. They’re great to personalise with different flavours – so, if you know someone who loves spice, you can add more, or if you have a vegan friend you can make vegan biscuits, which I’m sure that they would be touched by. It’s also really easy to wrap these – you can repurpose cardboard boxes, tins or even generic storage boxes (which you can incorporate as part of the gift!).

Jewellery:

If you’re a fan of jewellery, then there are lots of low waste, eco-friendly options. For example, Where Romy Roams is a jewellery shop based on Etsy run by Romy – she collects shells and stones etc from beaches and then makes them into necklaces and earrings! She cleans the beaches as she goes and she uses recycled packaging to send out all her orders. It’s great to support a small business like this, but it’s also wonderful to support this use of materials and beach cleaning!

Zero-waste Beauty:

Know anyone who loves make-up and skin care? Well, there are lots of options for them. You could make skin care – I’d only recommend this if you know them really well, and if you know any allergies or skin issues they may have. I’ve done a few posts on this before, which you can find here. If you don’t want to DIY this, then there are loads of places that you can find low-waste, vegan and cruelty free skin care and make-up! Lush, Wearth London and your local zero waste shops will all have options for you.

A new hobby:

Instead of something someone will use once and throw to the back of a cupboard, why not give them a new hobby? My favourite example of this is a knitting kit! It’s a wonderful hobby for the winter evenings, and you get a product out of it! To keep it as sustainable as possible, you can find second hand knitting needles and patterns in charity shops and online. Wool is a long wearing material and readily recyclable, however, it’s best to use recycled and organic wool where you can.

Produce bags/ Shopping bags:

Although these are both very practical gifts, I personally love a gift that I can use. There are so many options for produce bags and shopping bags, some more exciting than others. The best are the organic cotton or linen bags – there are lots that have different patterns. You can find these on etsy or in zero waste shops (either online or in person).

Reusable Water Bottle/ Flask:

If you have friends or family who haven’t gotten a re-usable water bottle yet, or they like to get take-out coffee all the time, then this could be a perfect gift. There are lots of options for reusable bottles – my favourite is a Chilly’s bottle because you can use them for warm or cold drinks. If you’re looking for reusable coffee cups, there are lots of different sizes. Chilly’s also do these, or you can find them at zero waste shops or even your local coffee shop!

That’s it for now! Next week I’ll be making a few of these gifts. And, if you want more Christmas content, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter (@WasteMakesWaste) and Instagram (@waste_makes_waste).

Should Black Friday be Green Friday?

So, we’re approaching one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year, which is great because all the businesses affected by Covid-19 will be really grateful for our custom, right? Well yes, I’m sure they will be. But this isn’t necessarily good for the planet.

Black Friday originated in the United States of America, and the UK only started doing it a few years ago. Amazon was the first to do it in the UK, and now the vast majority of big shops do it, with a few exceptions. In the UK Black Friday is more of an online frenzy rather than one in person (rather appropriate this year), but there are still usually queues outside retailers. We spent £5.6 billion last year, and we are predicted to spend £6 billion this year. Unsurprisingly, younger generations spend the most, and older generations spend the least. Alarmingly, returns from Black Friday can be around 30%, compared to more like 10-15% the rest of the year, which can be a big threat to businesses as less than 10% of returns make it back out into shops. So, it’s a huge money maker and taker.

It’s a great idea, who doesn’t love a good deal? And, if you’ve been waiting to buy something, it’s a good idea to wait until it’s going to be cheaper right? Yes, that’s very hard to argue with. But, the biggest problem with Black Friday is that it heavily promotes consumerism. Got a phone that works and you like but isn’t the newest? Buy a new one for half the price and throw that one away! The concept is built around making as much money and selling as much stuff as possible, which isn’t good for our planet.

How bad is it for our planet? Well, it has been found that 80% of what we buy on Black Friday ends up in landfill – this can be practically anything, from clothes to electronics. A lot of these items are also made of single use materials, and even the ones that are recycled are likely to be recycled at very low quality. The other important thing here is the lifespan of each item – it’s incredibly short when it is bought on Black Friday, shipped soon after, and returned or thrown away not long before Christmas. Although the carbon footprint of delivery is slightly better in the USA than physical shopping, the shipping from Black Friday still represents a huge spike in CO2. Air pollution is expected to skyrocket, especially this year as everything moves online, with an expected 82,000 diesel delivery trucks and vans to hit our roads.

In 2018, 21% of people admitted to buying something they regretted on Black Friday. So, the suggestion is that this year, we all think about our decisions before we buy anything. I won’t blame you for buying stuff as part of Black Friday – I might, who knows – but I would encourage you to do a few things:

  • Buy from small businesses, a lot of them take part in Black Friday and they need the support more than big companies!
  • If you’re buying online from one company, request that everything gets shipped together, rather than a few days apart to reduce packaging and shipping trips.
  • If there is an option to, ask for there to be no plastic packaging or even minimal packaging on your order.
  • Find out more about the companies you’re buying from! If they have a sustainability section, look at it, if you aren’t happy with something that they do or do not disclose, then maybe reconsider your purchase.
  • Finally, think about your purchase – do you really want/need it? Is it an impulse buy? Is it something you’ve wanted for a long time? Is there a better place to buy it that supports smaller businesses?

As I’ve often said, it’s not all about the consumer. Black Friday is another example of consumerism being rammed down our throats, so don’t feel bad if you get wrapped up in it. But, just know that it isn’t as harmless as they would have us think.

(Pictured is a jumper that my mum made me – that’s how I’ve celebrated Black Friday)

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

So, after a couple of weeks where I’ve focused on heavy topics, I thought that this week I’d go with something easy to digest (in all kinds of ways!). This recipe is one that is inspired by a lot of soup recipes of similar kinds, and as per, you can swap out ingredients if you don’t have something. It’s a nice wintery soup, and if you like chilli then you can give it a real kick! It’s vegan, gluten free and delicious.

Ingredients:

  • Butternut Squash (cubed)
  • Onion (diced)
  • Garlic (crushed)
  • 1 red pepper (cubed)
  • 1 chilli (deseeded and diced)
  • 5/6 tomatoes (cut in half)
  • 750ml Vegetable stock (make sure it’s vegan/gluten free if you want to make it so!)
  • Dairy-free yogurt (I used the coconut collaborative natural coconut yoghurt)
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Put the squash, tomatoes and pepper onto a tray, drizzle over some olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes at 180°C – or, until everything is soft.
  2. Once your vegetables are almost cooked, fry your onion, garlic and chilli in a large pan with some olive oil. Wait for them to sweat a bit, then add your squash, tomatoes and pepper.
  3. Cook everything for about 5 minutes, and then add your vegetable stock. Depending on how thick you like your soup, you might want to use more or less water.
  4. Leave this to simmer for another 5 minutes, then turn off your hob and let the soup cool a little bit. Then, using a blender (I use a hand one), blend your soup until it is silky smooth.
  5. Add your cinnamon, and your salt and pepper.
  6. You could leave it there, but I like creamy soup, so I added some yoghurt. The amount is sort of up to you, but I used about 175g of yoghurt. Make sure it is fully combined.
  7. Serve!

I hope you liked this recipe! I have it with a crispy bread roll and more yoghurt on the top – sometimes with chilli flakes too. This recipe also works well with pumpkin instead of squash, and like most vegetable soups, anything you chuck in will work really well!

How About…The Green New Deal

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably have seen that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have won the election, and will become the next President and Vice President of the United States of America. Of course this is a big deal for the USA, but it’s also a pretty big deal for the rest of the world. The USA is the second biggest polluter in the world, came out of the Paris agreement and has had a President who does not believe in Global Warming – all not great. Climate Change is not a ‘topic’ for politicians to argue about, it is a reality – one that we cannot ignore. If we don’t all work together, it won’t really matter who is President. So, the people making decisions across the world are very important! Obviously, although Biden is (in my opinion) much better than Trump, there is still a way to go. With that in mind, I thought that I would talk about The Green New Deal, which has been put forward by several people, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (my absolute favourite lady). So what is it? Well, I’ve linked the full bill down below, but I will do my best to sum up.

What does the deal aim to do?

The basic aim of the deal is to make the USA carbon-neutral in 10 years. It wants to do this whilst alleviating inequality and poverty, stating that a more eco-friendly society and better quality of life for all go hand in hand. It would not eliminate emissions completely, but would aim to offset them. The deal also states that Climate Change will cost the USA billions of dollars by the end of the century, and that although this deal could be expensive, it will be less expensive than repairing the damage of Climate Change.

How will it do this?

Whilst there are few specifics, here is what we do know. The aim would be to have 10 years of mobilisation, where infrastructure would be upgraded, and places would be made more prepared for climate change related disasters. Although the use of coal, oil and natural gas would not end completely, it would be offsetted by absorbing the CO2, such as with forests (although these methods are not detailed explicitly). Energy efficiency and access to power are also mentioned, along with improving transportation and working with farmers to reduce emissions. In terms of people, the deal wants to focus on eliminating inequality. To do this, it calls for guaranteed jobs with paid holidays, security for retirement, fair pay and family and medical leave. It also states the importance of universal healthcare and free higher education. Access to affordable, safe housing, and clean water, air, health, nature and affordable food are also mentioned. More regulation to protect workers against discrimination and other issues like health and safety would also be brought in. It’s a pretty extensive list of things!

Why has it been labelled as controversial?

It sounds pretty positive right? Like it wants to right all the wrong in the world! Like with most things relating to climate change, this deal goes too far for some and not far enough for others. Because it’s America, there will be a vote on this deal, and this is not one piece of legislation – it’s lots of little ideas pushed together. This is part of the problem – a lot of people think that it is too ambitious, as no climate policy so far has attempted to tackle so much at once, especially with social issues as well. People are also worried about the money, as it has been estimated that this deal will be expensive. The truth is, no one really knows exactly how expensive it will be. There’s no doubt that because of the changes in infrastructure, it won’t be cheap, but it might be cheaper than simply doing nothing. Crucially, no one has any better ideas, especially any on the same scale.

So, it’s a pretty radical (and I mean that in the best way) plan – and I really hope that it gets taken seriously. It will be interesting to see exactly what the offsetting methods are and how they plan to do everything in 10 years, but it is a step forward – as long as it gets put through! I hope that this was interesting, and helped you to understand a little bit more what is going on. Please correct me if you see any mistakes I’ve made! I’ve linked below all the sources I have used – most of which are more coherent than me. Thanks for reading!

Sources:

Wait… What is Sustainability?

When I asked whether people wanted to see the kind of thing I’ve been studying at university, it was a huge yes! So, this week I wanted to talk about one of the topics that I’ve been covering this term – the idea of sustainability. The word ‘sustainable’ is something that we often see on packaging and in the ‘sustainability’ sections of websites, but what does it actually mean?

Sustainability is a very flexible term. When you ask google what it means, you get told that it is the ‘avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance’. On the whole, this is a pretty decent understanding of what sustainability is, and I think, what most people would probably imagine – it’s looking after what we have so that we can have it forever. Academically, there is a popular understanding of sustainability as three ‘pillars’ which are all equal – social, economical and environmental. This model is also understood as intersecting circles and concentric circles, where the three strands all overlap or where they are all connected to each other.

What this basically means is that in order to be truly sustainable, all of these factors have to be considered. For example, an eco-friendly solution to a problem that doesn’t cost a lot of money is great, but it should also benefit the community if it can. Obviously, this doesn’t always work out – we’re constantly being told that the voices of indigenous people are not heard, or that there are solutions which are too expensive etc. There are lots of scenarios where one of the ‘pillars’ or factors is prioritised, especially when there are different people with different backgrounds discussing it. For example, the finance department of a big corporation, will always be concerned about money. Equally, a sustainability officer will be more concerned about the environmental impact. These differences can often lead to disagreements, which is why so many policies and ideas don’t get through.

Obviously because this is academia, this theory isn’t the only way that sustainability is interpreted, but I quite like it in that it shows how varied sustainability is, and how detailed we have to be when making decisions. But what does this mean for the consumer? Well, you may have heard of the term ‘greenwashing’, which essentially means that a company claims that a product is environmentally friendly when it isn’t, or isn’t as green as they say it is. This is not regulated, and there aren’t any general requirements for what ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ mean. So, just because something says ‘sustainable’ on it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is what you’re expecting.

The way around this is to look for certified labels, and to lobby companies to do better – they follow demand, so if enough people make small changes, these will result in big changes. In the label series, which I’ve been doing recently, I go through what different labels mean, so if you want to find out which labels are accurate and certified, look there! I hope that you enjoyed hearing a little bit about my university stuff this week, I’ll post the actual paper down below – don’t worry, it isn’t too tricky!

Sources:

#Environmenstrualweek

The 19th to the 25th of October is #environmenstrualweek – what does this mean? It is a week for everybody (whether they have periods or not) to talk about social justice and the environment in relation to periods. So with that in mind, this week I wanted to talk about the environmental and social impact of periods. I’ve done a post before about the reusable period products that I use, but today I want to talk about the others and go into some of the issues around periods. All products will be listed below!

There is still a huge taboo around periods, and they are made to feel like a shameful and uncomfortable thing. Because of this, there is often a lack of period education, for people who have them or don’t have them. Advertising and language around periods isn’t very inclusive, as it often excludes people of colour, or people across the gender spectrum. Companies do not have to list the ingredients in period products, and the cheapest products are often the least healthy and the most environmentally damaging. Up to 48% of girls in the UK are embarrassed about their period, and 3 in 10 people struggled to get access to period products during lockdown. Period poverty is real, and although there are lots of great initiatives and projects, there are still lots of people who struggle to access period products.

From an environmental point of view, period products tend to contain plastic, and end up in landfill or in our oceans. In a standard pack of pads, there are about 5 plastic bags worth of plastic, with 90% of the actual pads being made out of plastic. This not only impacts health, but also impacts the environment. Pads and tampons that are thrown away can take longer than the average woman’s lifespan to decompose! Disposable menstrual products are the 5th most common type of waste found on UK beaches, with up to 4.8 pieces being found per 100m of beach. This is partially because menstrual products are often flushed down the toilet – up to 4.6 million pads and tampons are flushed per day in the UK. Not only that, but pads and tampons are not sterile, because they are not classed as medical devices in the UK, and they are often fragranced which can lead to allergic reactions. So if all these things are true, why are they presented as the only option? Because in truth, they’re not.

Menstrual Cup

The most googled option, menstrual cups, are made out of medical grade silicone and are worn internally to collect blood. They can be worn for up to 12 hours, last 10 years and once the cup is full, you dump out the blood and rinse thoroughly. They are probably best as an alternative to tampons, as they are internal – the only difference is that tampons absorb blood, and the cup collects it. There are lots of brands to choose from, and you can normally find them in a zero-waste shop.

Re-usable Pads

My personal preference and one that you find commonly in zero-waste shops, are re-usable pads. Just like regular pads, you can get different styles and absorbencies, the only difference is that they are made from material, not plastic! They come in different colours, and they’re really soft and comfortable. One used, you rinse them with cold water, and then throw them in the wash as and when you can. Obviously, they don’t look pristine once you’ve used them, and they are bulkier than regular pads, but after a few uses, you get used to it. They’re surprisingly convenient, and adorable. These are probably best for pad users.

Re-usable Tampon Applicator

The only one that I have no knowledge of at all, is the re-usable tampon applicator. Plastic applicators are a single use plastic product, and often end up on our beaches – in one day, 27,938 used tampons and applicators were found across the world. Re-usable tampon applicators eradicate the need for single use ones, so you simply buy non-applicator, organic (if you can) tampons. They are medical grade and self-sanitising, so after use you simply rinse and dry. A good idea for tampon users, or for those who don’t want to move entirely to re-usables.

Period Underwear

Like the re-usable pads, these are probably best for pad wearers, as it should be a similar experience. Again, you can get different styles and absorbencies, but they can generally be worn for up to 8 hours and hold up to 4 tampons worth of blood. Check individual brand instructions, but similar to the pads, you just wash them and hang them out to dry. Like with the pads, it may take a little bit of time to get used to and to find the right style for you, but reviews state that they are super comfortable.

Biodegradable Tampons and Pads

If you’re not sure that you want to move to re-usable products just yet, then these might be for you. Pads and tampons made with GOTS certified organic cotton, and made without fragrances, synthetic absorbents and chlorine bleach, are much better for the body and the environment. They can usually be composted, including the applicators, and the packaging is recyclable. Obviously, there is still waste, but this is still so much better than plastic wrapped products!

So that’s it for this week in terms of blog posts, but make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram, because I’ll be posting more content there over #environmentstrualweek. If you’re interested in different brands and suppliers of all these products, go to http://www.wen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Suppliers-list-july.pdf. If you want to know more about #environmenstrualweek, then go to wen.org.uk or look for the hashtag #environmenstrualweek on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The Label Series: Clothing Labels Part 2

So last week I talked about the labels that we see in our clothes that tell us how to care for our clothes, and this week I am going to talk about the materials that clothes are made from. All clothing should say what it is made from on the same label as the washing instructions. For some of these, you may need to look at the company’s website to determine whether they source these materials sustainably.

Viscose

Also known as rayon, viscose is biodegradable, uses less water than cotton and is affordable. It is often described as the sustainable version of polyester or cotton, and a cheaper version of silk. It’s a great material, but because it is highly sought after, it is often made cheaply, which uses more water, chemicals and has bad working environments.

Wool

Wool is a very popular material, especially as we move into autumn and winter. It’s biodegradable, breathable, and easy to care for, as well as being a natural insulator that can react to your body temperature. However, sheep farming can be unethical when mulesing is used, which is done to prevent flystrike. Sheep farming can also lead to land clearing and degradation. So, when buying wool, it’s best to buy either second hand wool or to look for certifications that tell you the wool is responsibly sourced, such as the Responsible Wool Standard, Soil Association Organic Standards and ZQ Merino Standard labels.  

Denim

I’ve mentioned denim before on this blog, as it is a wardrobe staple for most people. Denim production uses a lot of water – 3781 litres for a single pair of jeans! Again, this is because of cotton production. Denim also uses pesticides and dyes, both of which are bad for the environment. A lot of denim manufacturing has bad welfare, particularly a technique called sandblasting is used, which distresses jeans, as sand particles can get trapped in the lungs of workers. In summary, denim is not great, mostly because the supply chain is not well regulated. However, there are lots of companies that do use sustainable denim.

Linen

Linen is biodegradable, fashionable and very strong. It is one of the oldest fibres (and was used by the Egyptians), and it is very versatile, which is what makes it perfect for clothes. It is made from flax plant, and has no unused by-products – like flaxseed and linseed oil, which are both used. Linen also uses a lot less water than other fabrics, and does not hold bacteria. However, because linen has an intense process, it is expensive, so brands shy away from it and it is less affordable for consumers. Like with cotton, it is best to stick to organic linen, and when choosing colours go for natural tones to avoid harsh chemical dyes.

Cotton

Cotton is a completely natural product which is biodegradable, breathable and does not require chemicals to make into products. However, cotton also uses a lot of water, often uses pesticides and has links to slavery, even today. It’s important when buying cotton that you get it from the right places, and to buy clothes made from organic cotton. Organic cotton does not contain chemicals, helps farmers to make money without compromising their health and has less chemical run off. However, cotton does still have a way to go with its process – so make sure that the company that you buy from has clear and good labour policies.

Polyester and Nylon

Both of these fabrics are manmade, sourced from oil and do not biodegrade. Both processes for these materials use a lot of energy, polyester uses a lot of water and nylon produces nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Some companies use recycled polyester, which is great, but we should be moving away from the material as much as possible.

Hemp and Bamboo

Hemp is derived from cannabis, and is a completely natural fibre. Similarly to linen, hemp can keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and it can be blended with other fabrics. How is hemp better than linen? Well, it does not require the use of pesticides to grow, requires little water, returns up to 70% of nutrients to the soil and does not require that much land to grow. However, non-organic hemp can be less eco-friendly, as fertilisers that damage the environment can be used. Hemp fabric can be made chemically, or through a process called retting, which is better, and dyes are often used which are not good for the environment. So, although the growing process is great, we have a way to go with the production process. Bamboo is well known as an eco-friendly material, but is it actually that sustainable? Well, bamboo does not need to be replanted after harvesting as it regenerates from the root, it grows quickly and it requires no fertiliser. However, again it is the processing that is the problem. The most popular method of making bamboo into ‘bamboo rayon’ (the clothing material) is through the viscose process, which uses a lot of chemicals which are hazardous to the planet and humans, and are not all recaptured – about 50% to be exact. So, although bamboo is a very sustainable crop, the processing needs to change in order to make it a sustainable material.

Silk

Silk comes from the inner cocoons of silkworms, which are harvested (sometimes using chemicals) and are separated into threads and then reeled together. The silkworms die during this process, so silk is not vegan. However, silkworms are a popular food in parts of Asia, so there is little waste. There are more ethical alternatives to silk, such as ‘peace silk’, as this uses abandoned cocoons. But, these types of silk can be slightly worse for the planet. Whilst the silk industry has played a key part in developing countries, it also has had cases of child slavery, with about 350,000 children working in the industry. So, silk is a bit of a mixed bag – if you are buying silk, always try to buy silk that is OTEX certified (for organic silk) or GOTS certified (peace silk).

Cashmere

Cashmere is a natural fabric which comes from goats, typically from countries like Mongolia, Tibet and Northern India. When the weather gets hotter, the goats shed their coats, which are then collected, sorted and sold. Cashmere used to be very expensive, because it takes about 4 goats worth of coat to make one item, but in modern times the demand is so high that goat herders have increased the number of goats they keep. This not only means that there is more material which is cheaper to produce, but also that there are more goats degrading the land, who sometimes die suddenly if they get too cold from having their coats removed too soon. As with most supply chains, there is not much transparency, so there are concerns for workers rights. Overall, as with most of these materials, it is better to buy recycled or second hand cashmere.

Velvet

Velvet is not actually a material in its own right – it is made from silk, cotton, linen, wool and most commonly polyester. Although normally natural materials are best, as we’ve seen above silk is not very ethical, so that isn’t the best option. However, polyester is also not a good material, as it is manmade, and therefore sheds microfibres when washed. So, velvet inherits the problems of whatever material it is made of, and the best way to buy velvet is to buy something second hand so that there is no new velvet being made.

Leather

People are very critical of fur as a material, but funnily enough we don’t talk about leather as much, even though it is a very similar thing. Is this because leather is a by-product of the meat industry? Well, yes, it was – at first. Once a by-product becomes profitable, it becomes a co-product, because it is just as important as the original product. Therefore, when you buy a leather jacket, you are contributing to the production of leather, not necessarily as a by-product. Globally, the leather industry is valued at $95.4 billion, with much of the leather used coming from veal, as the skin is likely to be untarnished – veal is not eaten as much as it used to be, so how can it be a by-product? Well, it’s not. Just like lowering your meat intake, switching to other fabrics and ditching leather is also a good thing to do – or buying second hand.

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