By Anna Griffin, Editor in Chief
As we welcome Earth Month, our thoughts immediately turn to sustainable, everyday essentials from brands whose focus is on one of environment’s biggest offenders, plastic packaging. With plastic waste chemically unable to degrade and subsequently littering our oceans and beaches, and saturating our landfills, plastic pollution has become one of the biggest contributors to climate change and a severe threat to our planet’s survival.
Currently, only 9 percent of the world’s plastic is recycled, while some gets incinerated or goes into the landfill and the rest goes into the ocean at an alarming rate of a dump truck–full a minute. Only 14 percent of all plastic packaging is collected for recycling globally, and only 5 percent of that material is actually reused, due to losses during the sorting and recycling process.
Startling facts, however all is not lost if we each do our part by incorporating effective, waste-conscious, sustainable products and habits into our lifestyle, together making a pledge to support our environment. One of the simplest yet most urgent commitments we can make is to be more aware of packaging and in choosing products, strive to make this an important factor in our purchase decision-making. Beyond choosing brands that are made using organic and clean, cruelty-free ingredients that benefit both ours and our environment’s health, we also opt to support companies that are exhibiting leadership in pledging to minimize waste. When it comes to plastic and our beautiful planet, less is definitely more.
BEAUTY
$26 - $64 USD
Launched in 2011, ILIA is a leading, clean beauty brand whose core purpose is to protect and revive our skin and the Earth. Creating high-performing cosmetics and skincare with conscious, carefully-selected ingredients, and sustainable, vegan makeup brushes, the results are professionally flawless. Additionally, the company strives towards more eco-friendly packaging through the use of recycled aluminum, glass components, and responsibly sourced paper. ILIA believes product end-of-life is critically important and focuses on ensuring they don’t end up in a landfill. Now working with Pact Collective to recycle cosmetic packaging, which is difficult to recycle, the brand invites their U.S. customers to mail in up to 10 empty beauty products per month - including other brand’s - that Pact Collective will break down responsibly, preventing it from ending up in a garbage dump. With a goal to create clean beauty from start to finish, ILIA is Leaping Bunny Certified and is in partnership with 1% For the Planet, with a goal of planting 1 million trees by the end of this year. Bestsellers in their collection include the award-winning Multi-Stick, Limitless Lash Mascara, DayLite Highlighting Powder, and sustainable, vegan Makeup Tools.
$10-$45 USD
On a mission to make the world a healthier, more sustainable place to live for a better future, ATTITUDE’s brand focus is to create high quality personal and household care products that are better for your body and our planet. Using chemical-free, natural ingredients, reducing the use of plastic, and planting trees to restore our environment, their global vision is to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - and Reforest - to help protect Earth. Reforest takes the circular economy a step further by not only reducing their impact on the planet, but also helping to regenerate and heal it through their reforestation initiative. In their innovative commitment to creating less waste, ATTITUDE’s new skincare line, Oceanly, is the first complete line of solid, non-toxic, plastic-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and EWG VERIFIED™ skincare. Dermatologically-tested with research-backed ingredients, Oceanly offers solid bar, face products for all skincare needs, elegantly packaged in 100% plastic-free, biodegradable, FSC-certified packaging. With an expansive range that includes products for sensitive, oily, or dull skin, as well as anti-aging, Oceanly is a high-performing, sustainable skincare line that cleanses, treats, moisturizes and protects, delivering hydrated, radiant and healthy skin. Favorites in the collection include the Purifying Solid Mask with Blue Clay, Anti-Aging Solid Eye Cream with Peptides, and the Radiance Solid Night Cream with Vitamin C.
$36 USD
Cocofloss is a small company who are dedicated to making big changes with their luxurious oral-care products that are better for our environment. Their Cocofloss wax is spun from 85% recycled water bottles, while the handle of their super-soft Cocobrush is made of recycled ocean-bound plastic, in addition to using compostable or recycled materials in their packaging. With only clean ingredients in the production of their vegan wax, Cocofloss offer refills to avoid creating extra waste, and advice on how to recycle dispensers via Pact Collective and toothbrushes via TerraCycle®. Additionally they are partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network to support the protection of over 80 wildlife species that are in danger, and with Oceanworks to remove ocean-bound plastic from coastal areas in S.E. Asia. With their Happiness Set, an award-winning, 4 x coconut oil (a natural antimicrobial), deliciously scented, spools of Cocofloss, this dentist-approved brand is on a mission to save our smiles and our planet.
HOME
$44.95 USD
Combining a sleek, sustainable design made from BPA-free plastic and superior filter capabilities, Lifestraw is redefining and modernizing the water filter and pitcher experience. Currently the only water filter pitcher that removes bacteria, parasites, and microplastics, the 7-Cup Filter Pitcher also reduces lead, mercury, and chemicals including PFAS (“forever chemicals”), chlorine, herbicides, pesticides, dirt, sand, and cloudiness. Retaining essential minerals like magnesium and potassium that are good for your health, while providing clean, fresh, great-tasting water helps consumers avoid the need to buy single-use plastic, bottled water, sparing the environment from the 1.3B disposable bottles diverted from the landfill last year alone. Additionally consumers can save up to $325 per year when drinking filtered water versus buying its bottled equivalent. As a Climate Neutral Certified B Corp, Lifestraw recognizes their responsibility to positively impact people and the planet through their products, programs, and actions, which includes their Give Back program ensuring that for every product sold, a child in need receives safe water for an entire year. Since its inception in 2014, the LifeStraw Give Back program has provided over 6 million kids with a year of safe water, making a long term investment in local communities. The program is run by 40 local staff, primarily in western Kenya.
$4.99 - $13.99 USD
Founded in 2006 based on the principle that it was time to create a cultural shift away from toxic and excessive plastics, GoSili® reimagines everyday products such as reusable straws and cups made from silicone, which are sustainable, non-toxic, and built to last. Inspired to lessen the 100 billion plastic cups that go into the landfill each year, and 500 million plastic straws that get thrown away everyday, the brand also supports ocean clean-up and conservation. With a stringent eye on minimal packaging use, the brand also recycles consumer's silicone products when they reach the end of their lifecycle, and with a company motto of "IT'S SMART TO BE SILI®” they might just be right.
$24 USD
Saje believes in physical and emotional wellness for all, which is their inspiration for creating 100% natural products to support people in making healthier choices every day. Free of toxins, synthetics and plastic packaging, Saje’s 100% natural, powerful plant and mineral-based formulas in their cleaning products make your home a clean, fresh and chemical-free environment. Offering a Multi-Surface Cleaning Kit, which comes in two scents - Lemon & Grapefruit and Eucalyptus & Black Spruce - a Tea Tree & Lemon Bathroom Cleaning Kit, and Grapefruit & Palmarosa Glass and Mirror Cleaning Kit, their vegan formulas effectively remove dirt, grease and grime from all the household surfaces in your home. Packaged as a concentrate in a glass vial with a refillable glass spray bottle, Saje’s focus is on creating uplifting, healthy, clean and chemical-free homes, and less waste in our environment.
$20 USD
Inspired to have a positive impact ATTITUDE have reduced their use of virgin materials and single-use plastics by innovating alternative eco-friendly packaging such as their new minimalist, refillable, aluminum bottles. Formulated with naturally sourced ingredients, this biodegradable Geranium and Lemongrass Laundry Detergent provides excellent cleaning power, while protecting dark fabrics and keeping colors vibrant. This EWG VERIFIED™ detergent contains no skin irritating enzymes, and certified by PETA, this 100% vegan and cruelty-free, herbaceous and floral formula is as gentle on your skin as it is the planet. Additionally ATTITUDE offers BULK to-go, eco-refills, making reusing and refilling effortless and an environmentally responsible alternative as they use up to 80% less plastic than equivalent bottles each time they’re refilled. ECOLOGO® Certified, Eco-Refills are available in biodegradable packaging containing up to 160 washes, and give a whole new meaning to the phrase, “so fresh and so clean.”
ON-THE-GO
$49.99 USD
This palm leaf Essential Companion Tote from fair trade, e-commerce site, Ten Thousand Villages, is perfect for the store and farmer’s market, while also great for outdoor activities such as a picnic or trip to the beach. Handmade fair trade by Rishlipi, a nonprofit, nongovernmental, development organization in poverty-stricken southwest Bangladesh, benefits to artisans include education sponsorship, health care, microcredit savings programs, and early marriage prevention support for their adolescent daughters. With its style and the global benefits it provides, this tote is an essential companion for our planet and its people.
$80 USD
This deluxe, sustainably produced, recycled cotton canvas bag is the ultimate, spacious tote. From the store to the gym, the farmer’s market to the mall, and everywhere in between, the Have Some Fun Today Shopper stylishly carries all our belongings while carrying a big, positive message that will inspire smiles, from a sustainably-minded brand whose mission is “Making People Smile.”
