Sustainable Living in 2023 | Part 2

Sustainable beauty

The term “sustainable beauty” is often used to describe beauty products that are environmentally friendly and socially responsible.

Sustainable beauty is a concept that has been around for years, but has only recently been recognized as an industry trend.

Sustainable beauty is about the environment and the people who live in it. It's about using natural ingredients and reducing waste. It's about taking care of the planet and its inhabitants by doing what we can to ensure a healthy future for all of us.

Sustainable beauty is also about taking care of yourself, which includes looking your best without harming your body or the earth in the process.

A recent British Beauty Council (BBC) study of 23,000 beauty shoppers found almost half (48%) are looking for more information and clarity about brands’ values and commitments to the environment. Ingredients, recyclability of packaging and animal welfare were amongst the most frequently searched topics. Making ethical beauty choices can be difficult. In fact, 61% of us struggle to tell if hair and skincare products are ethical from the packaging.

Click here to download the The British Beauty Council's Planet Positive Beauty Guide.

Top sustainable beauty tips include:

1. Start by limiting the amount of water you use to brush your teeth or when taking a shower.
2. Use reusable cotton pads for removing your makeup.
3. Consider using shampoo bars to reduce packaging.
4. Go makeup-free whenever possible.
5. Invest in body scourers made from natural materials.
6. Use plastic free sanitary products, reusable pads or menstrual cups.
7. Swap your razor for a more sustainable option. Why not try a double edged safety razor?
8. Buy bigger bottles less often (handwash, bodywash, shampoo, and conditioner). It also works out to be cheaper.
9. Replace the plastic toothbrush and interdental sticks with bamboo alternatives.
10. Understand labels to avoid toxic and harmful chemicals. 
11. Look out for the Leaping Bunny logo, which certifies that the product was not tested on animals. 
12. The Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance logos are also a sign that the ingredients have been sustainably sourced.
13. Check that the packaging is recyclable as a minimum. If your packaging isn't recyclable, see if you can upcycle empty containers or find another use for it.  Check out your Terracycle collection schemes.
14. Make sure you dispose of the product correctly (i.e. don't pour something down the drain that is meant to go in the bin). 

The future of beauty is sustainable. It is about taking care of your skin and body for the long term and not just for a short term fix. Companies are now realizing that they need to focus on sustainability as consumers are becoming more conscious about their purchases and what they put on their bodies.

Sustainable fashion

Sustainable fashion is a term for the ethical and sustainable production of clothing. It includes the design, manufacture, marketing and consumption of clothes.

The idea behind sustainable fashion is that it should be both environmentally friendly and socially responsible. It should not deplete resources or damage the environment, nor should it exploit people who make or wear clothes.

Sustainable fashion can be seen as a response to the over-consumption of natural resources in fast fashion and a way to reduce waste in textile production.

Having become increasingly aware of the serious environmental impact of our clothes, "sustainable fashion" is a term that's being thrown around more and more these days (and overused, with little detail behind it). In fact, fast fashion is now responsible for more pollution than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Now, slow fashion businesses are on the rise to help tackle the problem.

Our top sustainable fashion tips include:

1. Opt to buy second-hand clothes.
2. Become a minimalist and take the 333-time capsule challenge.
3. Invest in quality items that last longer. Slow fashion beats fast fashion.
4. Support fashion brands that are ethical and environmentally conscious.
5. Learn how to find sustainable materials when shopping.
6. Reduce how frequently you wash your clothes.
7. Repurpose old clothes as rags or donate to a local mechanic if no longer wearable.
8. Acquire basic sewing skills to patch holes and sew buttons back on. Or if you have a bigger job, take to an alterations shop.
9. Transform old clothes into new garments. For example, a dress you don’t wear can be turned into a top and skirt.
10. Shop at sustainable clothing outlets that offer post-purchase repair services.

11. Try renting an outfit for an occassion.

Take a moment to think about the impact of the things you buy. Can you repurpose or recycle the container? Is it biodegradable? Is there a package-free option? If you want to take it one step further, think about what you buy in terms of its humanitarian impact.

Check out Part 1 - SUSTAINABLE LIVING AROUND THE HOME

Part 3 coming soon.

Resources:

https://britishbeautycouncil.com/ppbg/