Sustainability Swaps
Do you remember the picture of a sea horse off the coast of Indonesia riding a plastic ear-bud? Or a recent one, a turtle with an ear bud in its nose? 543 billion ear buds are produced globally every year - and it's all single use, landing straight into waste. imagine the amount of indestructible plastic being thrown by us on account of this one product alone. Plastic is going to stay forever. And it just doesn't impact these helpless animals, it also impacts us. There is plastic in our blood and lungs.
Let's turn the plastic tap off - one product at a time. The easiest step we all can take - start by using ear buds that are made of bamboo. Bamboo is biodegradable, grows very fast and is easy on the planet. India is also the second largest producer of bamboo in the world. It is a small change - you wouldn't even notice it. But these animals will. We have many options for you to choose from - let us make this swap today itself.
More than 1 billion toothbrushes are sold in our country every year. Oral hygiene is a good thing - every Indian must have access to toothbrushes. But do all these toothbrushes need to be made of plastic? After use, these toothbrushes end up indefinitely in land fills, degrade into microplastic, carry germs around and make us sick. There are alternatives available.
Did you know that India is the second largest producer of bamboo in the world. Let's use our purchasing power to create a world you would like to see. Let's not start our morning with guilt - let's switch to a bamboo toothbrush. That way you are cutting out more than 90% of the plastic in the toothbrush. Yes, the bristles are still plastic. But let us solve the part of the problem that we can.
We have more than 50 options for you to choose from fro toothbrushes - pick any. But we insist you do this swap.
If you have ever showered with a soap which is made of natural ingredients like curd, ubtan, flowers - you must have felt like you were transported to another world. Your body feels the difference. On the other hand, many commercial soaps are not even soaps. They are synthetic detergents, containing phthalates and parabens. Some of these chemicals are known to induce cancer and infertility. Trust us, you don't need them in your life.
Shower gels are another complicated story altogether. Most shower gels have microplastic or microbeads in them. And here is the shocking part - a United Nations study in 2016 shows that the amount of plastic from microbeads in an exfoliating shower gel chould be as much as the plastic contaner of the shower gel itself. These microbeads go straight down the drain into our water supply. Our filtration systems can't even filter them out - can you imagine the cost of one shower?
Our herbal, floral, chemical-free soaps are way way better. You can also use bath salts if you like. But in our opinion, soaps are the easiest sustainability switch - just try it out. We promise you the difference - your skin and your planet, both will thank you. By the way, we have more than 200 soaps you can choose from.
The lovely lather and the nice smell of a regular shampoo hides several facts about the harmful chemicals in it. If you look at the ingredient list, you will feel that you are in a chemistry lab - even for those that are claiming to be herbal or natural. After use, these chemicals are flowing down the drain into our ground water and oceans. Some of these chemicals are - sodium laurel suplhate, sodium laureth sulphate, parabens, fragrances and polyethylene glycol, and they have been found to cause skin irritation, memory loss, hair loss in addition to the damage to the environment.
You have a way out of this chemistry lab - switch to a shampoo bar made in small batches using plant-based ingredients that are simple to identify and pronounce. We have more than 50 options for you - each one as unique as the other. Go ahead, have a look.
It will be extremely difficult to explain to our next generation that we used plastic water bottles because we found them convenient. We can do better than that. It is highly surprising that we continue to use them when there is abundant clarity that plastic is bad for us and the ecosystem. And if for some reason, you don't want to do this for the next generation, do it for your own health. A study conducted amidst 20 water bottle brands found pesticides in all of them, in concentrations way more than permissible levels.
Single-use plastic water bottles don't deserve to exist. Let's switch to a copper or steel or a silicon reusable bottle. It is good for you, and great for our future.
Would you eat a spoonful of toxins? Of course not!
Would you rub it on your skin instead? You may be doing that.
Your basic deodorants have 5 dangerous chemicals - parabens, phthalates, aluminum, triclosan and fragrance chemicals. These chemicals act as hormone disruptors and gene destabilizers, and they have the ability to enter your blood stream from the skin. Regular deodorants and anti-perspirants also cause skin irritation and skin darkening.
Switch to a plant-based deodorant - it smells great, but, doesn't smell fake. And it is good for your skin. We have more than 15 variants for you to choose from.
Did you know that there is a movement called Sustainable Menstruation? The concept of the movement is to use alternate products that are good for the body and the planet. Disposable sanitary products or single use sanitary products add significantly to the waste generation of any household. There are many youtube videos and content on how to move to menstrual cups or cloth pads, in case you are worried about starting something new on your own.
But here is an even better solution - you can reach out to awenest's Sustainable Menstruation partner, Stonesoup for help. They have a toll free helpline number 9108462846 - you can sms or whatsapp them for any query - and they revert very fast.