Sustainable Household Goods

Summary: Learn about how you can weave sustainability into your home and daily life.

Description

Many of the household goods and cleaning products we use daily contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment and use unnecessary amounts of plastic packaging. By buying from some of the environmentally conscious-brands highlighted here, we can easily reduce our carbon footprint by focusing on purchasing refillable plastic-free products, environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions, products made from recycled materials, and products in recyclable packaging. From the click of a button for an online purchase or a trip to your local responsibly-sourced retailer you can weave sustainability into your home and daily life.

Deep Dive

Steps to Take

Step 1: Check out these sustainable brands:

• Blue Land (Soap): Blue Land is an eco-friendly company that provides customers with a reusable glass soap dispenser and non-toxic dissolving soap tablets. Customers can then order refills of the tablets, saving money, and reducing plastic packaging. 

• Who Gives A Crap (Toilet Paper): Who Gives a Crap is a toilet paper company committed to both plastic-free packaging and giving back to charity.  All toilet paper rolls are made of either 100% recycled materials or 100% forest friendly bamboo. In addition to being environmentally conscious, this brand also donates 50% of its profits to building toilets for those in need. 

• Etee (Dish Soap Concentrate): Etee is a plastic-free company that creates food storage, dish soaps, toothpaste, and more. All Etee products are 100% biodegradable including their packaging. 

• Ecover (Dishwashing): Ecover is a sustainable company that creates household cleaning products. Ecover products are made of both a “plant plastic” made of sustainably sourced sugar cane and post-consumer recycled plastic. Ecover also focuses on diverting the waste made in their factories through composting and recycling. In 2016, 89% of their waste was diverted and this year they hope to reach 100%.  Some Ecover products are sold conveniently at Whole Foods. 

• Ecosnext (Laundry Detergent): Ecosnext liquidless laundry detergent sheets eliminate the need for thick plastic laundry detergent bottles. Instead, the Ecosnext detergent sheets are completely dissolvable and their packaging is 100% recyclable. These sheets are sold online and at Whole Foods.

Step 2: Do your research

This list is a small sample of the companies and brands that are making the environment part of their mission. Conduct your own search and ask your friends what works for them.

Step 3: Share your purchases and experiences

Click the Testimonials tab to share your experience with our community.