Did you know that an estimated 14 BILLION pounds of garbage is dumped into the ocean annually, 80% of which is some form of plastic?! This plastic is killing off marine life and polluting a once healthy, thriving ecosystem.
Plastic-Free July is a global movement created by the Plastic Free Foundation to reduce plastic pollution worldwide. For the entire month of July, participants pledge to refuse single-use plastics and use more sustainable alternatives instead. Looking for a way to support and create awareness for this movement, we are happy to announce that we have launched a Plastic-Free July Giveaway on our Instagram with some pretty amazing sustainable brands. Our giveaway includes the Fractal Yoga Top and Leggings from Wolven Threads, Bamboo toothbrush, cotton facial rounds, tote bag, loofah scrubber, shampoo and conditioner bar from the Zero Waste Store, a Black Obsidian Water Bottle by Glacce, Crystal Grid Gemstone Palette Eyeshadow from Aether Beauty Co, Reusable Grocery Bag by Chico Bag, Rose Gold Razor by Bareaya, and our Water Bottle Bag in Poppy Pinatex.
Many of us don’t realize just how much plastic we interact with on a daily basis and once we do, it can feel overwhelmingly impossible to get away from it, regardless of how hard you try to be plastic-free. What’s so great about all of these companies we’re teaming up with for this giveaway is that they are all doing their part in their own way to make living a sustainable and plastic-free life that much easier. Wolven Threads gives plastic bottles a second life by turning them into a woven fabric used for their activewear. Glacce is a brand of reusable water bottles (infused with beautiful crystals) which are so cute that you won’t ever need (or want) to buy a plastic water bottle again. Chico Bag makes useful reusable grocery store bags and Bareaya is disrupting the razor market by providing an alternative to disposable razors. Their razors are plastic-free and resusable which is a whole lot better for the environment and softer on skin. Aether Beauty Co makes clean, organic, vegan and crystal-infused beauty products that are packed in a fully-recyclable and sustainable packaging. Lastly, Zero Waste Store is an incredible resource for all things package and plastic free for sustainable living— here you can find shampoo and conditioner bars, reusable bags for bulk items, produce, and more, bamboo toothbrushes, stashed bags and more.
Photo from our Instagram Giveaway in honor of Plastic-Free July
One of our favorite ways of reducing single-use plastic is by refusing plastic water bottles. We launched our crossbody bottle bags last year so that we could carry around our reusable water bottles wherever we went without having to deal with the hassle of holding them while we moved about. The ease of being able to carry our bottles around freely and effortlessly meant that we could finally take them with us wherever we wanted and were no longer tempted by the ease and convenience of buying a single-use plastic one.
As part of our giveaway, we asked our customers to share how they’re planning to be plastic-free this month and we were so impressed with their answers that we wanted to share a few here. Some tips we’ve learned: use Stasher bags or bees wax wraps instead of plastic ziplock baggies, bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, bicycling to work instead of driving, instead period panties (or Thinx) instead of tampons or pads, using shampoo and conditioner bars instead of bottles, buying in bulk to avoid plastic packaging, ditching plastic water bottles, bringing your own reusable straw, utensils, mugs and cups wherever you go, swapping out plastic toothbrushes for bamboo ones, dining in instead of getting “take out,” refilling your detergent and dish soap instead of buying new (check out the refillery), and using cloth napkins instead of disposable paper towels or napkins. So many great ideas!
Feeling really inspired and equipped with the resources to make some really serious lifestyle changes to help out our planet. If you feel called, check out our Instagram Giveaway for more ideas on how to be plastic-free this month and be sure to enter in our giveaway for your chance to win. :)