Eco swaps | Mumsnet

JumpstartMondays · 2024-08-29T09:43:31+00:00

Looking for recommendations please! Slowly trying to overhaul my (our) lifestyle, we're making slow progress! Cleaning: Smol or Purdy and Figg or some other? Loo paper: Bazoo or Bumboo or Who Gives a Crap? Is there a good eco swap for Cream Cleaner? I'm trying to tackle our eating too for all round better health so open to any suggestions!

anibendod · 29/08/2024 12:23

Our wins have mostly been in the kitchen so far:

we invested in glass Tupperware, reusable silicone storage bags and silicone jar 'hats' for the kitchen, and have all but eliminated our use of cling film and tin foil. I've also switched from non stick baking sheets to pyrex ones, which never warp and can be scrubbed to death if grim.

Where possible, we buy fruit and veg loose instead of in plastic. We're trying to increase the amount of veggie meals we eat.

I favour buying condiments in glass containers over plastic

Cleaning wise, we've focused on drastically cutting the number of plastic bottles and the number of different products we use. We use diluted zoflora as a surface cleaner. Washing up liquid is a great degreaser. 1 bottle makes up several litres so saves money too.

We stopped buying kitchen roll and now use cloths instead, which get washed and reused.

In the bathroom, I've switched from disposable razors to safety razors which again has helped drastically cut down on plastic. I'm using shampoo bars in rotation with my normal shampoo. Haven't yet found a product that would help me make the switch 100% but it's still less packaging overall. Cotton rounds have been replaced by washable ones. Cotton buds now have paper or bamboo sticks.

At christmas we've drastically reduced our use of gift wrap by investing in reusable fabric gift bags. I'm now looking to build a small stash of ones we can use for birthdays.

My new areas to look out will be further reducing the clothing we buy, and buying less but of better quality. I want to give period pants a whirl. I'm also trying to invest in better quality shoes, which I can then get resoled as needed instead of simply thrown away. I also want to find something to replace our current choice of washing up sponges, which never seem to last especially long.

maxelly · 29/08/2024 12:30

Have you seen ethical consumer's magazine and site? They rate loads and loads of products and companies (on various ethical factors but you can filter for just environmental if that's your most important one). Some of the content is behind a paywall but some is free. Really good for sifting greenwashing from the genuine, ethically produced article. For instance I used to use Ecover until it was bought out by Unilever who are not a very eco company in lots of ways.

For cleaning products I use smol and OceanSaver drops (these are really good, they're little highly concentrated sachets that you dissolve in water in a resuable bottle). You can buy them through ethicalsuperstore.com (along with lots of other good eco groceries and such).

Eating wise, I think the number one thing you can do is cut down or eliminate all red meat, particularly beef (and to a lesser extent lamb and pork). Forget packaging and plastic use and airmiles and pesticide use or whatever else gets talked about, intensive cattle farming is really the number one environmental damager from most people in the UK's everyday diets. And before someone jumps on me, yes 100% grass fed very ethically produced small scale beef farms do exist, on land that isn't suitable for conversion to other uses, and yes cattle farming does play an important role in organic eco-farming but meat produced in this way takes a lot longer to produce a lot less meat than 'normal' intensive farming and therefore (rightly) is a lot more scarce and expensive than the stuff you buy in the supermarket, so while I do believe it can be ethical to eat this kind of meat it really shouldn't be an everyday thing.

The ideal from an environmental point of view is probably to go full plant based but if that's too much for your family a couple of meat free days a week, keeping red meat to an occasional treat (buy to the highest ethical standard you can, using a nose to tail philosophy so buy more unusual cuts not just prime steak), chicken or fish no more than a few times a week (again buy organic and/or ethically produced if you can) and introducing some plant based swaps (e.g. soy or oat milk for dairy if you like the taste) is really good. Plant based proteins particularly pulses and legumes (chickpeas, lentils etc) and nuts are really healthy so there's that bonus. We get organic veg boxes from Riverford which are both very eco friendly in the entire way they operate their business but also give a lovely wide variety of different seasonal fruits and veg which encourages me to base meals around vegetables in a way that's really healthy (and delicious too). Generally I try and avoid supermarkets as much as I possibly can (appreciate it's not really possible to eliminate them entirely) as the whole way they do business, not just environmentally but also tax, worker's rights, supply chain management etc tends to not be ideal (in common with most large business I have to say).

Original poster

JumpstartMondays · 29/08/2024 21:52

anibendod · 29/08/2024 12:23

Our wins have mostly been in the kitchen so far:

we invested in glass Tupperware, reusable silicone storage bags and silicone jar 'hats' for the kitchen, and have all but eliminated our use of cling film and tin foil. I've also switched from non stick baking sheets to pyrex ones, which never warp and can be scrubbed to death if grim.

Where possible, we buy fruit and veg loose instead of in plastic. We're trying to increase the amount of veggie meals we eat.

I favour buying condiments in glass containers over plastic

Cleaning wise, we've focused on drastically cutting the number of plastic bottles and the number of different products we use. We use diluted zoflora as a surface cleaner. Washing up liquid is a great degreaser. 1 bottle makes up several litres so saves money too.

We stopped buying kitchen roll and now use cloths instead, which get washed and reused.

In the bathroom, I've switched from disposable razors to safety razors which again has helped drastically cut down on plastic. I'm using shampoo bars in rotation with my normal shampoo. Haven't yet found a product that would help me make the switch 100% but it's still less packaging overall. Cotton rounds have been replaced by washable ones. Cotton buds now have paper or bamboo sticks.

At christmas we've drastically reduced our use of gift wrap by investing in reusable fabric gift bags. I'm now looking to build a small stash of ones we can use for birthdays.

My new areas to look out will be further reducing the clothing we buy, and buying less but of better quality. I want to give period pants a whirl. I'm also trying to invest in better quality shoes, which I can then get resoled as needed instead of simply thrown away. I also want to find something to replace our current choice of washing up sponges, which never seem to last especially long.

Thanks! Your kitchen wins are ours too, we love BeesWax wraps if you haven't tried them give them a go on the anti-cling film front 👌

I haven't found a shampoo bar I like yet but there is a refill shop near us which we've been using for liquid shampoo/conditioner/shower gel in old washed out bottles.

Gift wrap we reuse what we receive, I have Christmas wrapping from the 90s still in rotation although its looking quite threadbare now 😂

Clothes I scour charity shops and Vinted.

It's mostly cleaning that I'm aiming to tackle next, we've got bottles coming out of our ears in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, in the utility 🥴 I will check out Zoflora!

OP posts:

Original poster

JumpstartMondays · 29/08/2024 22:04

maxelly · 29/08/2024 12:30

Have you seen ethical consumer's magazine and site? They rate loads and loads of products and companies (on various ethical factors but you can filter for just environmental if that's your most important one). Some of the content is behind a paywall but some is free. Really good for sifting greenwashing from the genuine, ethically produced article. For instance I used to use Ecover until it was bought out by Unilever who are not a very eco company in lots of ways.

For cleaning products I use smol and OceanSaver drops (these are really good, they're little highly concentrated sachets that you dissolve in water in a resuable bottle). You can buy them through ethicalsuperstore.com (along with lots of other good eco groceries and such).

Eating wise, I think the number one thing you can do is cut down or eliminate all red meat, particularly beef (and to a lesser extent lamb and pork). Forget packaging and plastic use and airmiles and pesticide use or whatever else gets talked about, intensive cattle farming is really the number one environmental damager from most people in the UK's everyday diets. And before someone jumps on me, yes 100% grass fed very ethically produced small scale beef farms do exist, on land that isn't suitable for conversion to other uses, and yes cattle farming does play an important role in organic eco-farming but meat produced in this way takes a lot longer to produce a lot less meat than 'normal' intensive farming and therefore (rightly) is a lot more scarce and expensive than the stuff you buy in the supermarket, so while I do believe it can be ethical to eat this kind of meat it really shouldn't be an everyday thing.

The ideal from an environmental point of view is probably to go full plant based but if that's too much for your family a couple of meat free days a week, keeping red meat to an occasional treat (buy to the highest ethical standard you can, using a nose to tail philosophy so buy more unusual cuts not just prime steak), chicken or fish no more than a few times a week (again buy organic and/or ethically produced if you can) and introducing some plant based swaps (e.g. soy or oat milk for dairy if you like the taste) is really good. Plant based proteins particularly pulses and legumes (chickpeas, lentils etc) and nuts are really healthy so there's that bonus. We get organic veg boxes from Riverford which are both very eco friendly in the entire way they operate their business but also give a lovely wide variety of different seasonal fruits and veg which encourages me to base meals around vegetables in a way that's really healthy (and delicious too). Generally I try and avoid supermarkets as much as I possibly can (appreciate it's not really possible to eliminate them entirely) as the whole way they do business, not just environmentally but also tax, worker's rights, supply chain management etc tends to not be ideal (in common with most large business I have to say).

I would love to go full plant based for diet but unfortunately it isn't compatible with DHs job. When he's away with work we are, broadly. When he's here I have managed to cut down our meat intake though. I'm working on introducing more wholefood and cleaner eating. I will check out Riverford, thank you!

And I haven't come across ethical consumer's magazine and site either so I'll definitely explore that. Thanks for the ethical superstore link too.

Do you use anything else or just smol and oceansaver drops for your cleaning products? Our cleaning supplies really make me flinch at the moment so that is definitely my target area.

OP posts: