This month is ‘Plastic Free July’ and Oh Natural want to assist you in reducing your single use lifestyle. Along with a wide variety of irresistible natural makeup, skincare and wellness items, Oh Natural stock lifestyle products for more sustainable eco-living, with reusable and waste free homeware. Oh Natural only stock cruelty free brands, and everything sold on their online store is free of harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrance.
The official ‘Plastic Free July’ originated in Australia in 2011 and has since grown to over a million participants worldwide. By encouraging people to be more aware of their plastic use and single use item consumption, we can work towards a cleaner environment for generations to come. Throughout July (and ongoing) we can all support each other in behaviour changes like refusing plastic shopping bags, straws, takeaway containers, coffee cups, single use plastic water bottles, plastic toothbrushes and wrap and so much more!
Our Oceans
Small plastic items - think bottle tops, clothes pegs, lighters, straws, even plastic bags, are either blown, thrown away, or carried by rainwater into the storm water system. This flows into streams and rivers that lead to the sea. Winds and currents move floating debris towards certain areas of the ocean, these areas are called gyres and they slowly rotate collecting more floating debris.
The size of the floating plastic garbage patch in the eastern north Pacific gyre is estimated to be 1,392,400 square kilometres, that’s 5.2 times the size of New Zealand! There are 5 gyres, the western north Pacific gyre, the southern Pacific gyre, the north and south Atlantic gyres and the Indian Ocean gyre. The plastic in the gyres is ground down into very small particles now nicknamed ‘mermaid’s tears’.
Sadly, plastic bags are mistaken my marine life for jelly fish and ingested (a whale recently died and 80 plastic bags were found in its stomach upon autopsy), mid-sized plastic items are mistakenly ingested by seabirds around the world and are also fed to their young, and small pieces are ingested by fish and mermaid’s tears currently out number plankton 6 to 1 in and around the gyres!
Our Lands
Packaging is a significant contributor to our waste. Recycle.co.nz estimates around 352 thousand tonnes of packaging waste goes to New Zealand landfills each year. According to the Packaging Council of NZ, ‘New Zealanders consume about 735 thousand tonnes of packaging every year and recycle only about 58% of it.’ Currently 98% of New Zealanders have access to some form of recycling facilities.
It’s worth noting that ‘Biodegradable’ items do not biodegrade well in landfill either, due to a lack of oxygen. Organic material in this environment breaks down producing significant methane gas, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Even items such as a single cotton ball can take months to break down and that’s in the right conditions.
I’ve teamed up with Oh Natural to bring you their very best, top selling, honest, natural and effective beauty and lifestyle products each month. All products are full size, currently available at ohnatural.co.nz and completely devoid of nasty toxins and animal testing.
THE HELLO CUP MENSTRAL CUP DUAL PACK
RRP $69.00 (Contains both a S/M and a M/L)
The Hello Cup is a game changer when it comes to your period. A menstrual cup, used instead of tampons, that will last for years (up to 5 years if used and stored correctly) meaning it will save you money and is better for the environment. It’s also super comfortable and holds more than a standard tampon. The Hello Cup is proudly made and designed in New Zealand using top notch medical grade TPE imported from Germany and is fully recyclable at the end of its life. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it easier for women who have silicone sensitivities.
NZ Herald recently estimated that ‘Kiwi women spend nearly $16,000 on periods in their lifetime’, with that cost broken down in to tampons, panty liners, new undies, pain relief and treats.
Stuff.co.nz mentions that ‘Over a lifetime the average woman uses between 11,000 and 17,000 tampons and/or pads. In that time those tampons create up to 140kg of waste, leach chemicals into the environment and, when flushed down the toilet, cost a bundle to remove from our waste water system.’
Tampons last years in landfill before breaking down, especially when wrapped in plastic. The average single-use tampon often contains non-biodegradable materials and chemicals such as polyethylene, polyester string, polypropylene, synthetic fragrance and are chlorine bleached. It should be said that organic tampons are noted to decompose faster and are chemical-free.
The team at The Hello Cup have access to a machine that can grind down cups very easily and they offer to recycle customers’ clean cups when they have finished with them for free. ‘TPE has a huge number of uses and we are looking into products that we can make out of our recycled cups!’ The Hello Cup via ohnatural.co.nz
Fun fact: While there were various attempts to invent menstrual cups as early as the 1860s, full credit has to go to the American actress Leona Chalmers who, in 1937, invented the first menstrual cup that is actually similar to what we use today. Ohnatural.co.nz
OH NATURAL SOAP
RRP $7.00
Oh Natural Soap’s contain nourishing oils and butters and will leave your skin happy, healthy and cleansed. Oh Natural Soaps are made in New Zealand and are completely vegan, cruelty-free and packaging-free!
The impact of soap
Liquid soaps are often petroleum based and most standard soaps (liquid or bar form) include parabens, preservatives, surfactants and phthalates. Liquid soaps also require much bulkier, plastic based packaging, which isn’t always recyclable.
On average liquid soaps require around 5 times more energy to create, with their packaging requiring around 20 times more energy to create, than bar soap packaging (which most of the time is simply wrapped in paper or cardboard). Liquid soaps also contain a lot of water, making them heavier to transport and tend to be used in larger quantities per wash than their bar soap alternative (around five times more according to conservationmagazine.org.)
Oh Natural Soaps:
Charcoal + Spearmint - totally refreshing. Lovers of mint will adore this invigorating scent, with the benefits of activated charcoal to draw out toxins and impurities.
Turmeric + Lemon - zesty and uplifting. Lovers of citrus will adore this tangy scent, with the benefits of turmeric and lemon, to balance, detoxify and brighten the skin.
Oaty + Sensitive - fragrance-free and suitable for even the most sensitive skin, including babies. This soap will leave your skin feeling cleansed and soft, while oats soothe and heal.
All soap has some impact on the environment, from growing raw ingredients, to transporting product, to the end cycle of being washed down the drain, so it pays to choose options that are better for you and the environment.
GO BAMBOO BIODEGRADABLE COTTON BUDS
RRP $5.50
100% biodegradable, these cotton buds have a bamboo stick and come in an elegant recycled paper sliding box. The box is a sliding drawer type that was intended to be reused and is educational in that there is a story that unfolds as the drawer slides open. All Go Bamboo products are designed to be disposed of in and around your own home.
Why bamboo?
Bamboo is a grass native to China which can grow up to a meter a day, needs no irrigation, and does not need pesticides, insecticides or fertilisers. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet and can grow 3 feet in height in 24 hours under appropriate climate conditions. Unlike other woody plants, bamboo reaches maturity after only 3 to 5 years. Bamboo also releases 30% more oxygen into the atmosphere and absorbs more carbon dioxide compared to other plants. Because of these features, bamboo greatly decreases the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and cleans the air. gobamboo.co.nz
THE ECO BRUSH BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH RRP $4.50 AND TRAVEL CASE RRP $15.00
The ECO Brush is an eco friendly alternative to the conventional plastic toothbrush, made of soft bristles to keep your gums and your dentist happy. The handle is 100% compostable and so is their packaging. Switching your toothbrush to bamboo is a simple way to reduce your waste.
The ECO Brush Bamboo Toothbrush Travel Case is an eco friendly, clean travel buddy to store your toothbrush in when taking it on your travels!
Did you know that every plastic toothbrush you have ever used is still in the world today!
With around 30 million toothbrushes going into landfill in Australia each year, 22,000 tonnes of toothbrushes going into landfill in the USA a year, and plastic building up around the world, it’s an obvious, sustainable choice to choose bamboo over plastic alternatives!
Oh Natural online store is full of irresistible natural makeup, skin care, wellness and lifestyle products especially chosen from New Zealand and around the world. Oh Natural offer a large selection of vegan brands and a huge selection of organic skin care and makeup. Oh Natural only stock cruelty free brands, and everything sold on their online store is free of harmful chemicals and synthetic fragrance.
All mentioned products in the Oh Natural - Conscious Beauty Edit, as well as plenty more conscious, sustainable beauty, wellness and lifestyle products are available online at ohnatural.co.nz
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