Eco-Friendly Swaps

Being eco-friendly doesn’t mean giving up what you are used to – but it may mean swapping what you currently consume with products that consume fewer resources and lead to less waste at the end of its life. Or it may mean consuming differently – by taking part in the circular and sharing economy. Either way, there are so many easy and cost-effective eco-friendly swaps to consider.

“You can’t buy your way to sustainability” is a common refrain in the eco-community and it’s a valid point – constant consumption doesn’t reduce your impact on the environment, even if it is consumption of eco-friendly products. 

 

However, there are things in our lives that we can not do without, consumables that need replacing. 

 

So if we have to consume, let’s consume responsibly and consider some of the alternatives covered in the blog posts linked below.

 

Household Items

Here you will find links to random household items I’ve looked into and explored. There are so many small businesses committed to sustainable production and reducing their carbon footprint, so I am sure this list will increase as I discover more.

And I have written guides that provide you with the information needed to make the right purchasing decision: 

Peer-to-Peer Sharing

Have I always opted for not buying an item but borrowing instead? Honestly, I can’t say that I have. But I am open to it and it’s something I am exploring further.


Here are some resources I have been able to pull together on this. The information I have gathered is directed toward an Australian audience but those overseas may find something useful, giving you clues for what to look out for in your own neighbourhood:

Eco-friendly cleaning products

Information on the production methods (and therefore the carbon footprint) of cleaning products is hard to find. But the impact chemicals have on the natural environment is known – in particular the impact on aquatic life if these chemicals were to enter our water streams. 

 

In choosing what products to use, I have focused on making sure the products have minimal to no impact on aquatic life, while plastic-free packaging was a secondary consideration. These blog posts summarise the research I have uncovered and my own experience with eco friendly cleaning products: 

Personal Hygiene

The easiest area of your life to introduce changes are products for personal use – personal hygiene products being one of those areas. Here’s a list of a couple of easy swaps you can make in this space: Top 5 low waste personal hygiene product

 

Fashion

Having a capsule wardrobe, I rarely shop for clothing. So my content on sustainable fashion is pretty bare but it is growing. 


If you are looking for new items in your wardrobe, check out these blog posts. They all list Australian-based sustainable brands, with a range of choices to suit all needs and tastes:  


While these guides may help you make an informed choice: 

Sunglasses and Prescription Glasses

Need new sunglasses or prescription eyewear? Below you will find links to learn all you could ever want to know about sustainable eyewear, as well as links to some pretty impressive sustainable eyewear brands based in Australia.    And if you have some old glasses on hand that you need to get rid of, the last blog post in this list will help you out:

Content in this section is a little light at the moment but it will build up over time 🙂 To have a say on what I cover, follow me on Instagram where I often ask followers for their ideas. 

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