Courtesy : goodhousekeeping.com
Eco- friendly products
The average person in the U.S. produces about 4.9 pounds of waste each day, according to a 2018 study by the EPA — that adds up to over 292 million tons of trash per year. If you’re trying to be mindful of your environmental impact, it makes sense to look for eco-friendly products as alternatives to single-use, disposable items. But since so many products from cleaning supplies to sheet sets have “green” claims on their packaging, it can be hard to recognize which ones are truly sustainable.
It’s much easier to adjust to an eco-conscious lifestyle than you think (and there’s more to it than recycling your plastics and composting at home). Here are a few tips from our environmental experts:
- Prioritize reusable items over single-use ones. Even small swaps, like using a reusable bag when you go grocery shopping, can make a difference to your environmental impact.
- Opt for products made of recycled materials. For clothing, bedding and other textiles, our pros recommend looking for fibers like Tencel and organic cotton if buying second-hand products isn’t an option.
- To ensure ingredient transparency and integrity in products, look for established, third-party emblems such as EcoCert Cosmos for organic cosmetics Fair Trade Certified ingredients.
FYI: Our environmental experts prefer to use the term “sustainable” rather than “eco-friendly” because the latter implies that a product has no negative impact on the environment. It’s also considered a greenwashing term, and the FTC has strict guidelines on eco-friendly claims. For more information, check out our eco-friendly guide.
These are the eco-friendly products you should buy in 2022:
REPLACES PLASTIC BAGGIES
STASHER
STASHER
NOW 25% OFF
Stasher’s reusable sandwich and snack bags are great because they take the place of single-use plastic baggies that would likely end up in landfills and oceans. They come in multiple sizes, ranging from small pocket-size bags that are perfect for snacks to a half-gallon size that fits up to two strip steaks. Plus, these bags are safe for use in the dishwasher, microwave and freezer.
RECYCLED PAPER BOX
THE RIGHT TO SHOWER
THE RIGHT TO SHOWER
Not only does this multi-tasking bar soap clean your entire body, but buying it will also give back to the community — the proceeds help create mobile showers for people experiencing homelessness. It comes in a no-frills box made of recycled paper, and the open window on the front means it uses fewer materials. Plus, it’s made with Rainforest Alliance Certified palm oil, meaning it’s harvested in a way that won’t destroy forests.
REFILLABLE DEODORANT
BEAUTYCOUNTER
BEAUTYCOUNTER
This 2021 GH sustainability award winner also made it into our best natural deodorant roundup thanks to its sleek, chic refillable containers that minimize the amount of single-use plastics in landfills. The company also regularly audits its mica suppliers to assess the humanitarian impact of the ingredient.
WASTE-CUTTING CLEANING CONCENTRATE
GROVE COLLABORATIVE
Multi-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate + Twist & Slide Glass Spray Bottle
GROVE CO.
Grove Collaborative is all about cutting down on waste: it packages plant-based cleaners in easy-to-recycle mini glass bottles with aluminum caps. You simply mix the cleaner concentrate with water in the pre-labeled reusable glass spray bottle, which comes with an easy-grip silicone sleeve.
REUSABLE SPONGE ALTERNATIVE
SKOY
Cleaning Cloths
GH Cleaning Lab Director Carolyn Forte says these Swedish dishcloths, which are made of cotton and cellulose, “are an alternative to paper towels and germy sponges that get thrown out after only a few uses.” They can be washed and reused multiple times for things like washing dishes or cleaning spills.
BETTER SINGLE SERVE
Chocolate Fudge
You don’t have to swear off your single-serve coffee maker to be more eco-conscious. Just ditch the plastic pods and opt for Nespresso’s recyclable coffee capsules made from aluminum. Even better, you can package them up and drop them off at a UPS for recycling. Our Lab experts love the coffee’s rich, full-bodied taste and also applaud Nespresso’s plans for switching over to recycled aluminum content in their pods.