KIDS & EDUCATION • PARENTING chemical-free alternatives while pregnant. There are good aluminium-free deodorants on the market these days, as well as natural detergents and cleaning products that eschew harmful manmade chemicals. The Ecover range is famously gentle, and you won't have to fret when baby crawls all over your freshly mopped floor.
Rethink your brand loyalties
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“Of the 3.4 million tonnes of plastic discarded in the uk each year, only 1.5 million are recyclable”
id you know that the UK’s leading nappy brand scores the lowest marks on almost every ethical standard, from animal testing and workers’ rights to environmental impact? It’s like buying nappies from Darth Vader. PIUPIA.CO.UK The good news is, there are better alternatives. A growing number of parents are switching to reusable cloth nappies, but if that’s too extreme a step, try the biodegradable nappies made by Swedish company Naty (naty.com). They’re made from organic cotton and plant fibres which break down naturally when disposed of – important when you think that the average child can go through 6,500 nappies in two and a half years. That’s over 10 tonnes of waste you could save from permanently sitting in landfill. Just make sure you dispose of them in a biodegradable nappy sack. The same logic applies to wet wipes, which have seen a huge rise in use over the last 5-10 years – as evidenced by the sheer number of them found clogging up our sewers and beaches. Most wet wipes contain
plastics and polyester and don’t break down. But switching brand can help: Jackson Reece makes widely available biodegradable wet wipes from cellulose, a plant fibre. They disappear completely within eight days in a sewage treatment plant or six weeks in a compost heap, and are great for kids with eczema or sensitive skin. The fact that they’re made in Britain also means they leave a smaller carbon footprint.
Refuse and recycle excess packaging
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hen it comes to food packaging, it can seem impossible to avoid plastics. But, your impact can be improved by finding out if companies like Terracycle operate collection points in your area and taking tricksy packaging to them. Besides which, it’s always worth sending an email to the Customer Service department of your supermarket of choice, to politely remind them that their customers are concerned about the volume of nonrecyclable materials used in their packaging.
Buy less, buy better
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ou can also help to save the environment (and some cash) by buying fewer toys and clothes – and making sure the ones you do buy are chosen with at least one eye on their ecological impact. Wooden toys generally look better than plastic ones anyway – check out Sarah and Bendrix and Garbo and Friends for inspiration. Environmentally, it can pay to shop small, with many independent brands placing an emphasis on sustainability. Support eco-conscious brands and you’ll be supporting the planet. Everyone’s a winner. Some more helpful resources: reyouzable.com • bulkmarket.uk hetu.co.uk
5 ECO-CONSCIOUS alternatives you’ll love
Takeaway Coffee
Body Scrub
Bath Toys
Bottles
Tablewear
KEEP CUP
S I ST E R & C O C O C O N U T O I L
H E V E A K AWA N N AT U R A L
PURA
M O L LY A N D M O O
That daily coffee you enjoy after the school run? Make sure it’s in a keep-cup. In the UK alone, we discard around 2.5 billion coffee cups every year – and only 1 in 400 is recycled. At uk.keepcup.com, you can design your own keep-cup to suit your tastes.
Microbeads in many exfoliants are actually tiny balls of plastic that find their way into our natural watercourses, killing wildlife and harming entire ecosystems. Avoid using coffee in your scrubs too as it blocks drains. Use natural coconut oil with brown sugar instead.
So many baby products are made of plastic when they could be made of natural materials. We love the Kawan duck by Hevea, as well as their full range of rubber teethers and pacifiers, available at meandbuddy.com.
There’s no need to stick with plastic for baby bottles and toddler training cups – check out the Pura collection including adult water bottles at kidly.com, made from stainless steel. Kidly is a great destination for natural and sustainable toys too.
Ditto dinnerware – several new manufacturers make eco-friendly bamboo sets. Bamboo is a great natural fibre that can be used to make all sorts of kitchenware and tupperware for children’s snacks. We love this stylish star-print set from mollyandmoo.co.uk.
RUBBER DUCK
A B S O L U T E LY. L O N D O N
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