Image: Obakki

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9 Brands making Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Baskets

Storage is something we always need in our homes whether it is a place to put your kid’s toys, bills, collectables, books, blankets or more. When buying household storage many people think of Target, Amazon, Ikea or another big-name brand first. What you might not realize is you can get beautiful, practical storage from many sustainable fair-trade businesses that support women artisans and local economies. Let us introduce you to some great brands for baskets that will beautify your home while doing good.

What Types of Materials and Certifications To Look For

Baskets can be made from just about anything from plastic to fabric to grasses. Look for materials such as those that are sourced locally where the baskets are made, are organic, naturally sustainable like bamboo, use no to few pesticides, are biodegradable, use natural dyes, or are recycled. Palm leaves, banana leaves, and local grasses like sisal are really common in baskets. If they are sourced locally, handmade, and grown without heavy pesticide use these materials are a highly sustainable option. Definitely avoid plastic that is not recycled, mass produced palm baskets, and non-organic cotton.

Transparency of the production process and treatment of the artisans making your home storage is a very important factor to consider when shopping for baskets. Many baskets might look like they are authentically made by artisans from other countries, when in fact they are produced using cheap labor in not so great working conditions. Fair Trade certifications help ensure the beauty in what you are buying is also creating a beautiful life for someone else. A brand sharing specifics about their artisans, production processes and labor practices is also a good sign of humane treatment. All of the brands featured here carry at least some Fair Trade made baskets.

Now, our top picks for sustainable baskets:

1) Obakki

Types of baskets: A couple dozen storage and decorative baskets that are versatile enough to use for anything from laundry to planters

Common Materials: Sisal, palm leaves, wicker, banana leaves, and natural dyes

Obakki’s baskets make me think of versatility – style and colors that would complement nearly every home.

I would love one of their bowls on my kitchen table filled with fruit.

Obakki’s model is different as they purchase products directly from their artisan partners at above market prices and reinvest profits into their partner’s businesses and communities through their foundation. Their items are made in small batches using only local materials to reduce waste and the environmental impact of production. They provide information on the artisans for each product, ensuring transparency.

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2) Ten Thousand Villages

Types of baskets: Over 50 choices in everything from storage, to décor, to bowls, to hamper baskets, to kids storage, to bread baskets, and even a bike basket.

Common Materials: Recycled cotton, palm leaves, wire and thread, grass, banana stalks, and natural dyes

Ten Thousand Villages has an abundance of basket selections with a variety of price points to suit nearly every home. No matter your need, you should be able to find a basket or two (or more) you love on their site.

Ten Thousand Villages is a pioneer of Fair Trade, and of the maker‑to‑market movement that breaks the cycle of generational poverty. They have the most transparent and educational information on fair trade practices I have seen. They focus on the use of locally sourced, recycled and renewable materials in their products. Most baskets are handmade, which reduces waste. They even hold workshops on how to creatively re-use products and minimize waste in the supply chain.

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3) Made Trade

Types of baskets: Around 50 baskets for everything from storage, laundry, round bowls, décor, hampers, planters, and even a bassinet.

Materials: Seagrass, jute, locally sourced, handmade, recycled cotton, recycled thread, grass, recycled plastic, and food safe dyes

Made Trade has classic neutral baskets, as well as some unique patterns and colors sure to be showcase pieces in any home. Made Trade is a woman owned, family run company right here in my area – Portland Oregon.

Shopping is easy as they have options to shop by Fair Trade, sustainability, women owned, POC owned, Made in USA and more. Made Trade’s products are sourced locally, and they provide transparent information about each brand and how their artisans are treated. Nice bonus, Made Trade is certified climate neutral due to carbon emission offsets and conservation projects to which they contribute.

use code SUSTAINABLYCHIC for $20 off your first order of $150+

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4) The Citizenry

Types of baskets: Over a dozen baskets of various sizes for storage, décor and laundry

Materials: Hand woven palm leaves, chocolatillo, paja tetera, and leather handles

The Citizenry has some of the most elegant baskets I have seen, elevating them beyond function to statement decor. I would call the style luxurious boho.

The baskets come individually or in sets, making it easy to mix and match. All the baskets have handles and some come with lids.

Their baskets are almost all handwoven and Fair Trade certified, with artisan information provided for each product. The baskets are made in small batches, reducing the chance of waste. The Citizenry travel to each country where their products are produced and build relationships with their artisans – how cool is that.

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5) Shades of Green

Types of baskets: Storage, waste baskets, and laundry hampers

Common Materials: Biodegradable palm fiber, grass, and natural dyes

Shades of Green’s baskets are beautiful and classic styles that will compliment nearly every home. I love the two-tone style of their baskets in particular. Shades of Green not only specializes in high quality products for homes and workplaces, they also offer design consultation services.

All of their products are put through a 5-tier evaluation scale ensuring you know the quality and sustainability of your selections. Shopping is easy too, as you can shop by material, price range and color. I appreciate that Shades of Green is transparent about their production processes and treatment of the artisans they partner with.

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6) Goodee World

Types of baskets: Around 30 baskets for storage, laundry, decoration, and bikes.

Common Materials: Grass, leather handles, straw, palm fibers

Goodee World has some of the most unique baskets I have found, amongst the already uniqueness you find in the fair trade market. Their unstructured type baskets from the Baba Tree brand are one of my favorites. They also have many classic style baskets that would fit most homes.

Goodee is a BIPOC owned company and B Corp certified, meeting the highest standards of benefiting people and the planet. They require all of their brand partners to report on the materials used, supply chain, labor standards, ecological footprint and business practices ensuring transparency and alignment to their values.

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7) Serrv International

Types of baskets: Over 50 baskets including a large selection of decorative baskets, storage, planters and even a vase.

Common materials: Banana fibers, rafia, elephant grass, rope, leaves, jute, and leather wrapped handles

Serrv’s baskets are really colorful and designed to authentically reflect the culture of their artisan partners, which makes them even more eye-catching. They will be statement pieces in your house.

Serrv is one of the first fair trade organizations in the world. They have worked with over 8,000 artisans from around the world to ensure fair trade practices for their products since 1949. When shopping for products on their site they share stories and pictures about the artisans that make the products. Serrv ensures their artisans have regular orders and advanced payment so their uses of resources are reliable and little is wasted. Finally, they clearly outline the causes each purchase supports.

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8) Indego Africa

Types of baskets: Approximately a dozen storage and tote baskets

Common Materials: Sweetgrass, palm leaf, bolga straw, elephant swamp grass, banana leaf, organic yarn, and dyes from flowers, fruit and vegetable material.

If you are looking for adorable baskets with handles to easily tote around, Indego Africa is the place for you.

They are neutral colors with cute details like shells and colored handles.

Indego Africa partners with women artisans from Rwanda and Ghana to create locally sourced handmade baskets that keep true to the history and beautiful craftsmanship of traditional African artistry. They further support their artisans by investing profits into their education. Indego Africa also focuses on sustainability through using recycled and upcycled materials, repurposed fabric scraps, and other salvaged textiles. Finally, I love that Indego Africa has a very diverse executive team.

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9) Aziz Life

Types of baskets: Approximately 20 choices for storage, planters, dividers, serving trays, and a tote

Common Materials: Banana leaves, sisal, papyrus, natural dyes, and woven tassels

Aziz Life’s divider baskets and storage sets are so versatile because you can mix and match your storage needs.

The base of each basket are neutral colors with some flair in the pattern.

They have cute tassels that you can purchase separately and add to most of the baskets so you can change up the style to suit your mood. Many of the baskets come with a detailed story of who made the basket, how long it takes to make and how it is made. Aziz partners with over 30 rural artisan groups in Rwanda to ensure economic security, traditional designs, humane conditions and even honoring of their spiritual beliefs. They have a handful of impact projects they focus on supporting with their sales and you can read about each one on their site.

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About the Contributor: Mindy Redburn-Smoak has enjoyed a 20+ year career in corporate learning as a consultant, designer, and manager. She is passionate about sustainable living, family, travel, and dog rescue. She has been on a mission to live more sustainably for several years, and loves the journey of learning and trying new things in this space. She is on another journey pursuing her dream of writing about things she is passionate about and that can make a difference in the world. The best way to connect with Mindy is via email at mredsmoak@gmail.com.

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A GUIDE TO COMMUNITY SOLAR

One of the most dramatic steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint is to power our homes with clean energy. Unfortunately, because the question of what counts as “clean” energy is such a contentious and complex issue, figuring out how to make the best choice for the planet, as well as for your home and budget, can be an overwhelming task. Researching the options, it can feel like there isn’t a perfect or totally “green” solution, but there are certainly some types of energy that are better for the environment than others.

Solar technology, for example, has been going through some big innovations recently; one major development in recent years is that it’s now becoming more commonly available, even to people who can’t install solar panels on their homes. A new report from the Energy Department suggests that while solar energy currently provides 3% of US electricity, it could provide 40% by 2035, and, combined with wind energy, meet 90% of US electricity needs by 2050. For that to happen, though, the solar energy capabilities (as in, the number of panels installed nation-wide) of the US would need to increase substantially.

What are the most sustainable options for home energy?

Renewable energy, sometimes referred to as green or clean energy, comes from renewable sources; unlike finite natural resources like oil, coal, and other carbon-based fossil fuels that aren’t naturally renewed quickly enough to meet human demand, renewable resources don’t deplete the earth’s supply and also don’t add to climate change because they don’t emit carbon dioxide. In 2020, carbon-emitting non-renewable fossil fuels accounted for approximately 79 per cent of the total primary energy production of the USA. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emissions in the USA in 2019 were 13 percent below their 2005 levels; we’re slowly seeing a shift in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go.

There are various different renewable energy options out there, all with their pros and cons, including wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy. It’s important to note that renewable energy sources can have very serious downsides of their own; hydro-power dams and wind turbines can have a negative impact on local wildlife and ecosystems, for example. Some energy companies will claim they use renewable or sustainable energy because they use nuclear energy, which, while renewable, is arguably one of the most dangerous and environmentally harmful forms of energy there is because of the amount of toxic waste it creates, and the potential for large-scale accidents if there’s a fault or failure at a nuclear power plant.

The good news, however, is that there are some incredible innovations in clean energy happening around the world. One example is how communities in India are using biogas digesters to turn food waste into a source of energy for electricity; a stroke of genius that helps reduce landfill, cut waste disposal and energy costs, and reduce emissions. The biogas digesters are expensive, but have reportedly been installed in more than 75 locations across India.

Until innovations like this become more commonly available, solar energy is arguably one of the easiest forms of renewable energy to adopt, which is why the US government has been focusing on it so much in their plans to shift away from fossil fuels. 

There are a number of things that hold people back from embracing rooftop solar energy, perhaps the largest roadblock being that solar panels take up a lot of space, and need big batteries to store energy and provide a constant supply. Not everyone has enough (or any) viable roof space to make it work, and the fact that you need to have a good credit score to install solar panels, as well as needing to be a homeowner rather than a renter, means that generating your own solar energy is usually a luxury for the privileged few.

I’m lucky enough to live in a beautiful cottage in the UK that dates back several hundred years, and while I love the fact that it’s full of character and history, it unfortunately means that we can’t get permission from the local authorities to install solar panels on the roof because of the historical significance of our home (the intrusive appearance of solar panels are still one of the biggest downsides of solar energy for many people). Until recently, I thought this meant that we wouldn’t be able to use solar energy to provide our home’s electricity—that is, until I came across the concept of community solar.

image from Arcadia

What is community solar?

Community solar projects provide diverse local communities with solar energy, even if they can’t install solar panels at home. Community solar projects make it possible for people who don’t own a home, or don’t have a home with viable roof space, to fund a local solar energy farm that in turn provides them with clean energy for their home at a reduced price. 

There are various dedicated community solar projects around the US (and worldwide) you can subscribe to if you’re not able to install your own solar panels at home, and more and more mainstream energy companies are developing ways for their users to opt for solar energy these days, too. 

According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as of 2020 about a third of states in the US had enabling policies for community solar in place to encourage and support the growth of community solar projects, so there’s reason to hope that projects like this will grow and become more readily available in the near future.

How does community solar work?

To power your home via community solar power, you have to first sign up to a local community power project and pay a monthly subscription for membership or shares in that solar farm. One community solar project can provide power for hundreds, even thousands, of homes in the local area.

As Joel Gamoran, Vice President & General Manager of Energy Services at Arcadia explains, “As a community solar program member, you subscribe to a number of solar panels in a solar garden that supplies energy to your community.” Your subscription helps fund the installation of the solar panels at the solar farm or “solar garden”, and then you pay your monthly utilities bill on top of that (generally very low) subscription fee. Essentially, your subscription helps crowdfund the solar panels, and gives you money off the clean energy that those panels produce.

Does subscribing to a community solar project save money or cost more?

According to Arcadia, signing up for a community solar project actually saves you money and reduces your monthly utilities bill. “Installing large solar gardens allows solar developers to achieve lower setup costs and a lower average cost per watt that they can ultimately pass down to community solar subscribers whose subscriptions help fund the upfront cost of the installation,” Joel Gamoran told Sustainably Chic. “Every single project we manage at Arcadia is at a 5-10% savings to the traditional local utility rate.”

Meanwhile, the Solar Energy Industries Association reports that utilities using solar energy have now reached a point where they are “competitive with all other forms of [energy] generation.”

Pros of community solar:

There are many benefits to using community solar as your home’s energy source:

• Solar power (energy derived from the sun) is renewable energy that doesn’t create carbon dioxide by-product as that energy is generated, although it’s important to remember that the materials for the technology has to be responsibly and sustainably mined and disposed of to be considered fully sustainable.

• Solar energy projects can be installed on land that needs to lie fallow before being used for crops, and won’t make permanent changes to the landscape or harm local wildlife while they’re there.

• One of the biggest benefits of community solar projects is that it makes solar energy accessible for people living in low income communities. “Not all households have access to clean energy,” Joel Gamoran points out. “In fact, two out of three renters, apartment dwellers and homeowners in the U.S. don't have access to or can't afford rooftop solar, including poor and BIPOC communities… Community solar will help democratize the transition to clean energy.” Anyone living in the locality of a community solar project can use this solar energy, regardless of their economic status or living situation—community solar projects mean that you don’t even need a roof to access solar energy anymore. 

• The developers at the solar farm are responsible for the installation and maintenance of the solar panels, and they guarantee that your electricity supply won’t cut out.

• Generally, once a community solar project starts generating energy, it also starts generating savings which you, as a subscriber, will see reflected in lower energy bills.

  Cons of community solar:

  So, what are the downsides to community solar (and solar energy more generally)? If you’re thinking this all sounds too good to be true, here are some potential cons to consider:

• Community solar projects are, by nature, very localized. This means that not everyone will have access to a community solar project if there aren’t any running in their local area. As the concept of community solar catches on and our awareness of the importance of clean energy grows, however, you can expect to find more options near you, so keep an eye out for new projects near you, and find out what community solar projects are available near you using Arcadia’s zip code checker.

• As a subscriber to a community solar project, you won’t get the tax benefits that owners of personal rooftop solar panels get. 

• Solar energy requires large amounts of space—big surface areas—for solar panels to collect and store the energy generated from sunlight in batteries. The best practice for large-scale solar energy projects is to find multiple ways to use the land, for example by positioning solar panels such that animals can be let out to graze underneath and in between panels.

• Many people have concerns that solar panels are unsightly—though, they’re arguably less unsightly than a traditional electrical power plant. It can be hard to get permission to install solar panels on protected land or historical buildings.

• Solar panels (and other “eco” technologies, including electric cars) require batteries which have a limited life and have to be disposed of very carefully, because they contain materials and substances that are harmful for the environment. According to the Institute of Energy Research, batteries are expensive to recycle. The US doesn’t currently have systems in place to recycle this kind of technology on a large scale, meaning that as more people opt for solar energy, we also have to campaign for adequate local recycling facilities.

The most striking downside of solar energy in general does seem to be the tech waste that it produces, especially as newer and more effective models of solar panels are developed and people inevitably want to replace perfectly functional panels for the latest model. Some estimates suggest that there’ll be well over 70 million tons of solar panel waste worldwide by 2050. It’s not all bad news, though; Bloomberg reports that the market for used solar panels is growing fast, and that re-used solar panels are already powering communities in the developing world.

All in all, switching to clean energy via a community solar project is an easy and affordable positive step to take for the environment (as long as there’s one available in your area), and will dramatically reduce your household’s carbon footprint. As we work towards a carbon neutral world, supporting solar energy, and campaigning for more innovation and transparency in the clean energy industries, is one major way to live a more sustainable life.

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About the Author

Sophie Caldecott is a freelance writer living in a cottage on the edge of the moor in the South-West of England. She writes about grief, empathy, ethical fashion, and the things that connect us and make us human. You’ll most likely find her cozied up by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book.

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Image: Sun & Swell

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The Best Sustainable Snack Foods For You to Try

Some people are “meh” about snacks, others are snack aficionados, and I happen to fall into the latter category. As I became more and more conscious of my consumer habits throughout my sustainability journey, however, I felt like I had to leave my love of snacking in the past; the majority of supermarket snacks are wrapped in difficult (if not impossible) to recycle plastic and most seem to have ingredient lists that go on for *way* too long. Of course, there’s the option to make your own low-waste snacks at home - like cucumber with homemade hummus - but sometimes you really just want a snack that’s easy to grab.

These snack brands are here to save the day with environmentally conscious products that put people and the planet first. Whether you’re craving sweet or salty or looking for a supermarket alternative to do all your shopping, this list can help you find what you’re looking for! 

So What Makes a Snack Sustainable?

A sustainable snack goes beyond just having packaging that can be responsibly disposed of (although that’s a great start!). If a candy bar comes in a compostable wrapper, but the farmers harvesting cacao seeds are being treated unfairly, that candy bar still has a lot of work to do. Putting people and the planet as priorities ensure that the product is sustainably-minded.

How Do I Know The Ingredients Are Sustainable?

Noticing labels and certifications like Fair Trade, Non-GMO, Organic, and Rain Forest Alliance are great places to start. This PDF is a great source for understanding different labels.

Companies that post sustainability reports and/or offer tons of transparent information about how they operate, where their ingredients come from, and how their products are made are paving the way for our future. The more we know, the more we can get behind a brand and support the work they’re doing!

Ok, So What Packaging Should I Look For?

To start, keep an eye out for backyard compostable packaging, post-consumer recycled materials like plastic or glass, or a company using a circular economy, like Loop, are great ways to narrow down the masses.

Backyard compostable packaging, specifically, means that the wrapping will decompose in a home compost pile; the other side of that coin is commercial compostable packaging, which *won’t* decompose in your backyard. For that option, you’ll actually need to send the packaging to a specific facility, or to Terracycle. 

While the majority of materials are not recycled in America, that doesn’t mean we should totally give up on the industry! If companies buy post-consumer recycled materials, that increases the demand for that material, which means that more effort goes toward actually recycling and reusing instead of that material being overlooked and sent to landfills. Post-consumer plastic only can be re-used a few times, but glass can be reused almost inifintley! Our purchasing power can cause a ripple effect that can shift the recycling industry.

If you’re living in an area that offers a circular economy, like Loop, then hop on that train my friend! This type of packaging uses a kind of “milk-man” mentality, with local deliveries and pick-ups of packaging that is industrially washed and then reused. This option is a lot more limited than the other two, but is a totally cool system for the future!

So without further ado, let’s eat!

Our Favorite Sustainable Snack Brands:

1) Askinosie

Askinosie Chocolate is a single origin craft chocolate company based in Missouri, sourcing all of their beans directly from the growers and ensuring fair wages.

They describe their values as being “fairness, sustainability, minimal environmental impact, and community enhancement”, and they back up this promise with a Transparency Report which details the “farm gate” price they’ve paid their farmers for their beans over the first decade of their business.

For their snacks they have delicious Malt Balls, Cocoa Nibs & Smore Bites.

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2) Alter Eco Chocolate

If you have a sweet tooth, Alter Eco is here for you! This chocolate company offers chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, chocolate nut butter bombs, and quinoa. Y’know, for balance.

In addition to having sweet products, they have some pretty sweet sustainable certifications, too! Alter Eco has been B-corp certified for over a decade and their products are Fair-trade, Gluten-free, and Organic certified.

Their company is also climate neutral, and each yummy treat is packaged in backyard compostable and/or recyclable materials.

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3) Sun and Swell Foods

Each Sun and Swell product uses organic, vegan ingredients without any added sugars.

They have cookies, pantry staples, dried fruits, nuts, and other home goods available in their online shop.

75% of their products are packaging in compostable materials, and for the other 25%, Sun & Swell offers a send back program to responsibly dispose of the material! All their products are shipped carbon-neutral in boxes that can be composted (even the tape!) Sun and Swell is also a 1% For The Planet partner and is B-corp certified.

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4) Thrive Market

Thrive Market is an online supermarket that delivers a wide range of products (over 2,000+ organic!) to your door with carbon-neutral shipping.

For $5/month, their company cuts out the “middleman” of retailers, and the markups that ensue.

For each membership paid, Thrive donates a membership to someone in need, with a goal to raise $10 million in healthy groceries by 2025.

They carry pantry staples, sustainably sourced seafood, and meat, non-toxic cleaning supplies, and a TON of snacks.

Thrive is B-corp certified, and will be Zero Waste Certified by 2022, plastic neutral by 2023, and is working toward being carbon negative by 2025 - talk about setting goals! Since 2015, Thrive’s warehouses have diverted 90% of waste from landfills to recycling, composting, or re-use facilities.

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5) Hive

Hive is similar to Thrive in more than just name - they are also a sustainable grocery alternative.

Hive has five core values (their Hive Fives, love a pun). 1. Making sure ingredients are traceable and that sound practices are being used for harvesting. 2. Using recyclable packaging 3. Ensuring a low carbon footprint 4. Being dedicated to the social good 5. Making rave-worthy snacks, because sustainability doesn’t sacrifice taste - it enhances it!

Their website is very transparent, with tons of information about their company in the FAQ and even more in their blog.

Hive is carbon-neutral and 99% of packaging has a way to be responsibly disposed of, whether by composting, through TerraCycle, or recycling. In fact, they have a whole landing page dedicated to giving you the low-down on recycling their products, which is super helpful to the consumer!

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6) Misfits Market

Did you know, according to the USDA, “food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply” in the US alone, every year? Misfits Market is working to combat that by partnering with farms across the country and putting “ugly” produce that doesn’t fit grocery store standards, to use. Although they started out with the mission to reduce produce waste (and they have!), as they have grown they started saving more than just produce from landfills!

They take in pantry items that are surplus, or have out-of-date packaging, or are short-dated (meaning their “best by” sticker is within the next 6 weeks).

Cha-ching on discounted snacks that help cut down on food waste! Misfits Market currently delivers to nearly all 50 states, and is adding new delivery zones and zip codes frequently!

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7) This Saves Lives

This Saves Lives was created in 2013 by  Kristen Bell, Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, and Ravi Patel to bring aid to people around the world suffering from severe acute malnutrition, a completely curable affliction. Each purchase acts as a one-for-one donation of a package of Plumpy’Nut, which is a Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), to someone suffering from severe acute malnutrition. This Bar Saves Lives partners with organizations like Action Against Hunger to distribute nutrition to those in need.

Since their founding, over 28 million packets of RUTF have been donated, saving over 184,000 lives.

In addition to doing good, these bars taste good, too! They are Gluten-free, Non-GMO certified, and kosher. Made with natural and vegan/vegetarian-friendly ingredients, they’re a delicious way to help others.

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8) Barnana

We love a brand that upcycles, and Barnana is all about it! Founded in 2012 to lessen banana waste in Latin America, this B-corp company sources bananas and plantains from small organic farms throughout the Amazon that typically are too remote or have too small of an operation (think, family-owned farms) to get their fruit to market. Barnana partners directly with these smaller farms and offers them steady incomes to rely on. These farms use regenerative farming efforts, which help carbon sequestration as well as encourage healthy soil. Barnana snacks are created using bananas deemed imperfect for mass markets or are surplus.

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9) Rind Dried Fruit

Fighting food waste is a trend we’re happy to hop on. In 2020, Rind diverted 120,000+ pounds of food waste from the landfills into bellies!

They’re all about eating the peels, which are great sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber - you name it!

Their program Love is Rind donates their healthy, nutrient-packed snacks to local school partners on the weekend, since that’s when access to food is harder for children struggling with hunger. More than 13,700 bags have been donated to schools across the country since the program’s foundation.

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10) Quinn Snacks

Quinn Snacks offers flavored popcorn and pretzels, so your movie night is ready to go!

Their “farm to bag” transparency puts a real emphasis on how they make their products and where they source ingredients from, showing a list of where each of their suppliers is, what they produce, and an overview of what they do.

They partner with farms that are using regenerative agriculture practicies. What is that, you ask? “Regenerative agriculture farming practices are proven to sequester Earth warming carbon from the atmosphere. These practices are rooted in improving the health of our soil.

Regenerative agriculture not only pulls carbon out of the atmosphere and puts it back into the soil where plants thrive on it, but it also improves crop yields, naturally reduces pests, and increases biodiversity. Pretty cool, huh?” This method is better for farmers, better for the planet, and better for consumers. Remember earlier when I was talking about putting people and the planet first :)

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11) Regrained

This company is making beer sustainable! Regrained takes waste created from making beer and makes it into crackers - Bazinga!

Two college guys who took up microbrewing as a hobby were using their “waste” grain to bake bread, to break even on their brewing business. But then they realize the potential.

In addition to the cool method of reducing waste, these crackers are also packed with nutrition.  Since the beer-making process eats up all the sugars in wheat, the stuff they’re using to make crackers is 0-sugar and packed with plant protein, prebiotic fibers, and micronutrients. Who knew?!

Their blog is super transparent and talks all about upcycling in your life, and Regrained’s journey to incorporate compostable packing.

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12) Nature’s Path

This family-owned business was founded in 1985 and was an innovative business in the 80s, offering organic granolas before they were popularized. Since then, they have achieved a Zero Waste certification at each of their manufacturing sites and redirect their wastewater to a biodigester to create energy. Nature’s Path donates at least $2 million each year to different organizations, and it working toward climate neutrality. Their granolas, oatmeals, chips, and more are organically grown and will be sold in compostable packaging by 2025. Nature’s Path partners with Loop, a circular shopping platform that deals with local deliveries and returns.

Bonus points: they have a link to their sustainability report on their website.

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13) One Degree Organic Foods

One Degree means business when it comes to transparency.

Consumers are able to trace every single ingredient in their products, from cereals to granolas to loaves of bread.

Slice me off some of that! Each product has a 6 digit code you can type into their site and trace - it acts as a kind of virtual, larger-scale farmer’s market where you can get to know who grew the product, where it’s coming from, and what’s in it.

One Degree partners with small-scale organic farmers, and even offers Gluten-free snacks!

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About the Author

Paige Annelayne is a freelance writer and digital media specialist currently based in Alabama, who loves to cook, learn about intersectional sustainability, and read a lot of books. Her cat, Gnocchi, her plants, and a good cup of matcha bring her joy. You can connect with Paige on Instagram @vitality.blog and at www.vtltyblog.com

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What is polyester?

When I think about polyester, the images that come to mind are bright power-suits from the 80’s and cheap clothes from fast fashion brands. We know that it is an unsustainable fabric and should be avoided where possible, but what is it actually made from and what makes it so bad for the environment? It’s important to know the facts behind fabrics so we can make more informed choices when we shop, so let’s find out more about polyester!

The Science Behind the Fabric

Polyester is a chemical term which can be broken into poly (many), and ester (a basic organic chemical compound). The main ingredient used in the production of polyester is ethylene, which is derived from petroleum. In this process, ethylene is the polymer, the chemical building block of polyester, and the chemical process that produces the finished polyester is called “polymerization”.

A synthetic fiber derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum, polyester fibers are formed from a chemical reaction between an acid and alcohol. In this reaction, two or more molecules combine to make a large molecule whose structure repeats throughout its length. Polyester fibers can form very long molecules that are very stable and strong.

A brief history of polyester

Wallace Hume Carothers was an American chemist, inventor and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont, an American chemical company. During the mid-1930s Carothers discovered that he could create fibers by mixing carboxylic acids and alcohols, and ‘stumbled’ upon Nylon, which is still a popular fabric used today. In 1939, two British scientists, W.K. Birtwhistle and C.G. Ritchie continued Carothers work and by 1941 the first polyester fiber was developed, called Terylene. DuPont bought the rights from the two scientists and later came up with their own polyester fiber called Dacron. 

Unlike natural fabrics like wool and cotton, polyester was created out of scientific research and was marketed accordingly. Announced to the American public in 1951, polyester’s main selling point was that it could be “worn for 68 days straight without ironing, and still look presentable”. This had a huge appeal to women, who at the time were the primary homemakers, leading to the soaring popularity of the fabric.

Polyester is now the most widely used fiber in the world, accounting for roughly half of the overall fiber market and around 80% of synthetics fiber, according to the Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber Materials Report 2017. In 2016, polyester fiber production was estimated at 52 million metric tons.

Where do you find polyester?

Polyester is used in the manufacturing of many products, including clothing, home furnishings, industrial fabrics, and electrical insulation. Polyester is light, strong and easily dyed, can be woven or knitted and is easily blended with other fibres. In fashion polyester is an incredibly versatile fabric that can be used to make anything from activewear to bridalwear. 

Another form of polyester used in fashion is poly-blends. Originally, this referred to combining two or more different poly materials to make a separate material, but is now commonly used to refer to the blending of polyester fibres and natural ones. Poly-cotton, linen blends and terrycot (a blend of terylene and cotton) are common poly-blends used in fashion.

What makes polyester unsustainable?

While polyester is a synthetic fiber, its raw materials are technically natural. Most polyester is made out of petroleum, a non-renewable carbon-intensive resource. Petroleum, also known as crude oil and oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid found in geological formations beneath the Earth's surface. We are currently using up petroleum much faster than it can be produced in nature, and some predictions suggest we will reach maximum extraction by 2030. According to A New Textiles Economy Report 2017, producing plastic-based fibers for textiles uses an estimated 342 million barrels of oil each year.

Polyester has often been considered more sustainable from a consumer care standpoint as polyester garments last a really long time and require less water, energy and heat for washing. But because the fabric is designed to last for so long, it takes more than 200 years to decompose. While this wouldn’t be as much of an issue if we could guarantee clothes are not thrown away, around 85% of all textiles thrown away in the U.S., roughly 13 million tonnes in 2017, are either dumped into landfills or burned.

During a polyester product’s lifecycle, there are environmental implications. For example, hundreds of thousands of microfibers are released into the wastewater when we wash synthetic and natural clothes. The jury is still out on how harmful the natural microfibers are, but we now know that plastic microfibers are being ingested by marine life, animals and even humans. Each cycle of a washing machine could release more than 700,000 microscopic plastic fibers into the environment. While the full extent and impact of these microplastics are not yet clear, it is clear that the problem is widespread (microplastics have been found all around the world) and could have detrimental impacts to plant, animal, and human health.

The limitations of recycling are another factor that makes polyester clothes unsustainable. Most polyester used in clothing currently is virgin polyester, and while there are recycling options for used clothing, less than 1% of collected textiles are recycled back into clothing or textile use. Most of the recycled polyester currently used by leading fashion brands comes from plastic bottles rather than old clothing. In addition, the majority of polyester produced is used in poly-blends rather than 100% polyester fabric, and it is even more difficult to recycle poly-blends. Even a t-shirt made up of 99% cotton and 1% polyester would not be saved from landfill. However, companies such as Swedish forestry cooperative, Södra, are developing processes of separating polyester from cotton.

Recycled Polyester Sweater from Patagonia

Sustainable alternatives to polyester

Now we know why polyester is so bad for the environment, we can start to look for alternatives when we shop. Luckily there are plenty to choose from!

Repreve

REPREVE is a series of recycled fibers made by UNIFI, which include resin, nylon 6, and polyester. REPREVE Polyester is the leading branded performance fiber made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. Compared to making what's called ‘virgin fiber’, making REPREVE doesn’t require the use of new petroleum, as well as emitting fewer greenhouse gases and conserving water and energy in the process. Over 35 billion plastic bottles have been recycled so far to make REPREVE fabric.

Recycled polyester is a more environmentally sustainable fibre than virgin polyester, but it is not without its problems. Each time plastic is reheated for recycling it degrades, so it cannot be recycled indefinitely. There are also other elements of the process that can be environmentally damaging such as the re-dyeing, the amount of water needed, and the high-temperatures required which can release carcinogenic antimony compounds into the atmosphere. So when you buy recycled polyester clothes, just know that they likely cannot be recycled again.

Natural materials are always great alternatives to polyester. Here are a few examples of alternatives to look out for…

Linen

Linen is a strong fiber derived from the flax plant, which when grown in its natural geographical zones, produces zero waste when harvested and turned into fabric. The flax plant has many other uses and can be turned into paper, oil and other bio-materials. Flax farming requires less water and pesticides to grow than conventional cotton, and if left un-dyed (or eco-dyed) can be totally biodegradable! However, you won’t need to throw it away as linen is known to last for hundreds of wears, making it the perfect fabric to include in your wardrobe.

Hemp

Hemp has been around for thousands of years, is produced on almost every continent in the world, and is one of the most sustainable fabrics you can buy today. It returns up to 70% of the nutrients it takes from the soil during cultivation, which is so important for soil biodiversity. Hemp requires very little water and can produce up to twice as much fiber per hectare as cotton. It also grows organically extremely well, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Hemp is biodegradable, breathable, renewable, and feels similar to linen to wear.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is the more sustainable version of conventional cotton. Most organic cotton is grown in rain-fed areas; this means farmers rely on rain to water their cotton instead of having to extract water from the ground, which can put pressure on water supplies in local communities. Organic cotton emits up to 46% less greenhouse gas than non-organic and requires 62% less energy to produce than conventional cotton. Another benefit of using organic cotton instead of polyester is that it is free from toxic chemicals used in pesticides and fertilizers, making it better for the environment and your skin!

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Avoiding polyester is getting easier but is still not always an option for everyone. If you buy clothes made from polyester, just be sure to look after them, make them last as long as possible, and make sure to either upcycle or donate them if you decide you no longer want them. You can also use washing bags like the Guppyfriend that will catch the microfibers when you wash them, reducing the number of microplastics going out into the ocean!

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About the Author

Sarah is a freelance writer with a focus on vegan fashion, sustainability and ethically made clothes. She campaigns for change in the fashion industry through her blog and on her Instagram page.

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The best Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Toilet Paper

When people start switching to a sustainably conscious lifestyle, a commonly shared tip is to work through each room in your house and slowly replace items with their sustainable/reusable counterparts. A good room to start in is the bathroom, and replacing your Charmin has never been so easy. There are seriously dozens of tree-free, low-waste toilet paper options on the market now. Some of the packaging options can even be reused for things like wrapping paper because it’s so vibrant and fun! Talk about getting a two-for-one deal!

Whether you’re looking to switch to bamboo, or try out a bidet, or go all-in for reusable toilet paper, this list should help you get a better idea of where to start and what to look for. Enjoy the go - and know that your toilet paper isn’t wrapped in plastic and harming the earth!

What’s the difference between conventional toilet paper and sustainable Toilet Paper?

The number one (haha) difference is trees. According to the NRDC’s Issue With Tissue report from 2019, this “destructive ‘tree-to-toilet pipeline’ does massive harm to Indigenous Peoples and iconic species” especially surrounding the Boreal Forest in Canada. First off, yes, that is in fact a real report and yes, it has a totally awesome name. Second, cutting down massive stretches of forests around the world won’t help anyone in the long run. Deforestation needs to stop. It’s as simple as that.

Our society has been able to develop tree-free toilet paper utilizing sustainable materials like bamboo, which is incredibly fast-growing. Bamboo can be harvested annually and doesn’t need to be replanted each time, which helps maintain healthy soil. In addition to its regenerative nature, bamboo requires less water than trees and produces more oxygen. Bamboo is one of those super materials that Mother Nature shows off with, like cork.

If you are going to use toilet paper that comes from trees, make it recycled tree paper! And if you’re wondering, no, recycled toilet paper doesn’t come from used toilet paper. It actually comes from post-consumer paper, like office paper. Recycling will only create a lasting and positive change if companies are actually buying recycled materials to create new products, so if you see that the material is “post-consumer” you know you’re encouraging the recycling industry to do what it should be doing!

Bamboo and recycled paper options do exactly the same job, but they don’t destroy ecosystems at the same time. If you’re interested, you can read more about the Issue With Tissue report here.

So is tree-free the only way to switch it up in the bathroom?

There are in fact more options than just recycled paper or bamboo paper. We can be so much more creative than cutting down trees to wipe our butts! America is trailing behind most countries when it comes to bidets. These devices are used widely throughout Asia and Europe, and they help cut down on toilet paper usage significantly. If your rolls are lasting longer, you’re buying less T.P. and saving money in the long run!

Plus, bidets are actually *way* more hygienic than using regular toilet paper. I mean, really think about toilet paper for a minute. Using a dry sheet of paper to cover our hands while we wipe away down there. Why is this super westernized idea promoted as the most hygienic? *Cough* Profit in the deforestation/toilet paper industry *Cough* Instead, think outside the corporate box and pair your bidet with a sustainable toilet paper option for a win-win situation!

Another option that some may see as a bit more “nuclear” is reusable toilet paper. If it’s not for you, that’s fine, but don’t roll your eyes at it. This is also the most affordable of all the options because you can DIY be repurposing old fabric in your home, like t-shirts. It is recommended to store used cloth strips in a container and wash them every 2-3 days. Make sure to wash the items on hot. If you want an extra level of cleanliness, you can also pre-soak your cloth strips in a vinegar mixture, or use bleach when washing. 

We’re on a roll (ha!) so here are 9 Eco-Friendly & sustainable toilet paper brands!

1) Reel

Price | 24 Rolls for $37

This 100% bamboo toilet paper is shipped in biodegradable, plastic-free packaging.

Reel partners with SOIL, a company that has been working in Haiti since 2006 to transform waste into resources. This partnership provides toilets to communities that lack them and then collects and treats the waste to transform it into compost. Once this waste becomes a useful commodity, it is sold to support agriculture, reforestation, and climate change mitigation amongst Haitian communities. 

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2) Seedling by Grove

Price | 24 Rolls for $27

Grove Collaborative is a B-corp-certified online hub for healthier and more eco-friendly household essentials, including bamboo toilet paper.

Every Seedling order means a tree planted, and so far Grove has helped plant 653,000 trees and counting across the U.S. in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, with their overall goal to plant 1 million trees by 2022. Their bamboo, like other brands on this list, is grown in China on family farms. Since bamboo is native to China, it doesn’t require any fertilizer to prosper, further making it a better replacement for trees. 

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3) Who Gives A Crap

Price | 24 Rolls for $38+

Founded in 2013, this B-corp-certified company is on a mission to help build toilets and improve sanitation around the world.

50% of profits are donated to accomplishing this goal, so your roll goes a long way, and so far Who Gives A Crap has raised over $10 million.

In addition to raising funds and making brightly colored wrappers for their rolls, they also partner with WASH, an initiative focused on bringing water, sanitation, and hygiene to all.

They work with companies like SHOFCO to create innovative ways to make water accessible to people who usually have to travel upwards of 30 minutes one way to obtain water for their families, and Lwala, which installs handwashing stations stocked with soap in rural communities.

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4) Plant Paper

Price | 16 Rolls for $37

Plant Paper’s bamboo is FSC-certified and organically grown and harvested in China.

If you’re wondering about the carbon emissions from shipping materials from China to the States, so was I. But even with the additional carbon emissions from shipping bamboo paper, using a bamboo alternative like Plante Paper is still *three times* less harmful to the environment than using toilet paper made from trees. Three. Times. So, it’s definitely time to make the switch.

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5) Cloud Paper

Price | 24 Rolls for $35

To this date, Cloud Paper has saved over 25k trees using bamboo. They have also planted over 5k trees thanks to their customers.

Their bamboo is sourced from responsibly-managed forests in regions where it grows natively, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Your rolls are delivered in a 100% post-consumer recycled box with plastic-free packing that is entirely compostable or recyclable.

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6) No. 2

Price | 24 Rolls for $46

This bamboo-using company was founded in 2018 and is Responsible Forestry Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Each roll is individually wrapped in recycled paper that uses soy ink to print fun patterns that don’t need to hide under the bathroom sink!

No. 2 harvests their bamboo from the Sichuan province in China and ships from their warehouses in California and Nevada.

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7) Trader Joe’s Bath Tissue

This super accessible toilet paper option ranked “A” in the NRDC’s updated “Issues with Tissues 2.0” report.

This 2020 version of the original report (mentioned earlier), ranks some of the major brands in toilet paper on a grade scale of A-F. Having such an accessible sustainable option is fantastic, but if you are utilizing this option, but make sure to avoid Trader Joe’s *Super Soft* Bath Tissue, which actually earned a “D” ranking. Yikes.

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8) Tushy

If you’re looking for a different alternative to just bamboo or recycled toilet paper, let me introduce the bidet! For anyone wondering about water usage with bidets, just know that producing *one* roll of conventional toilet paper requires 37 gallons of water while using a bidet only uses about a pint for each wash. The numbers speak for themselves.

At the very beginning of the pandemic, when Americans had an issue with hoarding their tissues, a brand called Tushy entered the space and offered people a different option. This company makes easy-to-install, sleek bidets and “puts their money where their butt is”, too, by partnering with Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) projects as they work toward carbon neutrality. 

Tushy also has a line of Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper.

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9) Marley’s Monsters

And last, but certainly not least, we have a reusable toilet paper option from Marley’s Monsters. This product was also created in reaction to the sudden toilet paper shortage in 2020 and has been a hit amongst consumers since. This product is made from 100% cotton flannel for a truly soft wipe and is handmade in Eugene, Oregon. They offer detailed care instructions on their website, and since the fabric isn’t pre-washed, it becomes more absorbent with each use. Marley’s Monsters is a family-founded company focused on bringing reusable options to households everywhere. All fabric waste is donated locally to create new products, like hair accessories.

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About the Author

Paige Annelayne is a freelance writer and digital media specialist currently based in Alabama, who loves to cook, learn about intersectional sustainability, and read a lot of books. Her cat, Gnocchi, her plants, and a good cup of matcha bring her joy. You can connect with Paige on Instagram @vitality.blog and at www.vtltyblog.com

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WANT MORE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!

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