As a self confessed shopaholic, I often find myself impulsively buying tons of clothing. However, like many people I have recently become aware of the devastating consequences the fast-fashion industry has on both people and the planet. I would love to share some tips and tricks I have learnt during this journey of shopping more sustainably. 

1. Let’s get educated! 

A great way to start shopping more sustainably is by educating yourself about the need for a more transparent and ethical fashion industry. Here are a number of great resources I would recommended: 

The True Cost 

The True Cost is an informative and eye opening documentary currently available to stream online. The documentary explores the damaging impacts the fashion industry has on the planet and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing? 

How to Break Up With Fast-Fashion - Lauren Bravo

A refreshingly honest and guilt-free guide on how to change the way you shop for the better. Bravo offers realistic advice on how to repair, recycle and give old items a new lease of life, all without sacrificing your style, and the planet! 

Wardrobe Crisis - Clare Press 

An eye opening podcast hosted by Clare Press, Sustainability Editor at VOGUE that discusses the important topics of sustainability, ethics, fashion, culture, activism and the environment. 

2. Shopping Second-Hand 

According to ThreadUp 62 million women bought second-hand garments in 2019! With the emergence of second-hand platforms such as Depop, Vinted and Shpock it has never been easier to shop sustainability from the comfort of your own home! After all, the single best thing we can do is consume less and reuse more. 

3. Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle! 

A great way to give new life to much loved clothing is to upcycle. There are endless affordable, creative ways to do this from repairing, sewing, cropping, and dyeing clothing. It is amazing to see how garments can be transformed through shopping your own wardrobe. 

4. Support Small, Sustainable Businesses 

A sustainable future is at the heart of many brands, such as Ecobox, that are hoping to change the planet for the better! Where possible try and support local, ethical businesses that are campaigning for change. I would also recommend using the app, Good On You, to explore which fashion brands are certified as sustainable. 

I look forward to hearing about your journey towards shopping more sustainably. It’s all about taking small steps and positive actions in order to finally break up with fast-fashion! 

The Team at EcoBox xxx 

Beauty:

• Gaia & Vie
  • Hand-formulated sustainable face oil that comes in 2 options: clarity and nourish. Clarity is a hemp blend face oil for oily, red and acne-prone skin. Nourish is an almond blend face oil for dry and sensitive skin
• Spirit of Summer
  • Organic, vegan & sustainable skincare products handcrafted in London. Their gift sets make the perfect present, containing an exfoliating salt scrub and moisturising body butter.
• Pillow Sprays
  • A beautiful range of pillow sprays to aid sleep. There is a scent for everyone, including Lavender & Rose Geranium and Bergamot & Frankincense. 
• Roots By VanL
  • Cruetly free handmade natural soaps and lip balms. The Spa Gift Set contains a soap, wooden soap dish, lip balm, body loofah and bath fizz, making a great pamper sustainable gift!
• Flamingo Soap Co
  • Luxury artisan soap that is almost too pretty to use! Our favourite scent has to be peach blossom & honey. 
• Lumore
  • A Luxury wellness brand, handcrafting bath soaks, body balms, oils and wax melts. We love the look of the well-being boxes for the perfect gift to discover their products. 

Candles:

• Cosmic Bloom Studios
  • Candles handcrafted from 100% natural soy wax available in mini or large and a variety of scents. 
• Sonder Candles  
  • Uniquely shaped candles in a range of pastel and neutral colours.
• Willow & Blossom Botanicals 
  • Botanical candles in amber jars and soy wax melts, made with paraben free fragrances, cotton wicks and biodegradable packaging.

Food:

• Cambridge Baking Company
  • Home baking kits with a reusable glass bottle. The vegan brownies sound like our favourite, but they also do a variety of cookie kits too.

We hope you find the perfect gift!

Lots of love, 

Kate at Ecobox 

xxx

Step 1: Cleanse

Massage the Lucky Cloud cleansing balm into your face and neck. This nourishing balm will melt away dirt, grime and even stubborn makeup whilst the blend of neroli, geranium and sandalwood essential oils will leave your skin smelling great. 

Step 2: Wipe away

Wipe away the balm using a Moonie makeup round. These rounds are made from soft pure brushed cotton and are in a pack of 7, one for each day of the week!

Step 3: Tone 

Spritz the Nathalie Bond face mist over your face. This super gentle rosewater mist will tone and hydrate your skin whilst smelling amazing! It’s also a great addition to your handbag, for a hydrating spritz on the go. 

Step 4: Moisturise

Use your favourite moisturiser next; don’t forget to moisturise your neck! It’s commonly missed but it’s important to keep the skin hydrated and firm. 

Step 5: Apply Serum

Apply UpCircle Face Serum onto skin to help boost collagen and keep skin firm. Rich in vitamin C, antioxidant-rich coffee and rosehip oils fade dark spots and scars whilst brightening your complexion. 

Repeat every morning and evening for super soft and hydrated skin!

Lots of love, 

EcoBox x 

1. Buy a reusable advent calendar

Invest in a reusable advent calendar that you can refill year after year. There are loads of different varieties to buy, from wooden to fabric, even a mini stocking for each day.

You can fill them with whatever you like, whether that be chocolate like the traditional calendars or something more exciting like gin. You will be saving plastic and cardboard each year. 

2. Use sustainable decorations

Most people already re-use their decorations year on year with a few new additions and maybe a few replacements when things get broken. Family heirlooms are instantly sustainable because we use them every year.

If you do find yourselves needing to buy new decorations why not look for recyclable materials such as brass, wood, cardboard or glass. That way if anything is damaged or broken, by your crazy cat or otherwise, the materials can be handed over to your local council for recycling.

Or, make your own - dried orange slice decorations are easy to make and look great hung on the Christmas tree. 

3. Use LED lights

Using LED lights around the house is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. They’re much more environmentally friendly than their incandescent counterparts and do just as good a job of giving your home that Christmassy feel.

4. Use sustainable wrapping paper

Sustainable wrapping paper is another great way of reducing your carbon footprint during the Christmas period. Most wrapping paper rolls you find in the supermarket are non-recyclable because they contain materials such as foil, plastic or glitter.

The best alternatives are to source yourself some good, old fashioned brown wrapping paper, re-use last years or get creative and use products around the home, such as a scarf!

5. Reduce food waste

Seriously, who wastes food? Amazingly, some people do. I know, crazy right?

Planning ahead is a great start to limiting the amount of food that will end up wasted. Write down a plan and make a shopping list before heading out to the shops.

Secondly, make sure you’re adding food that has to be binned to the correct bin. Your composter or green bin will ensure that unwanted food isn’t wasted. Thirdly, have Christmas dinner every day until New Years – that’s our solution!

Finally, use food waste apps like OLIO where you can exchange unwanted food with your local users (FYI - you can get really cheap, high-quality food from restaurants and cafes too with Too Good To Go or Karma).

6. Use sustainable crackers

Traditional Christmas crackers are made from similar materials to our usual wrapping paper – foil, glitter, plastic mixed with cardboard.

However, reusable Christmas crackers can be made from materials such as linen and can be used year on year – you can even use your own gifts… or slide a tenner in one, it depends how generous you’re feeling!

7. Avoid sending Christmas cards, or send sustainable alternatives

A growing number of us avoid sending Christmas cards altogether nowadays, but those of us who do should be looking at our cards closely for the “Forest Stewardship Council” mark (FSC). This confirms your card has been produced ethically and sustainably.

You could also buy cards the receiver can plant! Yes, seed paper is now a thing and placing this seeded paper/card on top of your compost and watering it will produce flowers (or whatever the seed came from). 

8. Shop small

Nothing says Christmas like everyone getting the same gifts. The latest football kit, the freshest Apple product, the newest Xbox game.

What if there were alternatives to Amazon? Nowadays, there are hundreds of excellent, high quality small businesses across social media – particularly Instagram – where much more personal items can be bought or made to order. You’re supporting small business owners whilst getting something really special for your loved one. 

9. Get crafty

It doesn’t get more personal than making that special someone something with your own hands. Now, we wouldn’t advise you build your own smartwatch or tablet, that would be ridiculous, but you could make a DIY candy dispenser or bake a boxful of tasty gingerbread treats for grandma. This one is especially good if you have kids, as it can double up as a fun weekend activity!

We hope you find some of these neat tips and tricks useful. Remember, you don’t have to do all of these, every little helps. It’s just about what fits into your lifestyle.

Merry Christmas!

With love,

Ecobox

A lot of companies are stating that their medium to long term aims are to become carbon neutral by a certain year. Many ambitious companies are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030, but most big businesses (and even government legislators) are aiming for the more conservative 2050 – like automotive giants Honda.

But what is carbon-neutrality? And what is a carbon offset? Many avid environmentalists will know what these terms mean but not everyone does so I thought it would be a good idea to write a bit about it in this blog.

Carbon Neutrality

Carbon neutrality is the act of having a net zero carbon footprint. The best way to do this is to use purely renewable energy, walk everywhere and become vegan whilst living off the fat of the land – sounds hard? It is.

Most people need to take the bus to work, enjoy eating the occasional bacon sandwich and can’t afford to have land to grow their own crops year-round.

So, what can us mere mortals do about our meddling carbon footprint? That’s where carbon offsetting comes in!

Carbon offsetting is basically the carbon emissions you create (or help to), minus the same amount by supporting or doing something good elsewhere. You can calculate your emissions online.

To many people, the most obvious answer is to plant trees in any old neck of the woods. That’s a good idea in theory, trees absorb carbon until they fully mature but the carbon remains stored there until they’re cut down or burned.

So, in many countries where land is tight this isn’t possible because trees can’t be allowed to dominate the land for centuries on end. It’s much better to ensure the carbon just isn’t generated at all.

Offsetting projects

The best way to carbon offset is to find a verified, gold standard project to donate to and choose one that means the most to you.

One example could be to help fund a safeguard against Amazonian deforestation in Brazil, another could be to help install solar home cookers in Heqing, China. The first reduces the carbon released into the atmosphere by logging companies burning trees whereas the second reduces China’s dependence on coal.

These are all a little out of sight though, and it’s completely understandable if you’d prefer to do something more visual – something you can look at and be a little proud of.

Changes at home

Offsetting or reducing carbon doesn’t have to be about grand gestures and donating lots of your hard-earned salary to far-flung countries and organisations.

Small wins can be found every day. Booking a business trip or holiday to New York, Amsterdam, wherever? Find the company that has it’s own offsetting programme or most fuel efficient planes.

Got a choice between locally-made goods and generic supermarket junk? Choose the local business who doesn’t have lorry loads of resources travelling around the country every morning. Got an appointment at the dentist that’ll take 40 minutes by foot but 5 minutes by car? Take that walk and enjoy some fresh air whilst earning that chocolate dessert for later on.

It’s all that simple, reduce where you can and do whatever feels compatible with your lifestyle.