Let’s all be a little more “fashion conscious”

It’s been happening for years but it’s only now that people are starting to open their eyes to the damage climate change is forcing upon the world- a destruction brought upon by human hands. Our modern world is one based upon ideals of consumerism and sadly in 2019 the fashion industry’s carbon footprint is greater than that of the airline industry, making it responsible for more than 8% of the world’s climate impact according to Megan Cerrullo writing for CBS News in April 2019 in her article, Fashion industry’s carbon impact bigger than airline industry’s. Despite these shocking statistics there is a lot which can be done to help reduce both the fashion industry and consumer’s carbon footprint and thus the negative impact this has on our planet.

With documentaries such as David Attenborough’s Our Planet showing the true extent plastic pollution is having on our oceans it makes us wonder what can be done to help reduce this. Looking at the beauty industry in particular with its colossal amounts of packaging, much of which cannot be recycled, we have reached a point where companies may have to consider approaching the situation from a different angle or for consumers to opt for more Eco friendly options. Lush is one example of a company that has always stepped away from the norm to create their own unique culture of planet friendly and cruelty free products amongst an inclusive environment. With the opening of the world’s biggest Lush store in Liverpool earlier this year we can see that a company can both be Eco aware and greatly successful with its three floors of cult favourites and exclusives including packaging free (Naked) skincare and makeup, solid shampoo bars and shower gels. Lush has always encouraged its recycling scheme where in which a customer can bring in five empty black pots and get a free fresh face mask in return to help reduce packaging waste. Now with Kiehl’s following in their footsteps offering their Recycle & Be Rewarded Scheme offering a loyalty card for customers where upon recycling empty packaging in store or using a reusable bag a customer can get a stamp and with ten stamps can collect a free travel-size product. Schemes such as these are brilliant ways in which companies can help reduce waste impact and encourage customers to do the same whilst still maintaining a heavy footfall in store.

However, it is not only the amount of packaging winding up in our oceans and its particles in the bodies of our marine life, but also the huge rise in fast fashion. Nowadays, many people look for something they can wear for one night then to never where again for the sake of never being seen in the same outfit twice. Whatever happened to those wise words, “quality over quantity”? Brands are under pressure to quickly bring out new collections at lower prices to bring about further consumption, yet many of these pieces last little than a year before being poured onto increasingly large landfill sites. This has led to a rise in resale particularly amongst the online markets to save many garments from a life rotting on the landfill, this also making luxury fashion more accessible to the consumer.

Following on from this, methods such as these are focused heavily on reducing the damaging impact on the planet whilst still being consumer friendly. Yet, we are not only trying to save the planet for the sake of the consumer, are we not? – But, also for the animals that live on this earth. Human interference has caused the vast destruction of natural habitats leading to the decline in many animal populations, whilst many species are vital to the well-functioning of our ecosystem. Despite this many companies amongst the beauty industry and beyond still feel the need to test on animals. In our day and age this is an unnecessary act which more and more are turning against with Garnier being an example of a brand taking a step away from ancient methods in so creating their new Garnier Organic skincare range, harnessing natural ingredients like lavender and thyme alongside skin loving ingredients such as salicylic acid offering a range of cruelty-free and Eco conscious products alongside their other ranges. Hopefully, in the future we will be seeing more products following suit and possibly putting the use of animal testing to a halt all together.

With this, maybe we can all be a little bit more “fashion conscious” both as creators and consumers to ensure that not only the industry prospers but our planet also. As humans it is our responsibility to ensure this, no one else is going to step in for us. Our intervention has caused this but our intervention can help stop it. And so it is with acts such as these amongst others that the fashion and beauty industries can help play their part in doing so.

Peace and love xo

This is a little piece I wrote prompted by something I read in Vogue on their talent search page in last month’s issue. Sometimes it’s nice to have something to prompt you and push you away from what you are used to. I say that writing and art are forms that should flow naturally from you, you can’y force your work, especially if you are not in the right frame of mind but little prompts and sparks of inspiration can help us along in the process. I wasn’t going to share this, let alone submit it, because it’s not up to standard, but it’s been sat in my files for a couple of days now so figured why not at least put it on here.

Some ways you can make every day Earth Day

On Monday not only was it the Easter bank holiday, but it was also Earth Day with many people acknowledging that just maybe we should be a little more conscious, as humans, of what we do to our planet. Yet, this was just one day. Let’s also take note of the Extinction Rebellion protests, of David Attenborough’s new series Our Planet now streaming on Netflix, or Greta Thunberg’s speech to the European Parliament demanding action on climate change…this coming from a 16 year old activist.

We can see the damage that the human race is doing to the planet with the impact being visualised now more than ever. There is no more hiding from it. Humans have a habit of hiding from issues whether they be the past (another story to come) or the present.

Now is the time where as humans we make every day Earth Day and make the conscious effort to change our habits. It’s true that many of us are lazy and get stuck in our ways, but despite this there are so many little changes we can make to help save our planet and reverse the effects of climate change.

So, here are just a few ways you can make every day Earth Day:

• Ok, first, because this has been hella annoying me in work lately and I’m ready to scream about it- REUSE YOUR BAGS OR BRING YOUR OWN IT’S NOT HARD. Working in retail makes you realise just how many plastic bags people use…even bags for life, yeah mate they’re for life in the sense that they’re gonna outlive us. Seriously though, the best option is a material based reusable bag that you can pop in your hand bag or a cute tote bag that you can fit your purse in as well as your shopping. Easy.
• Following on from this, lower your plastic consumption. As a consumer there are steps we can take to do this, for example going packaging free on your fruit and veg and simply picking up loose ones- and no they don’t need to go in one of those awful thin flimsy plastic bags, they have skin on them, they’re cool how they are- then all you need to do is pop them in your basket, pay and pop them in your eco-friendly sustainable shopping bag. Ready meals are also a huge issue as the plastic film and black plastic many come in are not recyclable. However, as someone who works in retail it is not only us as consumers who need to pitch in the effort but also the businesses and companies which provide for us. Being responsible for consumer’s needs it is their duty to provide more packaging free options and all larger supermarket chains should be making this a priority.
• Cook from scratch and prepare meals in advance as this will also help lower plastic consumption hugely. Admittedly this is something I could work on more myself in the sense of preparing more in advance, but I do cook a lot of meals from scratch. So many people each day rely on ready meals or pre-packed sandwiches, because they are the quickest and easiest options, but this comes at the price of piles and piles of waste making their way to landfill sites. There are so many tutorials on Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube and beyond with quick and easy recipes which can be pre-prepared ready for the next however many days to take to work or to have when you get home.
• Dietary choices. What we eat has a huge impact on the planet with the meat and dairy industries being some of the world’s leading contributors towards climate change and global warming. Now, before people get presumptuous, I’m not asking people to go full blown vegan or veggie- what you eat is your choice- but pointing out that by simply eating less meat and dairy you are significantly lowering your carbon footprint. The huge demand for meat on people’s plates has lead to huge plots of land and natural habitats being destroyed to do so. However, to grow something like soy, a plant-based alternative, this takes up only a fraction of the space (this is explained very well on the latest episode of Food Unwrapped which you can find on catch up). On top of this, over fishing is hugely affecting fish populations and numbers, hence further affecting the rest of the food chain.
• Continuing on from this, make sure you know where your ingredients are coming from. I’m actually appalled that so many companies are still using non sustainable palm oil. We see images of workers ploughing through huge spaces of rain forests to make space for these palm plantations leaving a multitude of animals without their natural habitat, or worse, dead. Either look for more sustainable options or cut it out.
• Bring your own. Whether that be a reusable cup, food containers or straws which are all super accessible. I see more and more people being encouraged to bring their own cups and bottles and it’s great to see people doing so. However, people seem to be making a huge dilemma over plastic straws??!! With many food places now trialling plastic free alternatives with the most popular being paper, people are confused and saddened as they have a soggy straw. Well, if you had a metal one that were environmentally friendly as you can use it over and over again and carry it with you as you’re out and about then you wouldn’t have this problem. I love my metal straw- it’s bendy and chrome and only cost me like £2.00.
• Opt for a bamboo toothbrush. This is something I’ve only recently done myself, but as I was mooching around TK Maxx I found they had a load of bamboo toothbrushes in as well as other eco-friendly goodies, so of course I brought some. Honestly, does exactly the same as a regular toothbrush.
• Refill. I think this should be so much more popular than it is. This point isn’t just regarding food, but also the beauty and fashion industry. We buy bottles of shampoo or shower gel just for it to be used and then thrown away. More companies should provide the option to refill. A few do so, but it is very limited. In the future I would love to see spaces where consumers can go into a store and refill their bottles. A company like Lush would profit greatly from this, yet it’s time to branch out and for other organisations to take on the initiative too.
• Or just go packaging free. Solid soap still exists and smells and lathers just as nice. Even better, now you can get solid shampoo bars and it’s not just Lush providing them anymore even though they probably do have the larger selection with something to suit each hair type.
• Say bye to aerosols. Huge nasty pollutants that you have to hold your breath just to use. Nah, mate, ain’t nothing wrong with roll on, which in my opinion works so much better. Or even better, solid deodorant bars!
• Shop second hand. This is something I have written about before and expressed my love for (read here). As much as I love fashion, the industry is another huge contributor to climate change as well as onslaughts of clothing being thrown away each day so that people may keep up with the latest trends and continue to consume. Through shopping second hand we are lessening this impact and know that we have made the cleaner decision, even just every now and again whilst mixing it up with high-street or designer labels. Don’t throw your clothes away, there are people out there who will greatly appreciate them.
• Lower your carbon footprint through car sharing, using public transport, walking or cycling. I myself am in need of a car, but this is because I live in the middle of no where with awful public transport and opportunities. I have not bought one because my legs can carry me where I need to go in the meantime (also, cars are very expensive…).

 

These are just a few things I think we could all do every day to help save our planet, some of which I am aware I need to work on more myself. Some are super obvious and you’ve probably already seen them plastered over the internet over the past couple of days, however I feel the more is said about the issue the more is going to be done about it.

Humans have a habit of seeing themselves as the ultimate being. In reality we are all the earth. We come from the earth and will one day return to it. One is all and all is one (yes, I did just reference Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood because the philosophy throughout that whole anime is brilliant). One day we will be the grass or the trees which grow from this earth, do we really want to be the ones who have paved the way to destroy it so many years down the line?

Love your body, mind and soul- meditate, exercise, drink and eat plenty, but as well as caring for yourself make the conscious decision to look after the planet also. Although damage has already been done it is not too late and now is the time to do so. Attenborough has showed us how parts of the environment and the animals that roam our planet have the incredible ability to recover, they just need the time and space to do so.

Make the choice to allow every day to be Earth Day and let our planet thrive once more.

Peace and love xo

What steps have you already taken to help our planet or what else do you think we could do to help?

Side note: this is just coming from one individual, everyone has different opinions and thoughts and I’m no expert, these are just little things I think could help. If I could flip the switch on climate change I would (who wouldn’t?), but then there would still be other global issues to deal with. We are never going to live in a perfect world, we just live the best we can, but despite this we shouldn’t sit back and allow our world to suffer the way it is.