Making Sustainable Choices: Small Changes that Make a Real Difference | AD
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Reducing waste and improving our environmental impact is a hot topic at the moment. As a family, we are always looking for ways to reduce waste at home and have always recycled, made sure food waste is composted and reused as much as we possibly could around our home. But I’ve started to realise that sometimes smaller changes can make a huge difference when it comes to our environmental footprint.
Recent research from TePe UK has shown that people across the country spend an average of £300 per year on health and beauty products, yet two thirds of us don’t purchase sustainable options because we feel they are too expensive. From personal experience I know this is one reason I have steered away from making sustainable choices, as I presumed that they would be much more expensive than the typical products we buy.
But our environmental impact isn’t just about the products we purchase. It’s also about how we live. For instance, do you leave the taps running when you brush your teeth or use beauty products that you know have a harmful impact on the environment? I know that until recently I gave very little thought to things like this.
With that said, it may come as a surprise that being kinder to the environment in our everyday routines is actually easier than you think. For inspiration, here’s some simple steps that we have started to take as a family to help us become more environmentally friendly:
Consider sustainable alternatives – One third of us already take steps to purchase sustainable health and beauty products, which is becoming easier as brands introduce more eco-friendly options to the market. So, why not do some research and see if you can switch to an alternative product that’s more sustainable?
For instance, the new TePe GOOD toothbrush is a fantastic alternative to traditional brushes. As the UK’s first bio-plastic toothbrush, it is made from sugarcane and castor oil and manufactured using only green energy. By using renewable raw materials, TePe is able to recirculate up to 95% of the CO 2 emissions during the product’s lifecycle. Even better, it’s not just good news for the planet, it’s also been designed by oral health professionals and so doesn’t compromise on quality, durability or design.
The toothbrushes even come in a mini size for the children – which LP and Little Man love! I had seen wooden toothbrushes before which I tried, and they didn’t feel as natural to brush with, but the TePe GOOD brushes have a great feel to them.
Reduce your water waste – Turning taps off when you brush your teeth and taking showers rather than baths are simple ways to reduce water waste.
Invest in multi-purpose products – Multi-use products mean less waste and can be more cost effective. Look for all-in-one make-up sticks that can be used on your lips, eyes, and cheeks or for moisturisers with an SPF that can also double up as a sun cream.
We’ve been following these tips as a family, taking our first steps to reducing our environmental footprint. We’ve been turning the tap off when we brush our teeth, using small electricals less often and even starting to dry washing on the line again now the weather is warmer.
The new TePe GOOD toothbrushes are our first sustainable product choice but I know we will be making more sustainable choices around our home – purchasing reusable drinking straws, using refillable water bottles and taking travel coffee cups with us instead of having a takeaway cup.
I’ve realised that taking steps to reduce your environmental impact isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about making small changes that make a real difference. If everyone made just few small changes each then the positive environmental impact would be huge.
So, with that in mind, why not make some changes to your routine too? It could be filling the kettle with just the amount of water you are going to use, it might be cutting a couple of minutes off your shower time or it might be investing in TePe GOOD® toothbrushes for the whole family.
The TePe GOOD® toothbrush will be available from March 2019 in Waitrose and dental practices with an RRP of £2.75. To find out more visit: https://www.tepe.com/uk/about-tepe/sustainability/good/
These toothbrushes look great. I’ve noticed that the National Trust use ‘plastic’ cups that are made from plants so they’re compostable. I’ve been wondering when companies would start using it to make other plastic products so this is great to see. We’ve been using the bamboo toothbrushes but I’d definitely give these ones a try as well, great to find several sustainable options. It’s good that doing your bit for the environment is becoming so much easier.
Nat.x
They look really good. We’re always trying to do more for the environment but often slip back into bad habits. We do need to invest in sustainable toothbrushes so this is one small change we can make for the good. Thanks for sharing x
I am becoming more and more conscious of things like this I think it’s a wonderful idea!
I think we should make this change we do seem to go through an awful lot of toothbrushes and I’d never really thought about it before.