Now it is the last day of July- just time for my last post about Plastic Free July. Consumer pressure is one of the biggest ways we can make a difference; because companies will have to stop selling things if no one is buying them, and if there is huge demand for something else they will start to sell that. Consumer pressure means that consumers (in this case all of us, when we buy from shops) choose what they are buying wisely, to show businesses what products they think should be sold more. For example, you could choose the chocolate bar without palm oil in when you go shopping, or choose something that comes in paper or glass rather than plastic. If we can get a good amount of people to do this, then companies will have to shift what they sell.
This is really easy for us to do- we just have to make day-to-day decisions slightly differently in ways that can make a big difference to the planet. We can also share tips with friends and family so they can do it too! But what are the things you should be thinking about?
- Check if products have palm oil in. To grow the trees from which the oil is extracted, companies cut down huge areas of rainforest, destroying habitats and endangering wildlife. It can be found in soap, shampoo, chocolate, bread etc. Useful website: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/which-everyday-products-contain-palm-oil
- Try to buy things that come in paper or cardboard rather than plastic. Some cereal can be bought without the plastic lining and things like jams can easily be found in glass, which can be recycled or re-used. I have found a shop near me where I can just fill jars up with everything from pasta, to flour to nuts. There is also another shop where I can get fruit and vegetables in paper bags rather than plastic. So find what works best for you! Useful website: https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/
- But what about when you buy clothes? Well, it's still all in the choice: picking which brands you buy from can make a huge difference. And be careful of greenwashing- lots of companies claim to be environmentally friendly when this is actually not true. Useful website: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ This allows you to find which brands are truly the most environmentally friendly.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this. Now it is the summer I won't be posting as often but I'll be back in September!
Have a great summer holiday everyone!
Ayla :)
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