Happy New Year and welcome to 2023 !
Have you thought of your new year’s resolutions yet ? If not, no need to worry ! The IST Environment Group are here to give some sustainable resolutions that you can easily accomplish at home. This blog will show you that there is more to living an eco-friendly life than just taking shorter showers, turning off your lights and eating less red meat.
1. Understanding the recycling logos
It is very important to understand the differences between the logos you see on packaging. The variety of symbols often confuses customers, so here is a brief lesson on them:
This is the ‘Green Dot’ symbol. It doesn’t guarantee that the product is recyclable, or that is has come from recycled materials. In fact, the label is only there to show that the company has made some financial contribution to Europe’s recycling and recovery plans.
This is the Triman logo. It shows that the product can be recycled, but consumers has to dispose of their waste correctly. This logo can only be found in France and has been an obligatory addition for all recyclable packaging since 2015.
This is the standard recycling symbol. There are 7 different types of material that are indicated by the number placed in the centre of this image. However, be careful because some products will have components that are recyclable and some others that are not.
2. Buying eco-friendly replacements for household items
There are many long-lasting and waste-free products that you can buy to reduce your consumption. This includes washable bamboo make-up remover pads to replace cotton pads, re-usable beeswax wraps to replace clingfilm and multi-use washcloths or paper towels that can be washed, instead of single use paper ones.
3. Consider slow fashion
Slow Fashion is about being more mindful when shopping for clothes. Consumers take into account the ethical and ecological aspects of the products, whilst aiming to buy lasting products. It is estimated that every year, four million tons of clothes are wasted in Europe alone! Buying clothes second-hand or thrifting is a great way to minimise waste and it is also less pricey. When buying more pricier clothing, make sure to look at the producers and check the quality and working ethics of the company.
4. Upcycling
As well as donating unwanted items or clothes to charities, you may want to consider up taking upcycling, (no pun intended)! Upcycling enables you to creatively find ways to transform products for better use. For example, using old metal tins as plant holders, or turning old denim jeans into bags.
5. Giving back to help others
Social sustainability is just as important as environmental sustainability! Donating to trustworthy and impactful charities is very crucial to maintaining social equity. As a student, parent or teacher at IST, you have the opportunity to donate produce to Resto du Cœur or buy a cake from bake sales organised by the school’s representatives of UNICEF, Fairtrade or Water aid.
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