As we adjust to the "new normal" of quarantine life, the importance of maintaining daily routines is more pertinent than ever. Where morning commutes have been replaced with migrations from bedrooms to kitchen tables and all (non-virtual) social events are cancelled for the foreseeable future, we find that it's in the small actions that we can control that can give us deep satisfaction.

Cutting down the amount of non-recyclable plastic we use is one small step with big (and positive) repercussions. The amount of packaging waste we accumulate while being at home is mind boggling, from our once-a-week shop to the e-commerce purchases of beauty products and necessities we replenish. 

According to a report for the WWF, it was calculated that total plastic waste generation in the UK in 2014 was around 4.9 million tonnes and could increase to a whopping 6.3 million tonnes by 2030. Plastic packaging made up two-thirds of plastic waste in 2014.  While the idea of a ‘zero waste’ lifestyle has been around for a while now and the number of eco-centric and plastic-free brands have grown exponentially over the past few years, not many are in our mainstream e-commerce channels or easy alternatives to found in places we're frequenting the most. So we thought we'd share three brands that have come across our radar only recently, despite them all being around quite some time.

BEAUTY KUBES
In 2017, all-natural beauty brand Eve of St. Agnes decided to go further and set up Beauty Kubes, an entirely zero-waste, vegan friendly range of solid shampoos and beauty products. These little cubes are an easy alternative to shampoo bars which sometimes have a tendency to mash hair into a felted mess. The bonus is that they have also cut down Carbon emissions, producing more locally and handmade in Cornwall in a production facility powered entirely by solar and wind energy, a move directly informed by the scenes of plastic pollution broadcast by the BBC’s Blue Planet II series and the work of their local charity, Surfers Against Sewage.



LEAF SHAVE
Despite their name, safety razors have a tangible sense of danger, especially for the perennially clumsy. Enter: Leaf, a completely plastic-free razor that like plastic cartilage razors has a pivoting head, but is made entirely of metal and only requires replacement blades.  Old school yet so modern! Designed by two mechanical engineers, the Leaf Shave has meant that an estimated 1.5 million disposable cartridges have avoided going into a landfill. Co-founder Adam Simone states that “In the world we're living in today, consumers should be demanding better solutions.” They hope, he continues, to bring change to the world “one person at a time.” Exciting times for a company that got started via a Kickstarter campaign and were willed (and funded) into being by a community of shavers ready to ditch the plastic.



TOTM
All of TOTM’s tampons, pads, and liners are made with GOTS certified organic cotton, which means that it is grown using sustainable methods and without toxic pesticides. Moreover, their products are all free of synthetic absorbents, chlorine bleach and fragrance all of which can cause irritation (and who actually wants their nethers to smell of ‘cotton breeze’ and ‘lilac fields’?). They have a reusable cup as well, if that’s more your menstrual mood. AND they donate to Binti International who provide sanitary products to women and girls in the UK and globally and to Endometriosis UK. YES to Period Power.



Shop TOTM here below: