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The 5 R's
You can't buy a sustainable lifestyle. That might sound like counterproductive marketing since we're an ecommerce store selling plastic-free products. But sustainability comes from a number of choices you make every single day.
In the time of the Billionaire's space race, it's easy to slip into a defeatist mindset and wonder if all of your sustainable decisions are just inconsequential after the environmental impacts of Bezos' and Musk's rocket launches.
But every little choice you make counts because if we all give up, things will only get worse.
So where do you start? I find the 5 R's very useful. You've most likely heard of three of them before.
Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!
But there are two more steps in reducing waste and the first one is...
1. Refuse
Start by refusing to purchase wasteful or non-recyclable products.
You get far more bang for your buck with a shampoo bar. Liquid shampoo is traditionally made with 80-90% water, whereas a 70 gram Lusid bar is the liquid equivalent of 1.3 l of liquid. Instead of pumping shampoo into your hand from a bottle, you wet the bar so it starts to lather and then apply the bar directly to your scalp.
Another easy place to start is refusing free stuff. Think about if you really need that little thing on offer first, or if you just want the pen, keychain, whatever it might be, just because you don't have to pay for it.
2. Reduce
Reduce your dependency on the use of harmful, wasteful and non-recyclable products. Keep a spare bag with you so you are always prepared for a trip to the supermarket and don't need to pay for a paper one at the counter. Invest in some metal straws and travel cutlery so you don't have to take the plastic ones when eating out. Pick up a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one. And of course, Lusid shampoo and conditioner bars instead of the liquid in plastic bottles. Or Lusid Leave in Conditioner or Curl Defining Creme Gel instead of the styling products in plastic tubs and bottles from the supermarket.
There are endless opportunities for reducing your dependency harmful and wasteful products so make the choices that you can fit in their budget.
3. Reuse
Replace single-use plastics with reusable items. If you haven't already, a quick and easy swap to make is a metal water-bottle instead of the single-use plastic ones. Or if you are able to invest a bit more money, switch to a safety razor and swap out the blades instead of buying plastic disposable ones.
If something is broken, try your best to repair it first before throwing it out and buying a new one, especially with clothes. Stains come out and holes can be stitched, everything you need to know about repairing things is just a google search or YouTube tutorial away.
4. Repurpose
If it can't be refused, reduced or reused, try to repurpose it. If you use Lusid Curl Defining Creme Gel, repurpose your tins to store your shampoo and conditioner bars to keep them dry between uses and make sure they last longer.
5. Recycle
Once you've gone through all of the other options, Recycling is the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of your waste. Take the time to find your nearest soft plastic recycling - start by looking at the front of your local supermarket, and drop off your soft plastics there every time you go for groceries.
It's also important to remind you here that the cardboard boxes that our shampoo and conditioner bars come in are home compostable and printed with soy-based inks. So you can pop those into your garden or compost bin if you have one to break down instead of the recycling bin.
When it comes to the 5 R's of Reducing Waste, think of an upside-down triangle. The top and widest segment is Refuse because it's the most important step. The bottom and smallest segment is for Recycling because it's really a last ditch attempt at reducing waste. There's so much more you can try before throwing something in a recycling bin. But of course that's what you should do if that's the last option.
It's super cheesy, but together we can make a difference. Every single little choice that every one of us makes means one more or less piece of rubbish heading to landfill.
What will you choose?