Did you know that each year we throw away 2.12 billion tons of waste? Although authoritative bodies around the world have introduced schemes and initiatives to encourage recycling — most of our waste continues to end up in landfills; which is leading to severe consequences for the environment. This figure is also expected to grow to 4 billion by 2100.
Often, our waste ends up in the ocean too. According to some studies, 1.4 billion pounds of rubbish ends up in our waters each year which is having a profound impact on marine life — so much so, scientists have estimated that the amount of plastic will outweigh the fish by 2050.
The volume of waste is significantly high as almost all waste is disposed of within six months. Because of this, more businesses around the world are looking at more sustainable ways to create their products in a bid to help better the world that we live in.
Traidcraft Shop: Recycled Tableware
Founded in 1979, Ngwenya Glass pride themselves on creating handmade glassware that has positive environmental impacts. Originally set up as a Swedish Aid Project, Ngwenya Glass now trains over 60 people in the art of glassblowing to create one-of-a-kind pieces ethical homeware.
All products are handcrafted from 100% recycled glass, sourced from throughout eSwatini by local people. Ngwenya Glass encourages communities to come together for clean-up days along main roads in the area to gather discarded glass. Most of the glass used to be soft drink bottles!
The company do give back to the community in exchange for glass — paying communities by the kilo. The business also works with local schools to educate young people in the importance of environmentalism and recycling, and supports schools with building materials and learning resources.
Lush Cosmetics: Naked Products
Aside from ethical homeware, Cosmetics brand Lush is known as one of the most environmentally-aware brands in the country. So much so they claim to be 100% vegetarian, promote ethical buying, fight animal testing, craft their products by hand and offer naked packaging products which is helping reduce the chaotic packaging crisis Britain is now facing.
Each person on the planet uses 200 pounds of plastic each year. This has highlighted a huge problem and put great responsibility upon businesses internationally and through innovative design, Lush Cosmetics were able to develop several products that didn’t require packaging to sell.
Whether you’re in the market for a new bar of soap or a new shampoo, this is the place for you. As well as this, all of plastic used by Lush is 100% recycled.
Fjällräven: Re-Kånken And Eco-Shell
You’ve probably sported a few university students sporting the Kånken bag here in the UK. Originating from a small town in Sweden, the company focuses on outdoor clothing and equipment and is committed to making nature more accessible for adventurers alike while having a focus on the simplicity of their products.
The creation of the bag requires countless hours of craftsmanship and care. To play their part in helping the environment, they released the Re-Kånken bag which is made entirely from polyester recycled from plastic bottles.
As well as this, it is dyed with SpinDye technology which ‘radically reduces’ the amount of water, energy and chemicals used. As well as the iconic backpack, the same company introduced the Eco-Shell — and its name says it all. Eco-Shell is also made from recycled polyester and unlike many other products on the market, perflourinated chemicals are not involved in the creation.
Wasteboards: Skateboards
If you’ve been to Amsterdam, you’ll notice a lot of people on skateboards — but a lot of them are actually made from waste and are named Wasteboards. Benefiting the environment as research has suggested that there are 20,000 plastic bottles are being bought every second, this forward-thinking company collect plastic bottle tops to create the deck of the board.
The company itself often relies on the great help of the public, and encourages people to collect bottle top lids when they can. As well as this, fishermen who use the canals in Amsterdam are also asked to collect as much as they can.
The bottle tops are then molded into a design that appeals to their young demographic. This company loves the idea of being sustainable and being able to sell a sustainable product, so even if your wasteboard breaks — they will recycle the broken plastic and create you a new one!
Conclusion
This proves that the ability of businesses to be creative and think outside of the box can truly have admirable benefits that help both people in the planet — could you become more ethically focused?
I hope you enjoyed this article about unique businesses that are creatively reducing waste and going green.
Interested in more articles about eco-friendly business?
Read My Related Posts:
- How To Be An Epic Eco-Friendly Entrepreneur
- Environmental Impact Of Your Company In Your Hands
This proves that the ability of businesses to be creative and think outside of the box can truly have admirable benefits that help both people in the planet — could you become more ethically focused?
I hope you enjoyed this article about unique businesses that are creatively reducing waste and going green.
Interested in more articles about eco-friendly business?
Read My Related Posts:
- How To Be An Epic Eco-Friendly Entrepreneur
- Environmental Impact Of Your Company In Your Hands
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