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It’s bad enough knowing just how many products are packaged in plastic, but consumers must also be conscious about products made from the same crude oils that makes plastic. Most of these are everyday products that you probably used this morning. Did you floss or brush your teeth? Those are both made from plastic which is made from fossil fuels. Since the dawn of plastic, formulas have been experimented with and altered to make products more durable, thicker or simply hold together better. Yet, as environmentalists and scientists have been sounding the alarm for the past few decades, these innovations aren’t always the best when it comes to how they impact our health and the environment. From water pollution to being possible carcinogens it appears that it’s time to revisit nature and break up with plastic if we want to have a healthy future.
Here are a few products that you can switch out to avoid supporting plastics and the fossil fuel industries.
Clothing Made With Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon are made from nonrenewable fossil fuels. Petroleum oil is extracted and refined through a processes that involves coal, alcohol and acids. The end result are fibers that are durable, do not absorb water and are ideal for a multitude of uses.
The Problem: However, they’re almost too durable and polyester and nylon products are estimated to take 500 years to decompose all while leeching chemicals into the soil, ground water and air. Also, while we wear and wash these items they leech tiny pieces, called microplastics, into the washer machine that go into the ocean where they are ingested by marine life.
The Solution: Shop clothing that is made from organic or natural fibers- wool, cashmere, silk, cotton, hemp, linen, or recycled polyester and nylon. Natural fibers decompose in a matter of years and recycled fabrics minimize waste and the extraction of nonrenewable materials.
Elastic In Stretchy Intimates & Activewear
Not only are bras, panties and leggings most likely made from synthetic plastic-based fibers like nylon and polyester, these are also made with spandex, another type of plastic that is used in garments to give them stretch.
The Problem: Elastane, spandex and lycra are a polyether-polyurea copolymer. It’s a cheaply made plastic fiber that was invented in Germany in 1937. While the fabric has a multitude of uses, the chemicals used to make it cause a multitude of damage. Several are known carcinogens that can be harmful to workers handling them. Also, once discarded it is another type of plastic that can take hundreds of years to decompose.
The Solution: Support brands investing in recycled fabrics and materials to help minimize landfill pollution or brands using natural materials like wool or cotton to prevent our dependence on plastic-based fabrics.
Running Shoes
Few of us give a thought about the anatomy of our sneakers. Part of that is because while features like being lightweight, breathable or water resistant are highlighted, the materials used to achieve these effects rarely are. Take ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) for instance. This plastic rubber-like foam gives that cushion-like bounce that you love so much in your sneakers while also being durable and adaptable to be used throughout the products.
The Problem: As another type of plastic, EVA is difficult to break down.
The Solution: While there currently aren’t many alternative options available, there are a few noteworthy sustainable brands using biodegradable materials like wool, cotton and natural rubber in place of plastic in their shoes.
Sunscreen
Some studies have shown that microplastics are present in sunscreens. These are used as cheap binders and barriers on the skin. If you’re wondering if your sunscreen has microplastics look for ingredients like acrylates, dimeticone or carbomer.
The Problem: Research suggests that some of these chemicals present in sunscreens can accelerate the bleaching process of coral reefs when washed into the ocean.
The Solution: You might want to use a certified natural mineral sunscreen. Look for formulas that use natural vegetation waxes instead of plastic. Also, check to see if the brand has a coral-reef safe seal to ensure that the ingredients used aren’t damaging to coral reefs when washed into the ocean.
Shampoo
If you’re wondering what plastics are doing in your hair care products, know that you’re not alone. Many of us aren’t well versed in the scientific names for various types of plastics. But, if you’ve ever see polyethylenes or plymethyls in the ingredient list, then you’re probably using a product that has plastic in it. These are man-made liquid plastics used to thicken formulas.
The Problem: While more research needs to be done, plastic additives like polyethylene have been linked to lower immunity and endocrine disruption. The products leech into our bodies from direct exposure and through the soil and water sources.
The Solution: Believe it or not we don’t need plastic to clean our hair. Support brands that use sustainably derived plant extracts and oils for their shampoo formulas. Or, try traditional plants that have been used to cleanse hair for thousands of years. In India, women have used shikakai, a type of shrub, for thousands of years to clean and add luster to the hair.
Toothpaste & Your Toothbrush
Have you ever used a toothpaste that almost feels like it has a ‘scrubbing’ texture to it? Most likely, you can thank tiny plastic beads made from polyethylene, which as you’ve probably already guessed is a type of plastic. While these plastic microbeads have mostly been banned, toothpastes still use plastics like poloxamer and carbomer in their products as binders and thickeners.
The Problem: If the FDA banned microbeads in cosmetics, then you know that they must pose a serious problem. But, what about other types of plastics found in toothpastes? Studies have found that these chemicals pose a threat to marine life when runoff water enters their ecosystem.
The Solution: Invest in brands that invest in recyclable and recycled packaging as a solution to plastic waste and natural ingredients. While there are popular brands like Toms and Arm & Hammer, there are disruptive brands that make toothpaste tabs that use less water as another solution to minimizing wasting natural resources.
Lipstick & Lipgloss
Polyethylene is a popular ingredient used in many beauty products because of its ability to dilute solids or increase the thickness of oils.
The Problem: There is limited data to suggest that polyethylene causes environmental harm. However, it’s still a plastic and will take several hundred years to decompose while it seems into the soil and ground water.
The Solution: There are brands that focus on using certified organic ingredients and natural nourishing oils and fruit extracts to blur the lines between makeup and skincare. And, synthetics or plastic ingredients are not used or needed.
