How do we know whether a product is eco-friendly or not ? It is a common question that people have when they are getting started on this journey.
We are still learning but this checklist is what we use to understand a product better no matter what the advertisement says.
1. How are they manufactured - resources used, water use and energy consumption. All-natural and least processed are the best.
2. Their nature. How they behave when they are being used - depends on their chemical content.
3. What happens after their use - home composting/industrial composting/recyclable/trash.
4. How much packaging is used. Can it be bought locally? Packaging should be minimal, compostable or recycled easily.
5. Some other metrics to consider - social impact and carbon footprint.
Eco-friendly Product Checklist -
1. Material & Composition
2. Production Process
3. Packaging
4. Energy Efficiency - low energy used
5. Compostability
6. Social Impact
7. Carbon Footprint
Even if 5 out of the 7 metrics are met, it is a good product to support. We think compostability(esp. at home) is a big one. It is a useful metric because the less processed, all-natural, non-toxic products are the ones that can be composted at home!
If you found this helpful, please leave us a comment. We would love to hear from you.