An ecologically-friendly lifestyle is becoming more and more popular nowadays and in many countries it is not only a philosophy of the individuals who are particularly concerned about the natural environment, but it is also a fashionable trend chosen by the people who would like to be trendy. Unfortunately, for the second group of people as well as for the true zero waste devotees who have just started their journey, a lot of aspects of ecologically-friendly living might not be obvious.
It is crucial to become aware of some less obvious practices and products which should not be chosen in case you really want to minimise your impact on the natural environment. This article will tell you more about common products made of artificial polymers which cannot be degraded by the nature.
Fabrics and clothes
Even though the information about the material used for the production of a particular textile item is not a secret and everyone can find it on the item itself, many people are still struggling with understanding of the differences between artificial and natural materials.
It is crucial to point out that a huge amount of clothes nowadays is made of artificial materials. Actually, the majority of garments available in the shops do not have anything in common with natural fabrics whereas a great fraction of all of the fashion production is based on blends of natural threads and artificial ones.
As you can imagine, the problem with such products happens when you want to get rid of them. Some of the clothes made of artificial materials is actually more durable than the one made of natural fabrics which will let you wear it for a longer time unless you get literally tired of it. Still, there is a whole variety of clothes especially among the one which is resembling of wool and leather which is featured with a rather low quality. You can easily notice the peeling effect on the surface of many sweaters even before you start wearing them while such sweaters can also get torn more easily.
The problem with the accessories and shoes made of artificial leather is even more acute since such products can get destroyed even by a change in temperature. It is possible that the shoes of a particular innovative brand will be durable even if they are made of artificial leather, however, for the mass-market production, this is unfortunately not the case.
Taking all of these facts into consideration, it becomes obvious how crucial it is to read the information attached to clothes about the materials it is made of. Fortunately, manufacturers really do inform their customers of such crucial facts about their products.
Disposable goods with an addition of artificial polymers
Providing you are doing your best to be efficient on your zero waste journey, you should be also aware of some places where artificial materials might not be expected.
Cotton pads
One of the most common products which you might still regard as natural is a cotton pad. Indeed, the mere name this product gives you a hint it is made cotton. Unfortunately, the practice of making cotton pads of pure cotton is not thus popular nowadays.
It might be pretty counterintuitive since many manufacturers are trying to revolutionise their products in order to make them biodegradable while others are widely adding artificial materials to some typical items which used to be natural. Thus, you can find cotton pads with only seventy percent of cotton on the modern market and this is certainly not what you want to buy if you are really careful about the amount of waste you are generating.
Beauty products for peeling
Cheap peeling beauty products and various scrubs are some other examples of the products which contain hidden plastic. Actually, in many countries the technology of production such kind of beauty products has already been banned officially, you can still come across many products of such a type.
One of the major problems when it comes to such products is the fact marine creatures mistakes small pieces of plastic which are supposed to create the peeling effect for food. They swallow such micro pieces which can then get stuck inside their bodies causing various forms of damage.
Durable nail polishes
Interestingly, many people are not aware of the fact acrylic nail polishes are also the examples of the products which can cause serious damage to the natural environment. In the reality such a polish in spite of being partially dissolved during the procedure of removal, certainly does not completely disappear from the world and everyone who is concerned about our planet should be aware of that.
Good to know! i will consistently avoid products containing this ingredient.