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Are Refillable Products The Future?

Are Refillable Products The Future?

Is the future refillable?

When we look at the history of plastics, it’s disheartening to realize that only 9% of all plastics ever created have been recycled. Another 12% has been incinerated; a whopping  79%, then, has accumulated in landfills and nature.

That’s right: your Bonnie Bell Lip Smacker tube circa 1995 is quite likely still somewhere on this planet.

Refillable products (like ice cream in stainless steel jars and shampoo bottles refilled in-store) aren’t new. But while most people say they want eco-friendly product options, their purchasing behaviors sing a different tune. Consumers tend to prioritize convenience over eco-friendliness, time and time again.

Today I speak with Izzy Zero Waste Beauty founder Shannon Goldberg about closed loop consumption. Is packaging the problem, or does the problem lie within our consumption?

Here’s a preview:

[6:00] 2 major barriers to mainstream refillables

[11:00] Do refillable products *actually* make a dent in our trash production? What about our oversized environmental woes?

[15:00] Refillable products and next-level greenwashing: Why we must expand our collective definition of waste to account for excess carbo emissions from sending back our products

[20:00] Are refillable options sanitary in a post-COVID world?

 

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Refillable products (like ice cream in stainless steel jars and shampoo bottles refilled in-store) aren't new, but they're gaining traction as *the* solution to plastic waste. On this episode of the Sustainable Minimalists podcast: Is packaging the problem, or does the problem lie within our consumption?

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How Many Jeans Do You Own?

Denim jeans were once the preferred trouser for cowboys in the American west; some decades later, they became a symbol of rebellion for non-conformist teens. These days jeans are all about comfort and casual style, and the average American woman owns 7 pairs. And yet blue jeans also happen to have one of fashion's biggest environmental footprints. On today's show Sarene Alsharif reveals the harsh realities associated with jeans production; she also shares practical strategies for transforming this wardrobe staple into a sustainable solution.   Here's a preview: [7:00]  Stone-washed with actual stones? Dyed with carcinogenic dyes? Uncovering your favorite pair's dirty little enviro-secrets  [13:00] Want some stretch? Revisiting our desire for synthetic fibers in our denim  [23:00] The trend cycle = smoke and mirrors [27:00] It's a marriage not a fling (and other tried-and-true sustainable fashion tips) [31:00] Stephanie's nihilist thoughts: What happens when collective action matters, and yet the collective isn't doing its part?   Resources mentioned: How To Save The World With A Pair Of Jeans (via YouTube) Tad More Tailoring Atomic Habits (by James Clear) The Comfort Crisis Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self (February's Book Club pick!)   This show is listener-supported. Thank you for supporting! **If you're a financial supporter over on Apple Podcasts and want to join Book Club, please email me and let me know! For privacy reasons, Apple won't share your contact info with me. Just email me and I'll happily add you!** Join our (free!) Facebook community here. Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Youtube @sustainableminimalists Say hello! MamaMinimalistBoston@gmail.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.

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