*I Schneider et al, 2O18.
**Foreo, 2O18.
Women’s Environmental Net work.
Water U K.Photography: Emily Winiker/Art Partner Licensing.243ELLEBeautySUSSING out
RECYCLING SYMBOLSSPARKLE with CARE
A festival favourite, glitter might be Instagram-
friendly but it’s a no-no if you’re going green. Made
up of tiny particles of plastic, glitter makes its way
into our seas and is swallowed by wildlife or swept up
into gyres (to form huge islands of marine debris). Still
want to sparkle? Opt for biodegradable alternatives
like Disco Dust or Bleach London’s body glitters.BE PICK Ywith PLASTIC
Fully sustainable products are still slim pickings,
so searchfor recyclable plastics via the symbol scale
(left). Look for three arrows forming a triangle, with
a number in themiddle and letters at thebottom:
for example, 1 (PET) is widelyrecycled, 3 (PVC)
is trickier,and 6 (PS) is near-impossibleto recycle.
FLY LIGHT and RIGHT
Ditch overpriced and earth-
unfriendly airport minis – which are
the epitome of single-use silliness – in favour
of the ever-chic, fashion editor must-have
Muji decanters and stackers to carry the
perfect portions of your can’t-live-without
products from home. If you’re still having
trouble squeezing all of your liquids into your
clear bag, look for solid versions of those
staples, including Lush’s chewable toothpaste
tablets, Armani’s powder-compact perfume,
and Meow Meow Tweet’s Deodorant Stick
(which is 1OO% natural, vegan AND made
from zero-waste packaging. So many ticks).StopSINGLE-USING
Onceupona timewethought
cosmeticwipesdeserveda
NobelPrizefordutiestobusywomen.Now?
Weknowthesenon-biodegradablesheets
endtheirdaysinlandfillsor,moreterrifying
still,causing93%ofsewerblockagesinthe
UK.****Holland&BarrettandTheBody
Shophavenowbannedthesaleofthem,
whileotherbrands,suchasSimpleand
Klorane,havegoneforbiodegradablewipe
alternatives(bestdisposedofbycomposting).
Ouradvice:sticktohand-washmuslincloths,
whicharealsodermatologistrecommended
forkindnesstoskin.SWAP your STAPLES
One billion plastic toothbrushes- that’s enough to wrap around the
Earth four times – are thrown away every
yearintheUS,**whilesanitaryproducts
annuallygeneratemorethan2OO,OOO
tonnesofplastic-basedwasteintheUK.***
Bemorefuture-friendlybyswitchingto
bamboo-basedtoothbrushesandorganic,
biodegradabletampons.Sanitary
subscriptionserviceAlbanyMaemakes
thetransitioneasy,plusthepackaging
is satisfyinglyfancy.albanymae.co.uk
STARTATtheSOURCE
Manybrandsarenowmaking
effortstostarttheecological
journeyforyoubysourcingandproducing
productsina consciousway.TheBody
Shop(again,smashingit)haslaunchedits
‘CommunityTrade’initiative,workingwith
Indianwastepickerstoensurethattheyhave
safeandfairworkingconditions.Theproject
alsoreusestheplastictocreate1OO%
recycledpackaging.Kiehl’saimstofollow
suitbymakingallofitspackagingfrompost-
consumerrecycledplasticby2O2Oand
increasingrewardschemesforcustomers
whobringtheiremptiesintostore.GoPACK AGE - L ESS
Lushhasfamouslyledthecharge
onpackaging-freeproducts,with
solidbarsofshampooandevenfoundation.
Butotherbrandsarealsomakingmoves.
Dioris ditchingtheteenypamphletsinside
theirboxes– directingcustomersonline
instead.If theoptionis there,optoutofexcess
rubbishforonlineorders,too(Glossierhas
recentlymadeitspinkpouchesoptional).4 5
7
6
8
(^9) 1O
MAKE the CHANGE
Can be recycled. A percentage
in the centre indicates the proportion
of recycled materials used
75%ormoreoflocal
authoritiesintheUKwillrecycle
it (checkwithyourcouncil)
2O-75%oflocal
authoritieswillrecycleit
From left: CAUDALÍE Milky Sun Spray SPF5O, £21.
GUERLAIN Rouge G de Guerlain Lipstick, £26.
SURRATT Auto Graphique Liner, £40
Doesn’t mean the product is recyclable,
but that the makers have made
a contribution to recycling services
ELLE.COM/UK September 2O19