Eco-Friendly Archives - Natural Collection Blog

LoofCo – Plastic Free Brushes underpinned by ethical practices.

We are proud to be working with LoofCo to promote a more sustainable solution to cleaning and washing. Find out more from Lois Clark:

We all know the importance of finding more sustainable, plastic free alternatives when creating an eco-friendly lifestyle. When we founded LoofCo in 2017, our mission was to create products that offer simple, affordable switches while helping to reduce household plastic use & waste including the microplastic particles released by plastic washing-up scourers, sponges & brushes.

What is Closed Loop Recycling?

You may have heard the term ‘closed loop recycling’ but do you know what it really means? Well let’s take a look and you may be surprised that you may have already recycled in a closed loop system!

First let’s look at open loop recycling, this is what you will probably imagine when you think of recycling, it’s what you do when you take your recycling out to be picked up by the council. If you do this regularly and check packaging to see if it is recyclable you will probably know how problematic this could be, are all the items you see in the recycle bins actually recyclable and one council may accept certain items where others do not based on the local recycling capabilities. With an open loop system a product is recycled into a different product, for example a plastic drinks bottle may be recycled into shoes, sleeping bags or jackets.

Maemara – Sustainable Homeware

We are delighted to introduce Maemara onto the site with a beautiful range of new sustainable homeware. Founded in 2019, Maemara is a brand with a conscience, founded by three earth and ocean-loving individuals – Hannah, Alan and Jane. Their gorgeous cushions are both stylish and sustainable, made with 100% recycled materials both inside and out.

Brand Story: Nkuku

Nkuku produce beautifully handmade home and lifestyle products. Every one of their products has a story to tell through the talented artisans that created them.

Nkuku was founded in 2003 by Ali and Alex Cooke. The brand was inspired after the pair set off on a year-long round the world trip. Through their travels, Ali and Alex were inspired and humbled by the talented craftspeople and their beautiful work. Upon returning from travelling they moved from their busy London home to rural Devon to start their next adventure.

Completely inspired and amazed by their travels, they then started to work with artisans from around the world. Ali and Alex were passionate about supporting and celebrating these artisan skills through bringing their products to a wider audience and sharing their talents with the world.

Brand Story: Milly & Sissy

Milly & Sissy produce a range of unique powdered beauty products where you simply need to add water to activate them.

Milly & Sissy was founded by good friends Milly and Sissy who both have a passion for animals and the environment. Milly has had a career working in the health and beauty industry and has lived abroad in Asia and Europe. Sissy lives in the Midlands with her family and growing number of animals which includes sheep, guinea pigs, dogs, cats and horses. Combining their passion and talents they were able to create the Milly & Sissy brand. They are always looking for ways to improve our way of living that will have as minimal an impact on the environment as possible. They believe that every single person can make a difference based on the small changes that we can make to our lifestyles.

Their aim is to try and reduce our negative impact on the environment.

Fashion Revolution Week 2020 – Our Brand Spotlight

2020 marks the seven-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster. The Rana Plaza factory was a five-story building that housed garment factories for big global brands. In 2013, the factory collapsed killing 1,138 people and injured 2,500 more people; many of the victims were mostly young women.

From this the Fashion Revolution movement was born. The people behind the Fashion Revolution movement have called for an overhaul of the fashion industry and strive to make sure exploitation of people comes to an end and ensure that production methods respect our environment.

Taking place from the 20th – 26th April, this year’s Fashion Revolution Week will once again encourage millions of people to come together to campaign for systemic change within the fashion industry.

Sustainable Nappies from Eco by Naty

Choosing the right nappies for your little one is important. Babies are so delicate and prone to rashes and often times it’s due to the chemical ingredients of cheap nappies. The nappy range from Eco by Naty has been designed to not only work without the toxic chemicals, but also lower your carbon footprint in the process. Continue reading Sustainable Nappies from Eco by Naty

How to have an ethical festival

We’re thrilled to welcome Jess Efford of Waterless Ltd – who make our great products Nilaqua and Zerreau – for this guest post about ethical festival fun.

Are you all set for your summer festival, but have you thought about what impact this has on the environment? Noise pollution, electricity, litter, nature, the list is endless. Festivals can only do so much with recycling, however here are some top tips to help you do your bit…. Continue reading How to have an ethical festival

Meet Method eco-friendly cleaning

We’re big fans of Method, and stock a wide range of their excellent eco-friendly cleaning, laundry and home products. As well as being stylish enough to want to keep on display instead of hiding in a cupboard, their range reflects their ethos of creating positive social and environmental change. Continue reading Meet Method eco-friendly cleaning

The Environmental Impact of the Loo Taboo

How the last taboo is costing the environment.

It’s something that nobody talks about, which means the environmental consequences go unchecked as well. We’re talking tampon disposal and it’s a polluter of our rivers and beaches.

Ground-breaking new research has uncovered shocking ignorance and angst about the simple question of how to dispose of tampons. Just 41%* of women surveyed know that tampons should never be flushed.

Tampons are often considered ‘flushable’ as they can usually make it past the u-bend, but the problems occur further down the line. Unlike toilet paper, tampons don’t disperse, in fact they expand significantly when submerged in water; so they start to form blockages. Blockages cause overflows, with sewage seeping into homes and gardens and rivers; rivers lead to the sea…this is how used tampons (and other non-flushables such as wipes and condoms) end up being swept into the waterways, polluting our beautiful natural landscapes.

Continue reading The Environmental Impact of the Loo Taboo