Simple, everyday activities we thought were helping the planet may actually be costing it, due to incorrect designations, presumed benefits, and shortcomings in scientific research and/or its public availability. So we asked industry experts to weed through some of the most common sustainability myths and mistakes and to share their top ways to improve our habits for a greener future. Truth is, a tote bag is a highly resource-costly product. Denmark’s Ministry of Health and Food found in 2018 that a natural cotton bag must be used more than 20,000 times—or for about 55 years—before it has the same environmental impact as a lightweight single-use plastic grocery bag. Much of the impact comes from cotton’s high demand for water and the use of an ozone-depleting chemical to treat the plant. What to Do Instead: The best bag to use is one you already own—no matter what it’s made from. “It really depends on how many times you’re going to use it and, especially with plastic, how carefully you dispose of it once its useful life is over,” says sustainable development specialist Francesca Zoppi. “Each little sustainable action we make at this stage is critical, so use the bags that you will reuse the most.” Also, interestingly, the reusable polyurethane bags sold at grocery stores may not be as chic as tote bags, but after being reused only 14 times, they’re more sustainable than conventional plastic bags. What to Do Instead: In this case, the milk heroes are soymilk—which offers similar amounts of protein to dairy milk—and oat milk. The latter is quite easy to produce: There’s already a surplus of the plant because it feeds livestock. While neither option is always entirely pesticide-free, the bottom line is that anything that isn’t dairy milk is a more planet-friendly option. And soy and oat are best. RELATED: Confused About Non-Dairy Milks? Here’s a Breakdown of All Your Options What to Do Instead: Watch for red flags. “If a brand is spending all of its money on advertising its sustainable line and not enough on actually integrating sustainability and good environmental practice into their business model, that’s when you worry,” Testino explains. You may not have the time or energy to do a deep dive into a company’s transparency, but there are a few general rules you can follow as a consumer: Natural threads leave the smallest impact on the planet (if it’s stretchy, it’s not natural); and plant-based dyes are the way to go. Testino advises consumers to stick to “the four S’s of sustainable fashion: simplify, share (or rent), secondary market (i.e., shop second-hand), and sustainable made.” For that last “s” look for smaller brands, such as For Days, Sonia Carrasco, Warp & Weft, Collina Strada, Tact & Stone, and Bottle Top. They are proof that sustainable fashion can exist and still be chic—and they’re the ones that need the most support. You can always shop for vintage or used clothing, too. What to Do Instead: You probably already have what you need. If you no longer want an item, consider ways to put it to another use–like donating, selling, up-cycling, or turning it into art. Search Pinterest for craft projects; look for tutorials on websites like Upcycle That; and check out Real Simple’s suggestions of new uses for takeout chopsticks, toilet paper tubes, and 101 other household items. “At the very least, if you’re replacing an item with something else, please dispose of it correctly,” Testino adds. RELATED: The Differences Between Carbon Neutral, Plastic-Free, and Plastic Neutral What to Do Instead: For those with Mother Earth at top of mind, the best options, when available, are still walking, biking, or taking public transit. RELATED: 7 Sustainable Workout Clothing Brands That Benefit Your Body and the Environment And gravitating to only “organic” products isn’t a magic bullet, either. Obviously, the lack of pesticides is a good thing, but organic farming requires more land to produce the same amount of food as conventional farming. What to Do Instead: When in doubt, the terms and labels that indicate a brand can be trusted include “Certified Organic” and “Green Seal.” (Borgeest cites trusted brands including Bob’s Red Mill, Siete, Simple Mills, Sir Kensington’s, Oatly, Banza, Bell & Evans Organic Chicken, and Justin’s.) The best way to avoid being fooled is to read the list of ingredients—if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. If a product says it’s natural but is wrapped in five layers of plastic, question it! The simple rule of thumb, as Borgeest suggests, is to look for pesticide- and chemical-free products, and “familiarize yourself with the dirty dozen—a list of the 12 items of produce with the most pesticides.” RELATED: 6 Things That Are Naturally Antibacterial to Safely Disinfect Your Home Watch out for brands with faux wood or plant imagery, and wood-plastic composite containers that are trying to look “natural”—even when their components might not be. The truth lies in the ingredients. Even so, some clean products still pollute with harmful elements that, when rinsed off, continue down the drain. For example, some exfoliants contain grains that don’t dissolve in water and add to pollution. “A few areas where we see challenges are ingredients that are plant-derived but processed into new compounds with petrochemicals,” says Hollinger. “On the other side of things, there are some commonly used plants that should be avoided because they’re grown in endangered ecosystems.” What to Do Instead: The fewer ingredients, the better. If the packaging isn’t recyclable, the product likely isn’t perfectly green either. Not every self-proclaimed sustainable beauty brand is actually clean. Check brands out on the Think Dirty app to see what experts say. Hollinger advises against ingredients such as cocamidopropyl betaine (which sometimes gets a green pass), any radish root products, petroleum-based synthetics like fragrances, sodium myreth sulfate, and palm oil, among others. And don’t forget about the animals! To guarantee a brand or product is truly cruelty-free and against animal testing, look for the leaping bunny symbol. Use plant-based hand sanitizer whenever possible, since the common isopropyl alcohol-based sanitizer is made from petroleum. Finally, try to refill your beauty products instead of buying newly repackaged items. RELATED: How to Correctly Recycle Your Empty Beauty Products
