A new year is a new start, or so goes the common adage. And while New Year’s resolutions are a great way to provide a clean slate for improving ourselves, we can always change anytime, instead of reserving it for one day of the year. In 2026, you may have resolved to make more sustainable choices in what you buy. It’s easy to believe that individual action can’t have an impact, least of all in the products you choose to use, but it does. For example, meat consumption in the UK is at record lows, dropping 14% from 2012 to 2022 to the lowest rate since records began, a trend that continues into 2026, which has resulted in less animals being farmed. First hand purchasing has also seen a significant drop off in recent years, as more people opt for second hand options to reduce waste and save money. Renewable energy pushes and more efficient electronics have also come about as a result of pushing from climate groups, and individual action.
The products you choose do make a difference, and the numbers stack up astronomically as more people choose sustainably produced, reusable products that save them money and reduce plastic waste in the ecosystem. More can be done by using public transport and supporting companies and government efforts to produce more ethically and thoughtfully sourced energies and materials.
How big is the problem?
So, now we’ve established that this mission is achievable, we need to establish what’s at stake. Domestically, the UK throws away over 100 billion (or 100,000,000,000) pieces of plastic every year. Looking even further worldwide, the plastic problem has become truly all encompassing. With microplastics able to stretch from the ocean surface to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the problem has far escaped our wildest estimates.
The clear thread throughout our approach to plastic is that it doesn’t work. Landfills don’t dispose of plastic, but dump it, and burning plastic gets rid of it but turns it into pollutive C02, damaging the environment further. Even the highly touted solution of recycling has its limits, with only 9% of the total plastic humanity has ever produced having been recycled. This is in part because of complacency on the part of corporations and governments, because the price of making plastic is so much lower than the cost of recycling it. Plastic is also extremely difficult to recycle because it’s made up of many compounds that have to be separated and cleaned. The real answer to our waste crisis is not, as many say, to simply recycle it all, but to create packaging and products that are reusable, not single use.
A single use plastic refers to any kind of plastic built product or packaging that can only serve its function once before being thrown away. These would include things like plastic bottles, food wrappers and packages, and plastic sponges. Essentially, they make up the bulk of plastic waste, along with fragile, non-single-use plastic items like cheap toys, cookware or low quality electronics. By buying less of these items, and by continuing to use them rather than replace them, we can cut out a remarkable amount of unnecessary plastic waste in our day to day lives, and inspire others to do the same.
What makes a sustainable product
Sustainability refers to our ability to continue harvesting and using a resource without harming our planet. Most plastic is not sustainable because there is a limited amount of petrochemicals in the world for us to use. Even recycled plastic is unsustainable because plastics are extremely difficult to break down and do not decompose like natural materials.
Materials like wood, glass, metal, and natural fibres like hemp, linen, and cotton are also sustainable. We can continue to make things out of these materials for much longer than petrochemicals, because they are able to grow at sustained rates and not damage the ecosystem. Metal and glass are much more easily recycled than plastic, and wood and other plant materials are much easier to dispose of and regrow. "Sustainable" clothing does not need to be made from recycled polyester, it can also be made from linen or cotton, which we can continue to grow and produce. There is not a limited amount of renewable cloths on earth, and they can be made to a much higher quality than plastic-based clothing.
If you are interested in supporting sustainability and things that are high quality, moving away from plastics is the only place to start. Shopping small and local can also help support sustainability, as well as attempting where possible to avoid fast fashion and things produced under questionable working conditions. Completely eliminating plastic from your life isn't 100% possible, but switching to natural materials as much as you can will help you be more sustainable. And to sweeten the deal, those natural products are usually better made and longer lasting.
Habits go a long way.
Beginning new habits is very helpful on beginning to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Like anything in life, its always easiest to do something out of routine than out of thought. And there are quite a few habits that you can begin to live a more sustainable, and ultimately healthier lifestyle.
1.) Try and buy cardboard packaged products where you can, like our ecojiko natural cleaning products. This usually aligns with purchasing more fresh food produce, which can be expensive, but has notable health benefits like better nutrition and reduced microplastic levels.
2.) Check what products are actually made of before you buy - such as replacing everyday plastic sponges for sponges made of natural materials like the ecojiko sponge scourers
3.) Make a conscious effort to avoid disposing of plastic into landfill. This sounds rather simple, but you’d be surprised how much you can cut down when you’re paying attention to every piece that gets chucked.
4.) Reuse, upcycle and repair items where you can. While you won’t be repairing your own iPhone, it often takes a modicum of effort to, for example, stitch up a pair of jeans rather then throwing them out, or to glue together a broken item before replacing it entirely.
5.) Buying from companies that are transparent about their suppliers and materials is a good way to make sure that what you’re buying is actually sustainably produced. There’s nothing stopping anyone from putting the words ‘sustainable’ or ‘eco-friendly’ on a product, so knowing who you can trust for your day to day shopping is important for minimising your environmental footprint.
SOURCES
-
https://www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/plastic-pollution-facts-figures/
-
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772397624000042
https://honestsupplies.co.uk/dangers-of-single-use-plastics-uk/
