Plastic pollution is poisoning our oceans and land, injuring marine life, and affecting our health. Earth Day 2020 is dedicated to providing the information and inspiration needed to change human attitude and behaviour about plastic. We learnt recently from our friends at Oceanic Global these devastating facts…
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At PAMA London we are advocates of living a life that eases the impact felt by the planet from those who inhabit it. There are several ways that we can all do this on an individual level and we believe that we are doing our bit by creating eco-friendly sustainable clothing!
If you are ready to take a look at your own household habits and lifestyle to determine how you can make positive changes for both you and the planet, then we have addressed two common problems here and provided ideas to help you get started!
Plastic is an undeniable disaster when it comes to the environment. The majority of plastic is made from petroleum or non-renewable natural gases*. The process of extracting these gases is known to be quite energy intensive and also damaging to the eco-system. Furthermore, the manufacturing process is a massive source of pollution – to land, air and water!
In the United Kingdom alone, we consume more than five million tonnes of plastic each year. It has been estimated that only 24% of this plastic actually gets recycled, meaning that 3.8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in landfills every year.
So, how can you ditch the plastic and stop contributing to this problem?
Recycling all relevant plastics is a good place to start but you can also work to eliminate this product from your shopping list entirely. Take a re-usable bag with you every time you leave the house so that if you do buy something you don’t have to purchase a plastic bag to carry it home in. The average person uses 425 plastic bags every single year* and you can easily get this number down to zero by taking your own with you!
You can also choose not to buy products that are wrapped or contained in plastic – such as water in plastic bottles or pre-packaged foods. Shopping for whole foods and fresh fruit and vegetables at the market is a great way to avoid doing so, as well as taking your own re-usable water bottle with you everywhere you go!
It is a scary fact that a massive amount of companies do not list all of the ingredients contained within their cleaning products. The sad reality is that there are simply no rules or regulations demanding that they do so, and this can lead to unwanted and harmful nasties in your home!
Fortunately, you can easily make your own cleaning products with simple to source things that you more than likely already have in your house!
White wine vinegar and baking soda are two of the most powerful ingredients when it comes to cleaning your home. Let’s take a closer look at these two things!
By simple mixing white wine vinegar with an equal amount of water you can effortlessly create a cleaning solution that works for most surfaces. For tougher stains you may try warming the solution slightly and leaving it on the surface for upwards of ten minutes before you wipe it off. The acidic properties of white wine vinegar are the reason that it is so effective at cleaning.
Baking soda is also fantastic for cleaning and strikes a balance between acidic and alkaline. This means that not only is it great for clearing up stains, but also that it can wok to neutralise odours. There are so many incredible uses for baking soda and you can click here to read 51 of them!
By incorporating one or more of the ideas mentioned in this article you can begin to ease your impact on the planet and also potentially improve your own health and wellbeing! This is especially the case when it comes to limiting the amount of chemicals, and therefore toxins, that you bring into your home!
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You will likely have seen the Fairtrade mark on several products at your local supermarket, but do you know how this concept is improving the lives of millions of people around the world?
The Fairtrade organisation allows consumers greater possibilities to give small-scale farmers the opportunity to earn the wage they deserve. This movement has empowered farmers in developing countries and there are currently 1,226 Fairtrade certified organisations in 74 different countries.
Established in 1992, the aim of this organisation is to create a world in which workers receive a fair wage for the jobs that they do. This of course better enables them to create a stable future for themselves and their families. As they promote, encourage and enable fairer trading standards and conditions, this is a movement that has the potential to instigate change at every level.
By working with both businesses and the famers who produce and supply the products, the Fairtrade organisation is striving to eradicate exploitation and poverty among those who are involved.
In order to be certified as Fairtrade, a company will have to meet the expectations set out by the Fairtrade organisation. These expectations relate to the economic, the social, and the environmental standards of how the the farm operates and how the workers are treated.
When it comes to the farmers and the workers, these standards work to uphold their rights as well as to protect their financial interests. It is also Fairtrade policy that the farmers involved will receive what is known as a Fairtrade Premium, which is an additional payment that they then use to invest in local community projects. This means that it is not just the workers of individual farms that benefit, but the wider community on the whole.
The organisation has a process in place to investigate the entire production process, from farm to retailer, in order to establish if their standards are being met. If this is found to be the case then the product in question is then entitled to use the Fairtrade mark on the packaging of their product.
Both final products and food ingredients can be certified as being Fairtrade. If a finished product carries the Fairtrade mark then this means that all of the ingredients used in this product meet these standards.
There are approximately 4,500 Fairtrade products, with some of the most common everyday items being:
An increase in conscious consumerism has led to shoppers making more sustainable choices in regards to a wide range of items. This can be seen to range from their food choices to the fabrics that they purchase when it comes to their clothes. This desire for a fairer world has further fuelled the Fairtrade movement, with more than 1.65 million farmers and workers currently being certified Fairtrade producers.
Gender equality is one concept that this movement has helped to not only draw attention to, but also to improve in parts of the world where this divide is especially apparent. As it stands today, 26% of all Fairtrade workers and farmers are women, with 48% of those women working within the plantations themselves.
The Fairtrade movement is helping to create a more sustainable future for the workers and also to educate local people about sustainable farming practices. In fact, protecting the environment is one of the key features of the organisation. In order to be eligible to call themselves Fairtrade producers, farmers must comply with certain sustainable farming practices. They can also receive training on environmentally friendly farming methods.
Want to read more about this incredible concept and the great work they do? Click here to head to their website now!
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Today we are going to take a close look at the benefits and disadvantages of common fibres – both natural and synthetic – in order to determine what the best choices are when it comes to the health of our planet.
Fibres are used to create fabrics through a three-step process of spinning, weaving, finishing, and are the basis for all textiles! Natural fibres are those that come from animals, plants or minerals, whereas synthetic fibres are those that are man-made. There are many differences between the two in relation to origin, production and the impact that their existence has on our environment.
Cotton, linen and wool are arguably the most popular natural fibres in the present day. Cotton and linen are both taken from plants, whereas wool comes from sheep.
Cotton is most commonly used to make shirts, jeans and towels. It is breathable, durable and quite absorbent. It can be both washed and ironed, but it does crease easily.
As we explored in a previous article, cotton production is not considered to be sustainable as cultivating cotton is damaging to the environment. Click here to read more about this.
Linen is made from the fibres that grow inside the stalk of the flax plant. Similarly to cotton, linen is most often used to make clothes and towels, and is also breathable, durable and absorbent.
The environmental impact of manufacturing linen is heavy as pesticides are generally used on regular flax plants. In order to alleviate this impact you may consider only buying organic linen.
Wool is acquired from sheering sheep. It is useful for making clothes because it is great for regulating the body temperature when worn. Lighter wool garments are a good choice in the summer for staying cool, and heavier items can be worn to stay warm in the winter months.
There is much debate as to whether sheering sheep is cruel or not, and certain groups of people (such as vegans) will avoid wearing wool garments. In addition to the cruelty concerns, the environmental implications of raising livestock should also be considered. Insecticides are often used on the animals themselves to keep pests at bay, and sheep may overgraze, leading to a disruption of the natural eco-system.
Man-made synthetic fibres are usually manufactured through chemical processing and this can be quite taxing on the environment. Nylon and polyester are among the most widely used synthetic fibres today.
Nylon has been around since the 1930’s and is often hailed as the world’s most useful synthetic material. As a plastic it is used in many of the products that we use every day, and as a fabric it is used in rugs, swimming shorts and umbrellas – among other quick drying items!
It is important to be aware of the fact that nylon is not biodegradable, and will therefore exist indefinitely. Nylon also requires a great deal of energy to be manufactured*, and nitrous oxide is released into the air during production, contributing massively to global warming.
This synthetic fibre is derived from water, petroleum, coal and air*. It has been in existence since the late 1930’s but wasn’t available until several years later. It is used for clothes, home furnishings and also for making everyday objects, such as bottles. It is s good choice for clothes because it is generally wrinkle free.
Polyester has a significant environmental impact and production of this synthetic fibre calls for approximately 70 billion barrels of oil each year. This is both carbon-intensive and non-renewable! Polyester is not biodegradable and is a huge pollutant in our oceans.
As you can see, there are consequences for the environment when it comes to both natural and synthetic fibres, although the impact of natural fibres is less drastic. It is important that we as a society continue to make moves towards sustainability with the fabrics that we choose – a concept that we are especially interested in at PAMA London. Check back soon to find out more!
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As more and more people become aware of the impact we are having on the environment, it is safe to assume that actions taken to protect the health of our planet will continue to increase!
There are many ways that people are already striving to reduce how their presence is felt by the earth, and these ideas are continuously being spread and embraced.
So, what does the future hold for planet earth?
The booming population has to be taken into account when considering actions in the future. Just fifty years ago the entire population of the planet was counted below three billion. This figure has more than doubled during the last fifty years to currently exceed seven billion! Experts predict that this number could well reach nine billion by the year 2050.
The largest problem with a rapidly increasing population is maintaining an efficient level of food production for this many people. Food production at such an intense level will inevitably cause further harm to our already fragile environment, and will fuel climate change.
As the population grows and contributes to the ever-divisive issue of climate change, more is going to have to be done to combat this. Increasing temperatures, rising sea levels and erratic rainfall patterns create countless associated problems – both for human beings and the rest of the natural world.
It has been estimated by experts that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere will be twice what it was before the Industrial Revolution by 2050. And, the more CO2 in the air, the more the consequences of climate change will become apparent. Consequences which, in many respects, are irreversible!
In order to support a continuation in the population increase, and to combat the impact of climate change, we must make strides towards embracing sustainable growth. But, what does this mean and how can we all get on board?
Sustainable growth involves finding realistic solutions to support all of the ways in which our planet will continue to develop. But this must be done without causing further harm to the environment. This can be achieved in a number of ways, and requires participation at all levels.
The idea of a carbon footprint is a great way to measure sustainable growth, and the carbon footprint of businesses and individuals must be lowered if we are to protect the planet.
When it comes to big businesses, there are several changes that can be made in regards to the energy that they use and the waste that they create. This is something that will need to be adopted universally to have the greatest impact. However, there are also things that each and every person can do to contribute to positive change.
The following are great ways that you can lower your own carbon footprint:
These are simple small changes that we can adopt in order to become personally responsible for the future of our planet. Click here to read more from PAMA London on the problems our planet faces and how you can help!
The first part of namaste comes from "namaha," a Sanskrit verb that originally meant "to bend." Bending is a sign of submission to authority or showing some respect to some superior entity." Over time, "namaha" went from meaning "to bend" to meaning "salutations" or "greetings." The "te" in namaste means "to you," Deshpande says. So all together, namaste literally means "greetings to you." In the Vedas, namaste mostly occurs as a salutation to a divinity.
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