Last year, a report released by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shared that we’re in the endgame when it comes to dealing with climate change and that if we don’t immediately act, then humanity is essentially doomed. With that in mind, a lot of people are wondering what they can do to help in the fight against climate change, and one way would be to adopt more sustainable living practices.
The beauty industry has a huge impact on the environment, with plastic pollution, microbeads, unsustainable ingredient use, and pollution. As such, if you want to do your part in the fight against climate change, reevaluating your beauty routine could be the way to do it.
Sustainable Beauty Resolutions for 2022
1. Refill, reuse, recycle
According to the research, more than 70% of plastic waste created by the cosmetic industry will end up in landfills. You can help to curb these rates by getting into the habit of recycling, reusing, or refilling the containers of your favorite beauty products.
Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels
What’s more, many beauty brands offer a refill option and others even provide gifts when you return empty packaging. For instance, MAC gives shoppers free lipstick once they have returned six full-size empties to the store.
2. Watch your cotton
Cotton is one of the most used ingredients in the beauty world, but it’s also incredibly taxing on the environment and its resources. As such, it’s advisable to find ways to reduce your use of cotton in your beauty routine.
For starters, you can either switch to organic cotton pads or reusable cotton pads, as both of these choices will be much better for the environment. Additionally, you can also invest in microfiber cloths, as these can help to cleanse your face and remove make-up.
3. Turn off the water
Water waste is one of the biggest contributors to environmental damage, so it’s important to monitor your water use, especially when washing your face.
While you may think it’s easier to leave the faucet on when cleansing your face, it’s best to splash your face with water and then turn off the faucet before applying your cleanser with damp fingers. You can then massage the cleanser into your face before turning the water back on to rinse off the cleanser.
4. Opt for minimal packaging
One of the biggest contributors to plastic waste is definitely packaging. As such, it’s advisable that you purchase products that have minimal or no packaging, such as shampoo bars.
5. Switch to bamboo
Photo by The Humble Co. on Unsplash
Bamboo is a wonderful, sustainable alternative to plastic and there are so many places for it in your skincare routine. You can switch out your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush, and you can even turn to reusable bamboo pads in place of cotton pads.
6. Support environmentally-friendly brands
According to a study published last year, over a third of global consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products. As such, it’s clear that more and more people are happy to support sustainable brands, and it’s important that you choose to do the same.
Just make sure to do your research as many brands have picked up on the change in consumer awareness and as such, would rather opt for greenwashing than make the necessary changes to their brand.
Want to know more?
While the beauty industry does contribute to climate change, it is not as big of an offender as the fashion industry. In fact, the fashion industry contributes to about 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions. As such, we each need to do our part to embrace a more sustainable approach to our wardrobe.
