For the second part of the sustainable material series we are covering a more common household material - glass. I frequently get asked what a more sustainablealternative to plastic is for things like containers and reusable water bottles. One of the best options is switching to glass. Here are some of the benefits of glass:
 
It’s better for your health
Glass is made from natural ingredients (sand, soda ash and limestone) and is non-toxic. It does not contain harmful chemicals that may leach into food and drink.
Food and drinks taste better
Glass is non-porous which means it doesn’t affect the taste of food and drink and keeps its contents fresher for longer
It’s endlessly, 100% recyclable
Glass bottles and jars can be recycled indefinitely, without a loss of quality.
 Recycling saves energy and reduces CO2
We can reduce harmful emissions and save on raw materials by using recycled glass to make new bottles and jars.
 
This post is sponsored by British Glass and their initiative Friends of Glass. Friends of Glass is a community that helps supporting and advocating the use of glass to benefit health, taste and sustainability. For more information on what they do, their partners and tips on how to use and recycle glass to be more sustainable check out their website friendofglass.com

As everything else in this day and age, missinformation and missrepresentation flies around a lot in sustainability and even more so in sustainable production. I’m starting a mini series looking at different materials and how they are a sustainable alternative to existing ones.In this post we are looking at one of the upcoming new alternatives for leather - Pinatex aka Pineapple leather.

Vegan - Pinapple leather is a vegan alternative to animal derived leather, and the composition of the “leather” is made of waste pinapple leaves. The process also avoids the use of toxic chemicals.
Ethical - This is an ethical classed product as it helps farmers in the Philippines create more income streams with something that would otherwise be waste.

No waste - the process of making the leather involves extraction of the fibre from the leaves, but any leftover biomass is used as either natural fertiliser or biofuel so that nothing gets wasted.

Check out more on the brand, samples and what brands they work with on their website 

One of my all time tips for buying vintage and second hand is to not fixate on sizes.
Sometimes a dream piece is a few sizes too big or too long or maybe just slightly out of fashion (shoulder pads, looking at you). So the best solution is to take it to a alteration service, preferably one that can also do dry cleaning with eco friendly products. I recently discovered 1 Stop Wash in London that those all these things. Few months ago I found a vintage Christian Dior piece that was about 3 sizes too big and looked worse for wear. I took it to 1 Stop Wash and they had it altered and dry cleaned and voila! Perfect vintage blazer.

Highly recommend their service and you can find them at 100 Caledonian road London.
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I think most of my sustainable female readers have heard of the menstrual cups ( a silicone cup used as an alternative to menstrual products such as pads and tampons) however I also know that some of my readers don't get on with these cups. So I went out and looked for alternatives to the sustainable menstrual cups that were still in line with being eco friendly whilst aunty flow is visiting. 

Period panties
First up was trying the period panties. I tried a pair from Wuka which are reasonably priced at £19.99. The way these work is that they have a reusable pad lining within the knickers. So when you are on your period you pop these on and throw them in the wash at the end of the day. Its advised to have a few of these to rotate during your period and then wash them for the next month. I personally found the knickers to be very comfortable especially to wear at night time. The only downside to these is that if you would need to change them on the go you would need some sort of carry bag to keep the used pair in. I still highly recommend them especially for girls who prefer pads over tampons. 
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Tampons with reusable applicator
If you prefer tampons and applicators (if you don't need applicators then any organic tampon brand works fine) then this is the brand for you. They provide you with a reusable applicator that comes with a nifty pouch where you can carry the applicator and your tampons in. It works like any other applicator just this one is reusable and all you need to do is making sure to wash it between use.  They offer a subscription with different frequencies for customers so that you are always stacked when in need. Its a great product and alternative to the dreadful single use applicator that ends up in landfill. 

Makeup wipes are the lazy girls best friend. Its also the OCD girls best friend. It was also once upon a time my best friend. Its always so easy to grab one and wipe off make up after a long day or even on holiday when you dont want to pack your 5-step skin routine. But like we all know, makeup wipes are extremely bad for the environment. If you flush it down the toilet it end up in the ocean and if you throw it in the trash it ends up in landfill. They are made of non-biodegradable plastic fibres and even the ones who are biodegradable have to be recycled and processed with specific procedures. So to avoid risking more pollution, I have 2 great alternatives for you that will remove the need of wipes.


Option 1 - The makeup eraser towel
This product has been around for a few years however I only started using it recently. At first glance it looks like a normal towel and if you like me have ever tried using a regular towel and warm water to remove mascara you know the dreaded result. But just like the name this works like magic, all you need to do is damp it and it removes all your make up without you needing to scrub half your face off. I use it about 7-10 times before I throw it in the wash and then its like brand new again. Seriously I cant recommend this product enough, and its travel friendly as long as you can get hold of water.


Option 2 - Natural oil
My mum taught me to use coconut oil to remove my makeup. It only takes a pea size of oil and you rub it all over your face before rinsing. It works well and helps moisturising your face overnight. If you want to travel with it you can get a small size mason jar (I save the little ketchup and mayo ones some hotels provide) and take a chunk with you. Once I forgot to bring any and I asked the hotel I was staying with for some olive oil which worked fine. This process also requires water but if thats not at hand you can use tissues to remove the excess oil.