Why Plastic-Free Isn’t Just for July

In July 2019, it’s estimated that 250 million people across the world took part in Plastic Free July. Spanning 177 countries, these individuals took on the challenge of cutting disposable plastic out of their lives completely for 31 days!

This year, we have no doubt that just as many, if not more, brilliant eco-warriors decided to join in too! After all, it’s a great opportunity to test yourself. It gives you the chance to get acquainted with how much unnecessary plastic a lot of us actually consume and to learn about all of the lifestyle changes that we can make to be more eco-conscious. 

The month has great results. Apparently those that take part reduce their household waste by 23kg per person per year and contribute to a total saving of 825 million kg of waste per year (Source).

Impressive stuff, right? That’s why we’re big believers in taking part in PFJ and shared tips throughout it over on Instagram.

But what now?

Now that August is officially upon us, it’s easy to forget that PFJ even happened. No matter how many changes you made to your daily routines, slipping back into old habits isn’t difficult!

However, our efforts to fight plastic pollution and show Mother Earth that we care can’t stop. Approximately 8 million pieces of plastic get into our oceans every single day. And over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of beaches here in the UK (Source). Far from only making our trips to the seaside less enjoyable, this is harming wildlife and the delicate ecosystems of the ocean. 

Whilst one month of lifestyle changes does have an impact and you should be SO proud of it, these changes are unfortunately not enough to make a radical and long-lasting change. 

How Plastic Free July can be a turning point 

We think it’s important to not just treat Plastic Free July as a temporary “challenge”. Like we said, it’s actually a brilliant opportunity to explore new, less wasteful ways of living. To experiment with being more eco-friendly, so that you learn lessons that you can take with you into August and beyond!

You certainly don’t have to commit to being completely plastic-free forever, but how can you implement some of the shifts you made long term? Whether it's shampoo bars instead of bottles (we stock some brilliant options, by the way!) or being more conscious of your plastic waste in the supermarket, making changes that last will radically decrease your negative impacts on the planet. 

You have so got this.