Rather you’re new to sustainable living or you’ve been on your journey for a while, you’re sure to find an item that piques your interest! Rest assured, I’ve personally researched, purchased, and tried out each of these eco-conscious items, so I can confirm they're top notch.
Disclosure: I have no sponsorships or affiliation with any of these brands. The following reviews are my personal and unbiased reviews.
Quick Links to Each Item Pictured & Reviewed
Oakywood Wooden AirPods Case
✅ Features | Made of walnut wood
👍🏽 Good For | AirPod owners
🌱 Environmental Initiatives | BOPO
(plants trees with purchases); carbon neutral shipping
🌟 Certifications or Ecolabels | uses
FSC certified wood
💰 Cost | ~$45
Despite the case being the size of a pacifier, AirPods are quite the investment. Which is why it's so imperative that all owners have a sturdy case to protect their pods!
Don't just settle for a cheap case made of synthetic plastics (yuck). What you need is an Oakywood AirPods Case! This is a case you can show off with great pride, rather you pull it out at work or on the plane, the dark wood gives off, 'I have my sh*t together' vibes!
In fact, this line from Oakywood's site puts it best, "we believe that natural wood and modern technology go well together, both aesthetically and practically."
Could not agree more! Not only is the walnut case the most durable case I’ve seen on the market, it’s just flat out more esthetically pleasing than 99% of other AirPod cases. Seriously, I've gotten a gazillion complements on this thing.
❤️ What I Love
While it's pricier than the average case, the quality is worth every penny. Oakywood goes the extra mile to be transparent about their prices— for each product, you’ll find a breakdown that explains exactly where your money is going.
Here's the breakdown cost for an AirPods case: Production and Labor- $20; Taxes (Poland & European) - $11; Margin & Fixed Costs - $16; Environmental Initiatives - $1
😐 What I Don't Love
I dropped my case on vinyl flooring (peel & stick tiles) and it got a major crack. Luckily, all Oakywood products come with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty for the original purchaser. I reached out to the company and they were very kind about sending me a new one since it fell within the warranty!
It seems like they've added an extra invisible layer of something amazing on their newer cases to make them crackproof! Since November 2021, I've dropped my replaced case on the same vinyl flooring and many other types of flooring and not a single crack or scratch has appeared after three years!
📦 Packaging
In addition to supplying carbon-neutral shipping, Oakwoood reduces paper filing in packaging and uses recyclable materials such as paper boxes and cardboard mailers.
🛍️ Where to Buy
For the most part, all Oakywood products are sold exclusively from their website.
Chestnut Brown Elastic Jelt Belt
✅ Features | Modern belts that stretch
👍🏽 Good For | Jean wearers
🌱 Environmental Initiatives | Made from recycled water bottles
🌟 Certifications or Ecolabels | Certified B;
1% for the Planet Member
💰 Cost | ~$45
As a society, we've kinda accepted the awkward bulge that comes with wearing a belt. Jelt Belt not only gets rid of belt bulges, but their belts are also made from post-consumer plastic (100% recycled water bottles).
Most belts sold in stores are made out of leather or faux leather (polyurethane). Fake leather is definitely better for the environment than real leather since it's cruelty free, but its popular substitute, polyurethane is a form of plastic. While polyurethane plays a role in expanding the lifespan of many objects we use daily, this has not been the case when it comes to belts.
What often happens is, after a year of use, the top layer of your belt begins peeling away from the fake leather. Or you run into the issue where the hole that you use most often expands too much, making the belt useless.
❤️ What I Love
With Jelt Belt, you can forget all of these annoying issues. Simply weave it through your belt loops then connect the two half circle buckles together, it couldn't be easier! Following almost a year of regular use (with various pairs of jeans), my Jelt Belt still looks brand new and shows no signs of wear or tear!
😐 What I Don't Love
If you’re big on plastic reduction, you’ll love that instead of using plastic tagging barbs (those bone-shaped plastic pieces from tagging guns), Jelt opts for using little metal pins. Ironically, it still feels kinda wasteful, because you’re left not knowing what to do with them.
📦 Packaging
All cardboard packaging
🛍️ Where to Buy
Jelt Belts can be purchased directly from the Jelt Belt website. They’ve also added a variety of cool colors and patterns!
Plaine Products Body Wash
✅ Features | All natural ingredients
👍🏽 Good For | Anyone that uses body wash
🌱 Environmental Initiatives | Closed loop
business model
🌟 Certifications or Ecolabels | Certified B;
1% for the Planet; Leaping Bunny Certified
💰 Cost | ~$30-31 ($0.75 for a pump)
Plaine Products makes a variety of skin and hair care products, including my current favorite item, Citrus Lavender body wash . Unlike most personal care companies, all Plaine products are aloe-based, instead of water-based.
The combination of aloe, lavender, and citrus creates such a divine smell— ya know, one of those smells that smell super familiar but you can never quite put your finger on where you know it from.
Needless to say, you'll never grow tired of using this body wash or of trying to recall the scent from a distant memory.
What‘s unique about Plaine Products is that the company takes circularity very seriously. In fact, they have a closed loop recycling program.
🧐 How It Works
Upon getting your package, you'll find a paid return label so you can return your bottle when it's empty. Every bottle returned is cleaned, sanitized, and refilled.
❤️ What I Love
All Plaine Products are free of sulfates, parabens, silicone, phthalates, and palm oil. There's also an option to take part in a subscription program and pause it if you need to skip a month or two.
😐 What I Don't Love
Personally, I find it hard to remember another thing to take to the post office. However, you can still use their body wash and not participate in the subscription program or stress about returning bottles.
Simply bring your empty Plaine Products bottle (or any bottle) to a local zero waste store where you'll be able to refill your bottle when you run out of body wash. For some reason, this method works easiest for my brain.
📦 Packaging
All product bottles are made from aluminum. All boxes are made from 100% recycled material that require little to no filling. Paper tape is used to seal boxes.
And, according to their website, "The carbon footprint created to ship your orders is offset through native tree plantings, energy upgrades for low-income families, methane abatement programs at local landfills, and more."
🛍️ Where to Buy
You can purchase Plaine Products directly from their website or use Plaine Products' store locator to find a nearby retailer that carries the body wash.
Planet Wise Trash Liners
✅ Features | Reusable trash bag
👍🏽 Good For | Anyone
🌱 Environmental Initiatives | Waste Reduction
🌟 Certifications or Ecolabels | N/A
💰 Cost | ~$15
Once upon a time, it was the norm to use plastic grocery bags as trash liners. Due to more states adopting plastic bag bans, many Americans have defaulted to buying plastic bag liners. However, there are actually other options on the market, like Planet Wise trash liners.
Planet Wise liners are functional, odor-resistant, and washable! Plus, they come in a fun array of colors and patterns! The parent company of the Planet Wise brand, Nicki's Diapers, is committed to educating parents and caregivers on the environmental benefits of cloth diapering vs. disposable diapers through an online community, blog, and the sale of cloth diapering products. Reusable trash liners happen to fall into the cloth diapering realm.
Even if you only use these trash liners in a couple rooms, not only will you be saving money and buying less plastic from Target, but you’ll also be contributing less waste to your landfill. Lots of small steps = big impact.
❤️ What I Love
The fact that the liners are washable and hold up great through many washes!
😐 What I Don't Love
Using trash liners requires slight modifications to your routine. There are three approaches you can take: (a) empty your small trash bins into the main kitchen garbage (b) empty your trash into a paper bag (c) empty your trash directly into your city issued trash bin.
The third scenario is ideal, but in all honesty, I have a hard time committing to this approach throughout the winter. Approaches A and B are still better than adding additional plastic to your landfill.
📦 Packaging
All cardboard recyclable packaging. Products are made in USA, thus have a lower carbon footprint. Carbon neutral shipping
🛍️ Where to Buy
You can buy Planet Wise trash liners directly from Nicki's Diapers and they also have an Amazon storefront.
Terra Ties Hair Ties
✅ Features | Made from natural rubber
👍🏽 Good For | Anyone that likes wearing their hair up
🌱 Environmental Initiatives | Waste Reduction
🌟 Certifications or Ecolabels | N/A
💰 Cost | ~$15
How many hair ties have you lost or thrown away in your lifetime? Anyone that styles their hair or a little one's has dealt with this guilt. Introducing Terra Ties!
Terra Ties are a better alternative to traditional hair ties which are sourced from synthetic rubbers and polyester. Yuck. Instead, Terra Ties are made out of natural rubbers derived from rubber trees and organic cotton, making them 100% biodegradable. That means, even if your hair ties end up in a landfill, they'll way more likely to decompose, in comparison to regular hair ties which are estimated to take 500 years to break down.
👩🏽🔬 How Do They Hold Up?
On average, I'm able to use one Terra Tie about 4 times before it breaks or becomes so stretched out that it looses its form (I have thick hair). Keep in mind that all hair ties inevitably pop or break and the longevity of a single tie differs for every hair type.
❤️ What I Love
You will notice that Terra Ties pull out less strands of your hair, which is a lovely bonus benefit. Are these ties a little on the pricier side? Sure. But, they last longer and keep shape better than any basic hair tie.
😐 What I Don't Love
There's not much information about the Terra Ties company available online other than their website which has scare info. However, if you buy a pack from Amazon, a transparency sticker comes on the paper sleeve of the hair ties. According to Amazon, brands use transparency codes as a way for customers to confirm that the product you receive is coming directly from the brand.
📦 Packaging
Terra Ties come in brown paper packaging that is fully recyclable, as is the cardboard that the hair ties are arranged along.
🛍️ Where to Buy
Terra Ties are mostly sold on Amazon, but can also be purchased from EarthHero and Zero Waste Store.
There ya have it, my go-to eco-friendly essentials! Which products do you use daily? Share in the comments below, we could all use sustainable swaps to try out!
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