What material is sustainable?
What material is sustainable? There are a wide variety of materials with which we interact in our daily lives. I believe that it is Key that we be attentive to the materials that we acquire every day. Particularly if you are going to join the Earth Challenge and consider purchasing new items, it is important that you purchase sustainable materials.
Sustainable Materials
Wood
Wood is a natural material that will be incorporated into nature when its useful life ends. You can find it in toys, hair brush, kitchen accessories, etc. Also here in Mexico these items are generally made by artisan producers, thereby supporting the local economy.
Natural Fibers
Choose natural fibers for you to make your bags, buy clothes or buy another product. Natural fibers can be cotton, luffas or grass, hemp, henequen, coconut fiber, etc. They are all those whose origin is in plants.
Glass
Glass is a material derived from sand and other components. Glass does not leach toxic into your food (unlike plastic). Furthermore, glass can be recycled forever. And above all it is Reusable. When we reuse glass, it becomes an excellent material for the planet.
Stainless steal
It is a durable material and generally considered inert. It will not leach toxins into your food or drinks and it will last a lifetime. Stainless steel can also be eternally recycled.
Unsustainable Materials
Plastic
Most NGOs agree with the fact that plastic cannot be recycled. Plastic only enters a process called infra-recycling, where in each century of recycling it becomes less and less quality until nothing can be done with it. Plastic also leaches toxins into your food and our environment, especially BPA (a hormone disruptor) and other components. Say no to plastic.
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is full of toxic chemicals. Lately I have seen a trend in Mexico to put only one type of brown coloring to make it appear biodegradable. This is the pinnacle of Greenwashing and that happens because in Mexico there is no standard of what can be called biodegradable and what cannot. We need to take action on this issue. Styrofoam cannot be recycled forever, it leaches toxins into our food and contaminates Say no to styrofoam.
Sintetic Fibers
Synthetic fibers are all those derived from petroleum. Don’t buy clothes made with synthetic fibers. Said fibers are, for example, nylon and those derived from PET. They cannot get recycled and above all there is a huge global public health problem associated with their use. With each wash, they give off small fragments (called microfibers) that absorb toxins, cannot be filtered by the treatment plants and end up being consumed by fish and then return to us, hyper loaded with DTT and other contaminants. To learn more, check the Story of Stuff website. Say no to synthetic fibers