Eco Products to become mainstream
Brought by ShiftEco
Why to Shift? Why Eco Products?
We live in an era of convenience. The minute you need something, you either hop across to the nearest supermarket or get online and make an immediate purchase. Easy, comfortable and instant.
We at Shift Eco, did an analysis and figured that on average, our personal care routine has at least 25 products sitting in our bathroom shelves – if not more! We peeked into our cupboards that were full of clothes worn once, maybe twice, or sometimes not even that.
It wasn’t just on the personal care front – we also looked at our kitchen & home routines. We’re all buying fruits and vegetables that are either laced in plastic or are chopped in plastic boxes, ready to use, or sometimes even flown from halfway across the world. We also have cupboards full of multiple cleaning products for the home, each one targeted at a different surface, and material.
It’s products, products and more products!
Here’s the problem – Our landfills are growing with toxic materials like plastic that don’t disintegrate for over 450 years, or chemicals that are entering our food chain till posterity. Our resources are being over-utilized, and we’ve become selfish monsters focused on consumption without a single thought being devoted to our planet.
We the founding team at Shift Eco realize that now is the time to step up, take responsibility and start making small shifts that have a big impact on the future of our planet.
And these small changes, at an individual level, go a long way! For example, a simple shift to a bamboo toothbrush by your family today, means a reduction of over 1200 plastic toothbrushes rotting in our landfills for the next 450 years. Or a simple shift to a reusable water bottle by an individual, means 100’s of plastic bottles being prevented from entering our landfills. Us choosing non-toxic home cleaning products or demanding cruelty free skincare, means a whirlwind of good for us and our planet.
The time for change is now. There is a plethora of replacement products now available to make the shift much easy for us consumers, and it’s time we begin making small habitual changes for a better tomorrow!
Observation about the UAE customers
We at Shift Eco conducted a research to understand the consumer sentiment here in the UAE. We found out that 95% of the consumers are open, and willing to modify their habits in the future to live a more sustainable lifestyle, however only 45% of the consumers were actually making an effort.
This was due to multiple reasons like lack of availability of options that are readily available and lack of awareness where while they knew the importance of being eco-friendly, they didn’t know how to start their journey. Or concerns like greenwashing, where they were unsure of product claims.
Living sustainably and being eco-friendly is definitely an emerging theme for consumers today, but we as brand owners and responsible producers need to make this transition easier for consumers. Which is why, apart from bringing the eco-friendly product ecosystem together on our platform, we make it a point to make ‘learning’ a key focus area for Shift Eco where we host multiple free webinars on key issues and possible solutions, apart from running an active blog.
How to start?
We at Shift Eco run by the ethos ‘Small shifts, Big Impact!’. Shifting to an eco-friendly lifestyle seems difficult and daunting, and it doesn’t have to be! The idea is to just begin by making smaller changes one by one in our lifestyle. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. Because imperfect efforts, made by us collectively means, big positive change.
A few small changes one can start with are:
- Shift to re-usables – Try and identify a few aspects of your daily routines where single-use item consumption is multifold. Whether it is buying a plastic bottle, coffee in a disposable cup, plastic straws, plastic bags while you’re out grocery shopping or just things like disposable make-up wipes in your bathrooms. Shift to getting yourself reusable bottles and cups or keep reusable grocery bags in your car so you can avoid that nasty waste.
- Shift to plastic free alternatives – There are multiple replacements available for plastic. Start with simple shifts like buying bamboo toothbrushes and bamboo cleaning brushes for your home. Or shift to using products that come in a minimal biodegradable packaging, like shampoo bars, dishwashing blocks and soaps packed in paper.
- Choose to reduce – Keep your shopping list simple & minimal. Buy only what you need and stick to your list rather than getting swayed by the numerous products available at the supermarket or at the clothing store. Try and buy products like multi-purpose cleaners, or buy in bulk, so you can reduce your plastic waste.
- Choose your products carefully – Look at sustainable fabrics, packaging materials, ingredient lists and brands and their practices. Support brands that are homegrown, and local or fair trade and cruelty free. Buy products that have non-toxic ingredients, and have minimal packaging.
- Choose to Re-purpose – Before you throw anything into the bin, ask yourself if that waste can be re-purposed. Old cardboard boxes make great craft materials for children. Kitchen waste can be composted and old clothes can be donated or their fabrics can be re-used. Even furniture can be repurposed or sold to a thrift shop! Get creative!
- Choose one shift every month – Choose to make one shift every month, so this process is not daunting! Or simply choose starter kits that have been curated by our team with impact driven products, that give you a few alternatives that make a real difference!
- Choose one aspect at a time – Kitchen, bathroom, home or when on-the-go, choose one of these aspects at a time, and aim to make maximum changes in that space. Whether it’s making changes to beeswax wraps & composting in the kitchen, choosing to reduce plastic waste & toxic cleaning products at home or choosing a personal care routine with minimal waste and natural products that are cruelty free, or choosing to carry your reusables when on the go, you can compartmentalize shifting one area at a time! In fact, our starter kits have been carefully handpicked to help you get going.
- Conserve – Whether powering off your devices when not in use, remembering to switch off light switches or taking shorter showers and being mindful of our energy, water and other resources, let’s try and be more conscious and remember these little things!
- Recycle – Start separating your garbage and try and give your waste for recycling. Today, there are companies that come to your homes and pick up waste! So try and recycle as much as possible, from e-waste to glass and plastic waste, this goes a long way!
- Connect with nature – Remember to take a break, and connect with nature whether it’s a picnic or a hike amidst nature, or connect with companies that plan beach clean-ups or plant-a-tree activities.
About Shift Eco
Shift Eco is an e-commerce platform that curates honest and impactful eco-friendly products.
We aim to help people make small incremental shifts in their daily shopping to reduce their negative environmental impact.
Our vision is to build a socially conscious culture, so conscious consumerism can become second nature to us.
Shift Eco has curated 1500+ meaningful, earth friendly products across 8 categories, which are in line with our 8 values – Green Code. Each of our brand partners follow conscious practices from production to delivery and are passionate producers of good change.
At Shift Eco, we ensure all your products reach you in minimal packaging materials. All our boxes are 100% compostable & recyclable, with use of minimal ink. All our fragile items are packed in honeycomb kraft paper that is 100% compostable & recyclable.
We also love to build understanding and dialogue about the key issues and solutions on living sustainably through events, discussions, articles and news. Log into our blog from the ‘LEARN’ button on our website, or tune in to any of our free educational sessions on key issues & practical tips to go green.
