Page 216 - Vogue - India (January 2020)

15 SHOP SMART

From snacks to shampoo, buy XL versions at the supermarket and then
look up Pinterest and Etsy to fi nd new ways to reuse the packaging.
Besides being a good deal, it is easier to recycle bigger plastics. And stay
far away from sachets as they are impossible to recycle.

17

ALWAYS BYOB

If written today, Adam Sandler’s rap
anthem ‘100% fresh’ would have a likely It is said that an offi ce- SHUN ELABORATE
addition to the holy trinity (phone, wallet, goer uses three paper PACKAGING
keys) that he never leaves his home cups per day, generating
without—a travel bottle. In India, co ee over 780 cups of trash Carrying a cloth bag
behemoths like Starbucks o er BYOB doesn’t absolve you
customers an incentive by waiving 10 o . every year. of your eco sins if you
bring home provisions
wrapped in plastic. From
18 SWITCH TO NATURAL ALTERNATIVES Goa (Ecoposro), a host
Chennai (Ecoindian) to

of zero-waste stores are
exposing shoppers to
Alicia Silverstone, Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow have more in common than good
looks. They are green champions who swear by natural hacks to clean up. the idea of plastic-free
provisions. Encouraging
buyers to bring their own
FOR A BATH FOR FLOORS FOR DETERGENT boxes, these stores sell
everything from rice to
lentils in attractive glass
bottles. At home, swap the
plastic wrap for handmade
(and reusable) beeswax
versions from Hoopoe on
a Hill (Hoopoekodaikanal.
Try soaps and soap nuts Mix baking soda or Try conscious brands like com). And on Instagram,
over shower gels and lemon with vinegar, for a Coco Custo. It is free of shout-out brands that reuse
shampoos. Microplastics in chemical-free alternative sulphates, parabens and and refi ll, or use plantable
exfoliators are major that does the same carcinogens, comes in packaging, and don’t hold
pollutants. Make yours using work as an overzealous recyclable packaging, and back from shaming serious
leftover co ee or oatmeal. chemical cleaning product. has a refi lling program. plastic o enders.

19 SIGN UP FOR unsubstantiated marketing tactics and claims of being environmentally-20

DON’T GET GREENWASHED
ONLINE
The downside of sustainability becoming a buzzword is that everyone
BANKING
up our planet, unscrupulous conglomerates ‘greenwash’ buyers with
Paper-free transactions wants a piece of the green pie. Even as fast fashion continues to eat
not only save time but friendly. If your T-shirt company tells you it’s good for the environment
trees too. Scraps of without comprehensive data, dig deeper. “The problem with the fashion
paper are a top source of industry’s solution to turning plastic bottles into thread, and later, a
litter around the world. fl eece or a polyester item, is that once washed, these items release
Avoid bank queues by microplastics. So we are taking a visible plastic bottle and returning it
e-banking. At ATMs or into the ocean as invisible particles,” says Semaan of Slow Factory. ■
when you swipe to shop,
skip the receipt (it’s on SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
your phone anyway). IT’S TIME WE CALL THE BLUFF!

214 VOGUE INDIA JANUARY www.vogue.in