Why there should be more ethical companies

General, ReviewsSeptember 11, 2018June 14, 2020

Hey everyone!

I hope you all are well. Nowadays, the majority of consumers care about the ethics of their companies. We have so many options on the kind of companies that we can choose to buy from, and now more than ever it’s important to understand the environmental impacts that companies have.

Why there should be more ethical companies

Millennials especially are turning away from big corporations who test on animals in place of companies like Lush. Community initiatives are holding supermarkets responsible for their unnecessary plastic waste. And, companies who face accusations of unsustainable practices are now struggling to see success. In short; we’re no longer willing to buy from the most convenient sources. Increased knowledge of issues like these means we’re standing up and holding both ourselves and our businesses responsible.

For that reason alone, then, any company operating now could benefit from more sustainable practices. You could even go as far as to say this is a must for anyone aiming their products at millennials. But, what many businesses don’t realise is that they could benefit here in more ways than one. When you take time to consider this issue, it’s clear that sustainable practices could help companies where it matters most. We are, of course, talking about their profits.

No matter how ethical a company is, it doesn’t make sense to disregard money altogether. Hence why many companies will put profits above the environment. Without that, there won’t be a business in the first place. But, in the modern climate, that may well be the wrong way to go. In fact, profit in contemporary business now seems to go hand in hand with sustainability. To prove the point, let’s look at the financial benefits of sustainable practices.

Saving money

Many companies make the mistake of assuming sustainable practices will increase costs. But, that’s a falsehood. On the surface of things, ethical packaging may cost more, and sustainable practices could lead to longer processes and further pay for staff. But, when you break this down, the chances are that costs won’t increase long-term. In fact, these practices could save companies money. For one, consider that businesses caught committing environmental offences have to pay out for a federal crimes attorney who can clear their name. Failing that, they may have to pay penalties as we saw last year when significant corporations had to pay more than £1.5m for environmental breaches. So, while sustainable practices may cost more in the short-term, they could lead to savings over time.

Making money

The benefits here don’t stop with saving money. Sustainability can also boost profits. For one, they ensure companies don’t alienate audiences. Thus, there’s more chance of a broad reach when it comes to sales. Sustainable businesses may also find they can charge more for the same products. Small increases for things like paper packaging could boost earnings. Investors are also more willing to back sustainable and ethical companies. Even if business owners don’t see the importance of a focus here, shareholders and investment companies do. So, getting on top here could also see businesses booming when it comes to outside support.

You could argue, then, that finally paying attention here is a crucial aspect of business in 2018. The question is, do enough companies realise it?

I hope you all enjoyed this contributed post on ‘Why there should be more ethical companies’

Don’t forget to comment, share and subscribe ♥

Lush ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar Review

Bath & Body, General, Hair Care, ReviewsJuly 1, 2018January 6, 2022

Earlier on this week, I did a review on the Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ shampoo bar and today I wanted to follow-up on that with a review of the Lush conditioner bar that I’m using too.

A few weeks ago, I shared a video on my Facebook page about the environment effects of plastic waste and how we can reduce our plastic waste by using shampoo and conditioner bars instead of bottles. After seeing the sheer amount of plastic that we have accumulated in land fills, I think that the least that we can do is to make positive changes to the environment by reducing our plastic waste.

About Lush

(Do I really need to write this at this point? Haha)

Lush are an all-round ethical cosmetics company that are committed to being cruelty-free, vegan and sustainable as possible. Their products are all handmade, smell amazing, and have a cool sticker at the bottom of their boxed products to tell you who and when the products were made. With over 100 stores across the U.K, Lush is easily one of the most prominent organic beauty brands.

Lush ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar 💜

The eco-friendly Lush ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar is made using luscious linseed infusion, argan oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and olive oil to nourish. A floral bouquet of violet leaf absolute, rose and bergamot creates intoxicating fragrance that will last on hair all day. Work the bar between the hands before applying a small amount into wet hair; a little goes a long way.

I bought the ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar for £6.75, the bar is approx. 45ml, which may seem a little expensive for people but based on other online reviews the bar lasts for about 180 washes (6-8 weeks for some). And to top it off, this particular product is vegan! ☺

Review

As soon as I saw the conditioner bar in store, I had to buy it. I loved the fact that it has ‘Hair Conditioner’ embossed on top, and of course because of the lovely smell of the shea butter and cocoa butter.

Before using the conditioner, I tested out the Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar, and then conditioned my hair. The conditioner bar took a little while to lather, but once it did, it had a thick and smooth consistency – just like any other conditioner. And again, like the other conditioners that I use, it took roughly 5 minutes to thoroughly rinse my hair.

After drying my hair, it had a sleek and smooth shine to it. Normally, I get this kind of healthy shine in my hair when I’ve soaked oil on my hair and washed it, but since using the conditioner I haven’t been using any other hair oil because I didn’t feel the need to. The conditioner is nourishing, and left a soft fragrant smell of the cocoa butter.

Since using the Lush conditioner and shampoo bars my hair feels smoother and healthier, in fact I’ve got quite a few compliments on the condition of my hair. It’s also important to mention that I’ve experienced less hair fall than I normally do. Like the description says, a little really does go a long way; on days that I’ve used the minimal amount of conditioner, my hair still looks conditioned.

The Lush ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar is all round economical, eco-friendly and smells amazing. ✨

Click here to buy the Lush ‘Sugar Daddy-O’ Conditioner Bar.

Don’t forget to comment, share & follow.

– Sonam x

P.S: If you haven’t already, check out my review on the Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar.

Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar Review

Bath & Body, General, Hair Care, ReviewsJune 26, 2018June 14, 2020

I’ll be honest, this video prompted me to try the Lush shampoo and conditioner bars and try to reduce my plastic waste wherever possible.

Are Lush cruelty free?

(Do I really need to write this at this point? Haha)

Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar 🍯

The eco-friendly Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar is made with moisterising honey to keep the hair soft and for its natural antiseptic properties. To top it all off the uplifting sweet wild orange and bergamot oils create a gentle aroma.

I bought the ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar for £6.50, the bar is approx. 55ml,which may seem a little expensive for people but based off of other online reviews the bar lasts for about 180 washes (6-8 weeks for some people).

Review

The first thing that I noticed about the shampoo bar was that it smelt of honey, and I’ll admit that I was kind of taken back by how small it actually was when I bought it in store.

Once I got home, I tested it out immediately. Surprisingly, the shampoo bar lathered so quickly, it generally felt like I was washing my hair with a honey and milk blend. The aroma of the shampoo was pretty soothing, and it took me 5 minutes to rinse my hair (roughly the same amount of time that it would with any other shampoo).

After drying my hair, I could still smell the shampoo in my hair. I found that the shampoo bar nourished my hair and since using the shampoo I’ve experienced less hair fall than normal. Before, my hair would fall out like a dog during malting season (I wish I was exaggerating), but thankfully the Lush shampoo and conditioner bars have done wonders for my hair.

One little thing that I would have to complain about, is that I wish the shape and overall look of the shampoo bar itself was a little bit more quirky and fun like their bath bombs. Though, I do love the naked packaging concept that Lush have. The Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar is all round economical, eco-friendly and smells amazing. ✨

P.S: I normally don’t use shampoo on its own, I always condition my hair, so to see the full effects of the shampoo and conditioner bars combined, you have to check out my next review. 😉

Click here to buy the Lush ‘Honey I Washed My Hair’ Shampoo Bar.

Don’t forget to comment, share & follow.

– Sonam x

Above Green – The Greenest States

GeneralAugust 24, 2017March 19, 2018

Hi everyone! How are you all doing? ☺

Today I’d like to share with you a post on sustainability by Miles from Above Green, a LEED Consulting Company. The post is based on the findings from research on green living habits across the U.S, including a comparison to the U.K and Europe, that Above Green had recently conducted. Those of you who read my blog regularly may have read about Above Green from one of my earlier posts, Sunday Inspiration: Above Green, where I was listed as one of the top eco-conscious bloggers and I was asked to share the post on here so without further ado…

The Greenest States

The below map is based on six key factors relating to renewable energy usage, carbon emissions, water usage, number of electric vehicles, number of green buildings, number of green building professionals, and air quality. The factors were weighted by importance – for example; air quality counted more than the number of electric vehicles.

As an environmentalist and employee at a LEED Consulting Company, I am greatly passionate about green buildings and sustainability. My team and I were curious about which state in the United States are the best and worst for green living. Below I’ve also included some interesting findings about the sustainable practices that the UK is engaging in.

Here are some interesting findings in the US based on the six areas we reviewed:

1) The U.S. has over 30 GW of installed solar capacity, which is equivalent to powering 5.7 million homes.

2) The way we extract, manufacture and dispose of products including food add up to 42% of our overall U.S. greenhouse gas emissions every year.

3) The United States is #1 in registered and certified LEED projects as of 2016, which equals to 2.5 million employees working in green buildings every day.

4) 542,000 electric vehicles are on American roads today, which is an incremental increase from previous years helping to reduce carbon emissions.

Here some interesting findings relating to the UK and Europe to compare:

1) Across Europe solar power generation now stands at 104 GW installed, with 29% solar growth from last year.

2) By 2020 the government expects 20% of the nations energy to come from renewable sources.

3) There are over 90,000 electric plug-in vehicles in Europe today, by the year 2030 initiatives are set to be 1 of every 12 cars will be electric powered. This is great considering 50% of this power is coming from low carbon emitting sources.

4) Wind energy in the UK generates more than any other country generating 5.1 GW, including 30 installed offshore wind farms with more planned shortly.

Conclusion

Both the United States and the UK are fighting against changing the detrimental effects air pollution has on us, but are we doing enough now? Reducing our carbon footprint helps not just the air we breathe but also many beneficial factors to go alongside living a healthy lifestyle. From zero-emitting cleaning materials, natural linens, buying practical items, and local produce can be just a few things we can all start to take into account the next time we’re shopping.

From our findings based on these six key factors, we found that generally, the northern and western states were better for green living. Of course, there are many more factors that could be considered for a complete evaluation. This is our first attempt at finding the greenest places, who knows, maybe next year will be finding the greenest countries. I think we can agree that the UK does, however, capitalize more on the wind and other forms of renewable energy, while the states steadily grow their network in green infrastructure.

Author Bio

Miles Abernathy is a LEED Green Associate and an Environmental Science major. He recently has served as an Executive Assistant at Above Green, a LEED Consulting company based in Middleburg, Virginia, and is currently working on finishing the last year of his degree at University of North Carolina Wilmington. He is a member of the Surfrider Club at UNC-Wilmington, where he spearheaded an Ocean Friendly Garden project on campus, to reduce runoff, in concert with university faculty and local civic organizations.

Keep Real

General, InspirationJune 22, 2017March 18, 2018

Hi everyone! ☺

How have you all been during this scorching weather? Lately I’ve been busy finishing up my course, which has been quite time consuming with work and everything else, thus the lack of activity on here.

Fashion with a purpose

Today I’m so happy to share an exclusive look at a new brand called Keep Real – a Yorkshire based online store that will be launching very soon, on the 1st July 2017 to be precise! What sets Keep Real a part from most brands is their unique ethos of bringing eco-fashion and mental wellbeing to the forefront by staying true to who you are and promoting a healthy attitude in ourselves and others.

The brand will be selling products ranging from stationary to bags as well as t-shirts that are sourced from products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. There will also be a blog dedicated to supporting other creative people who share the same ethos as Keep Real.

CEO and Founder Kimberley Robinson said, “Products create an impact, but we also have
an impact from our choices too. We have the freedom of choice, and we chose to create something real
rad right in the heart of Yorkshire. This starts with selecting what suppliers we feel we can trust.”

Keep Real’s ethical work

In the past, Kimberley has been raising awareness about the issues surrounding young people and mental health and aims to continue doing so through Keep Real by reaching out to the local colleges and universities in Yorkshire. “We have physical health, and heck yeah do we have mental health too. More so now than ever, folk are
really opening their eyes to the impact our mental health has on everything around us.”, says the young
Founder and CEO. “It’s something not enough people are talking about, but if we can start small, while
empowering and supporting other people along the way; then we can see a change in the way we talk
about our well-being.”

To keep up to date with Keep Real you can follow their account on Twitter and Instagram @KeepRealUK

Good luck to Kimberley and her team for the launch of Keep Real on 1st July! ♥

RiDE Skincare Launch

Bath & Body, BeautyOctober 31, 2016May 24, 2020

RiDE Skincare Launch

Today I wanted to share news about a unique skincare range for all you outdoorsy sports lovers called RiDE Skincare.

What is RiDE Skincare?

The skincare range has been designed by Tom Marshall, after 2 years of research and testing, specifically to work on your skin in extreme outdoor conditions and officially launched his project last week on Kick Starter. What sets RiDE a part from other outdoor skincare ranges is that it uses 100% naturally derived and organic ingredients, whereas other skincare ranges designed for extreme conditions are full of harsh, synthetic chemicals.

The RiDE Skincare products

For now, RiDE Skincare will be launching two products; the Ride Protect and Ride Recover.

1 | Ride Protect is an all-natural SPF 30 rated sunscreen that uses the mineral titanium dioxide as its active sun protection. Most normal sunscreens use a mixture of synthetic chemicals that absorb into the skin and break down the UVA and UVB rays. Mineral based protection like the titanium dioxide used in Ride Protect creates a barrier on top of the skin that reflects back the UVA and UVB rays, thus protecting the skin. Because this is a physical barrier it starts protecting your skin as soon as it is applied. It also protects from any wind burn and stops rain and saltwater drying out your skin with the help of jojoba and coconut oils. It’s easy to use and blends into the skin. Ride Protect has been extensively tested and has proven to be extremely water resistance, from surfing in the Atlantic to sweating out on the bike, it continues to protect your skin regardless.

2 | Ride Recover is a 100% naturally derived moisturiser that can be used when your skin needs extra help to recover after being exposed to the elements, or as an everyday cream to keep your skin in great condition. It’s light and absorbs easily into the skin with a smooth texture. The aloe vera, green tea and high grade olive & peppermint oils help to rehydrate and replenish the skin.

As both the products are in the process of being produced, the cruelty free credentials are yet to come but I do have confirmation via email which I can share with you all.

“there is certainly no form of animal testing on our side and all my supplies are UK based and also assure me of their cruelty free credentials”

The Kickstarter campaign has been live since last week and is running for another 18 days so please share and spread the word! To find out more about the Kickstarter campaign for RiDE Skincare you can watch the video below and to pledge you can click here.

Solar Energy

GeneralFebruary 4, 2016March 19, 2018

Hi guys!

How has your week been so far? Earlier this week I read, and shared, quite an interesting article by the Guardian about why solar energy has yet to make a proper impact on our lives. The main reasons for solar power not being adopted particularly in Europe and the U.K are provided by expert analysts who discussed both the business and geographical aspect of solar power.

One of the first problems discussed are the problem of adapting the national grid and the costs to adapt the national grids according the new technological advancements in solar power, there is clearly not a problem with the solar energy itself but rather the actual national grids are having to develop themselves in order to keep up with the rapid changes to solar energy. The cost to make changes to the infrastructure is one of the main hurdles in attempt to bring forth renewable energy as a main provider in our countries. Another problem mentioned was the actual ‘capacity power’ of solar; as “A coal power station runs at 70-80% capacity. In northern Europe, solar panel capacity factor is just 15%. ” For solar energy to work properly here in the U.K we would need to use the other forms of renewable energy; wind, tidal, geothermal, as is it clear that solar energy alone is not enough.

I genuinely believe there is not only a technical issue holding renewable energy back from being at the forefront of the market, but also a political problem of clean energy being a concern in the governments agenda. There seems to be a number of issues with solar energy in the U.K but, to me, that is not necessarily a negative thing; in order to make progress you have to solve and outline the problems instead of blindly focussing on the advantages of it. Now I have to admit, energy is not always the easiest topic to discuss simply because of the fact that it involves so much politics and technical jargon that it not always engaging to the everyday person which may be the main reason why it is a topic that many people of my age shy age away from. Energy is important to virtually all aspects of our present life and the future of energy is something that we need to pay close attention to, regardless of how off putting some of the language may be.

As always, I would love to know what your thoughts are on this never ending topic. Do you enjoy reading about clean energy? Is it something that particularly concerns you?