Celebrate Plastic Free July with Green People

Summer is just around the corner, and what better way to start off a new season than by making a pledge that could change the future of your planet? Plastic Free July, first launched in 2011, is a global movement that encourages millions of people to help tackle the problem of plastic pollution. By ditching single-use plastic, we can enjoy cleaner streets, cleaner oceans and a healthier planet, for now and for the future. The celebration is a key initiative of The Plastic Free Foundation, established in 2017 by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and a small team in Western Australia. Now in 2020, it is one of the most influential campaigns in the world. The premise is simple; small, simple changes can make a big difference.  

Plastic is everywhere; from food containers to cleaning products. One of the simplest ways of starting your plastic-free journey is looking at your beauty cabinet. We’ve no doubt there’ll be plenty of plastic lurking in there somewhere. As we all wake up to the damage single-use plastic is having on our planet, the beauty industry is making changes. One such company is Green People, the award-winning organic body and skincare brand loved by millions. Famed for their highly-effective personal care products created using certified-organic, natural ingredients, Green People are making waves with their packaging too. In a bid for greater sustainability, they have been working hard to create packaging that aligns with their values, and it starts with hair care and sun care. Green People’s award-winning sun lotions and hair and body care ranges have relaunched now housed in the new plant-derived sugar cane packaging.

"Green People is continually seeking alternative environmentally-positive packaging solutions as we maintain our endeavours to create a business that has minimal impact on the environment," says Ian Taylor, cosmetic scientist for Green People.

The packaging uses carbon-neutral sugar cane plastic, from plants farmed on sustainable land in Brazil. This renewable raw material is planted far from any areas of rainforest and on land that is deemed of inferior quality for food production. Using this degraded pasture land helps soil to recover for future use as farmland. The benefits don’t end there; whilst the plant is being cultivated, it captures CO2 so efficiently that sugar cane plastic is actually carbon negative. For every kg produced, 3.09 kgs of CO2 is removed from the air.

In line with their sustainable ethos, Green People support the Marine Conservation Society, helping to clear shorelines of litter and are donating 30 pence from the sale of their full-size scent-free sun creams to the Society.

Green People aim to switch all packaging to sugar-cane plastic by 2022. Until then, fans of the organic-trailblazers can be sure that many products are packaged in glass with fully recyclable lids, including the Coconut Charcoal Purifying Face Mask - £21.00 (50ml), Ultimate Wonder Balm - £32.00 (50ml), Cell Enrich Facial Oil - £35.00 (30ml) and Pure Luxe Body Oil - £25.00 (50ml).

Green People also use packing chips made from biodegradable non-GMO corn starch to keep products safe in transit. These quickly dissolve in water. So, if you’re making your pledge to go plastic-free this July, look to Green People for natural, organic skin, hair and body care that doesn’t sacrifice sustainability.

Green People products are not tested on animals and never contain: Parabens, alcohol (ethyl alcohol, ethanol), harsh foaming agents, SLS/SLES, gluten, petrochemicals, mineral oils, silicones, lanolin, phthalates, triclosan, propylene glycol, irritating emulsifiers, synthetic fragrance, ethoxylated ingredients, formaldehyde and formaldehyde-donors, methylisothiazolinone (MI), EDTA, PABA-sunscreen, octyl methoxycinnamate, camphor-derived UV filters, colourants, urea, DEA, TEA or PEGs.

Green People products are available from Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Revital and independent health retailers nationwide, as well as online at www.greenpeople.co.uk.