“Why doesn't somebody do something about this?”

July 23, 2021

Why doesn’t somebody do something about this? We’re all guilty of muttering these words when we’re doom-scrolling ^[1] or watching the news. Fear not - we’re here to show you that there are so many people out there working hard to make a difference. So, in the spirit of Plastic Free July, we’ve put together a handy guide to show case people doing their bit against plastic pollution to prove it!

Pela Case

First up is Pela Case, the world’s first 100% compostable phone case! Pela Case’s mission is to combat plastic waste left by the phone industry, offering an alternative to the whopping 1 billion plastic phone cases sold each year ^[2]. With 30% less carbon emissions, 34% less water usage and 80% less waste production, Pela Case is striving towards a waste-free future. According to Pela, ‘Pela’s customers have prevented the equivalent of 41,858,413 plastic bags from entering our oceans’ ^[3]. We think that’s a pretty impressive statistic. So, if you’d like to support their mission, you can visit their website here

UpCircle

Next up is UpCircle, the skincare brand making a difference. In 2015, co-founders Will and Anna wanted to find a way to combat food waste from London coffee shops. Using leftover coffee grounds (and even fruit stones) to create their wide range of skincare products, UpCircle was born. Vegan, cruelty free, 100% recyclable packaging, organic, sustainable, palm oil free, handmade…the list goes on. So, if you’re after a skincare brand that ticks all the sustainable boxes, you can visit UpCircle’s website here

Gumdrop

Next on the list is Gumdrop. Founded by Anna Bullus in 2009, Gumdrop is combatting chewing gum litter through their cutting-edge technology, Gum-tec®. From coffee cups to stationary, Gumdrop is the first company in the world to recycle and process chewing gum into a wide range of products. So, if you’re looking for an innovative plastic free alternative – check out their website here

The Little Green Orca

We know that shopping plastic-free can be time consuming. If you’re after somewhere convenient to get your sustainable everyday household products all at once, The Little Green Orca is for you. With products made from 100% bamboo (which is biodegradable, recyclable and sustainable), The Little Green Orca is committed to zero plastic waste, perfect for plastic-free living. You can visit The Little Green Orca’s website here

Who Gives A Crap

Who Gives A Crap – contrary to the name – really do care. This sustainable toilet roll company donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets across the world, creating access to safe sanitation for those who need it. When Who Gives A Crap started in 2012, 2.4 billion people didn’t have access to a toilet ^[4]. That figure is now 2 billion, and they have been able to donate contribute over £4.5 million to help provide proper sanitation so far ^[5].  So, if you’re after sustainably sourced toilet paper with plastic free packaging and want to support a company improving sanitation access to millions of people across the world – check out Who Gives A Crap here

 

Thanks for reading! We hope this makes you feel more hopeful and that you’ve found some great new companies to support. Anybody we missed? We’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at team@jedz.co.uk or message us on our socials @wearejedz  

The Jedz Team

 

References

^[1] Doom-scrolling – ‘the practice of obsessively checking online news for updates, especially on social media feeds, with the expectation that the news will be bad, such that the feeling of dread from this negative expectation fuels a compulsion to continue looking for updates in a self-perpetuating cycle’ (dictionary.com, 2021, [online]).

^[2] (uk.pelacase.com, 2021, [online])

^[3] (uk.pelacase.com, 2021, [online])

^[4] (uk.whogivesacrap.org, 2021, [online])

^[5] (uk.whogivesacrap.org, 2021, [online])

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