Cutting down on packaging is easier than ever with these reusable wonders

THE damaging effects that plastic and waste have on our planet have been well-documented – and it doesn’t take a scientist to work out that the beauty industry is partly to blame.

Did you know that a shocking 1.3 million discarded beauty tools from salons are sent to landfill in the UK each month alone, contaminating the soil and groundwater with harmful chemicals and micro-organisms?*

Or that by 2050, there will be 12 billion tonnes of plastic in landfills worldwide (the equivalent of 35,000 Empire State buildings)?**

If that isn’t enough to convince you to invest in eco-friendly bathroom goods, it’s estimated that globally, the cosmetics industry produces more than 120 billion units of packaging each year, most of which isn’t recyclable and gets buried in landfill or tossed into the ocean.**

Meanwhile, the cardboard packaging used to box your new perfume or moisturiser contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest per year.**

And recycling alone isn’t enough. Just 9% of worldwide plastic waste actually gets recycled, so the only solution to tackling the epidemic is to consume less of it.***

It’s not easy to change the habit of a lifetime, but if you’re not sure where to begin, there’s good news. Some beauty brands are working to make reducing plastic use as easy as possible, from reusable make-up remover pads to refillable foundations. One small step for you, but a hop, skip and jump for humankind.

Give a sheet

Remember when the beauty world went bonkers for sheet masks when they first hit shelves?

Not only do they infuse skin with a quick hit of glow-inducing ingredients, but they’re also an easier, less messy alternative to the traditional face mask. But let’s say we use two sheet masks a week.

That’s two plastic pouches, two plastic sheets (which are usually wrapped around the masks to protect them) and the masks themselves – none of which are usually biodegradable or easily composted. While some brands offer masks made of biodegradable materials such as cotton, it’s unlikely to go anywhere once it’s in the ground because of the synthetic ingredients it’s saturated in.