The household products you use on a daily basis can impact the health of our environment in more ways than you think. The ingredients used for traditional cleaning products can adversely affect the environment and the health of others1, although their long-term effects are still not fully understood.
However, there is a growing selection of green cleaning product alternatives. You may wonder, are eco-friendly cleaning products really that much better for the environment? In short, yes. Biodegradable and compostable cleaning products assist in the fight against climate change by lessening our need for plastic usage and preserving our water supply.
How Do Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products Help Reduce Plastic Usage?
Eco-friendly household products protect the environment in more ways than one. Notably, many eco-conscious cleaning supplies use biodegradable or compostable packaging instead of plastic, which helps cut down on our overall usage.
Plastic production is a major contributor to climate change and depletes our non-renewable resources, as it accounts for roughly 6% of global oil consumption2. Globally, we produce around 400 million tons3 of plastic waste yearly. As plastic decomposes, it releases harmful greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming. As more people switch to biodegradable cleaning products, we become less reliant on plastic packaging.
Preserving Our Water Supply For The Future
Some sustainable cleaning supplies help preserve our water supply by minimizing transportation pollution, which is the term used to describe the misusage of material and energy by shipping water and soap in plastic containers. Water is undoubtedly the world’s most precious resource4; it’s hard to pinpoint something on our planet that is not dependent on it. Around 70 percent of the world’s freshwater5 is used for agriculture, while approximately 19% is used for industrial purposes and 11% for domestic usage.
Our water supply is limited to surface water runoff, groundwater, and snow; we cannot use saltwater from the ocean unless desalinated, a time-consuming and expensive process6. Overdevelopment, pollution, and global warming threaten our current water supply, so switching to green cleaning solutions helps combat this crisis.
Find Greener Cleaning Solutions For Your Home
At Green Paper Products, we carry Tru Earth products, a line of eco-friendly cleaning solutions. If you are looking for products that protect the environment AND help keep your household cleaner, they may have something for you!
These laundry sheets eliminate plastic waste and excessive water usage. They are packaged in a zero-waste, compostable envelope. Plus, they’re BPA Free!
These 100% wool dryer balls can be used for up to 1,000 loads. They improve the airflow in your dryer to absorb the moisture from your laundry, shortening the time it takes to dry your clothing AND the amount of energy needed for your load.
These water-saving strips are free of plastic packaging and are septic system safe.
If you haven’t considered using eco-friendly cleaning supplies before, don’t worry— it’s never too late to start.
Sources
1- “Identifying Greener Cleaning Products | US EPA.” EPA, 1 June 2022, https://www.epa.gov/greenerproducts/identifying-greener-cleaning-products. Accessed 9 December 2022.
2- “Would stopping plastic pollution help with climate change? How do we do it?” MIT Climate Portal, 16 August 2022, https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/would-stopping-plastic-pollution-help-climate-change-how-do-we-do-it. Accessed 9 December 2022.
3- Wakefield, Faith, and Nick Fewings. “Top 25 Recycling Facts and Statistics for 2022.” Waste Advantage Magazine, 23 June 2022, https://wasteadvantagemag.com/top-25-recycling-facts-and-statistics-for-2022/. Accessed 9 December 2022.
4- “Water - Our Most Precious Resource.” Department of Energy, 3 August 2022, https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/articles/water-our-most-precious-resource. Accessed 9 December 2022.
5- Vyas, Sangita. “Water Stress: A Global Problem That's Getting Worse.” Council on Foreign Relations, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/water-stress-global-problem-thats-getting-worse. Accessed 9 December 2022.
6 - “Understanding the Importance of Water Conservation - 2022.” MasterClass, 7 June 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/water-conservation-explained. Accessed 9 December 2022.
