{"id":1843,"title":"Let's Talk About Plastic","description":"Plastic is everywhere. It lasts for hundreds and hundreds of years and is even found on the most remote beaches of the world, where no humans ever go. We can recycle as much as possible, but that\u2019s not going to solve the problem.","content":"

Plastic is everywhere. It lasts for hundreds and hundreds of years and is even found on the most remote beaches of the world, where no humans ever go.<\/p>

We can recycle as much as possible, but that\u2019s not going to solve the problem. We have to each stop buying plastic and use alternatives.<\/p>

\"\"In this industry - online retail fashion - plastic is everywhere, for example:<\/p>

Polyester and other artificial blends such as poly-cottons, fleece, rayon, and acrylics.<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"These tend to be used by fast fashion producers and are often thrown away to sit in landfill dumps. Even if you donate used clothing to charity shops it may end up in landfill as there is much more donated than ever gets sold.<\/p>

Every time a synthetic fabric is washed, micro-particles of plastic are released from the garment and end up in our watercourses. These tiny pieces of plastic are eaten by marine creatures and cause massive damage to our ecosystems.<\/p>

I\u2019m guilty of having synthetic fabrics in my cupboards too. I think most people are.<\/p>

Threads<\/strong><\/h2>

Just as synthetic fabrics are used in clothing, so are synthetic threads. If you take a look at the seams of a couple of items in your wardrobe, you\u2019ll probably recognise some non-cotton threads very easily.<\/p>

Sneaky little so-and-sos!<\/p>

Clothing Tags<\/strong><\/h2>

When you\u2019re doing your best to buy natural fibres sometimes you\u2019ll find that there\u2019s a plastic tag, or plastic tie on a cardboard tag, attached to your garment. Annoying, right!?<\/p>

All these little plastic bits add up to a LOT of plastic when you consider how much clothing we buy each year - much of which ends up in landfill.<\/p>

Coat hangers<\/strong><\/h2>

\"\"In shops we\u2019re normally given a choice as to whether we want to keep the coat hangers that come with a piece of clothing or not. However, when buying online I\u2019ve often found a plastic coat hanger has come with my item in the parcel.<\/p>

I just don\u2019t want them! I have nice sturdy hangers at home, so I don\u2019t need to have the free plastic ones. I\u2019d like to send them back to the shops, but there\u2019s no option to do that. Grrr\u2026.<\/p>

Postage bags<\/strong><\/h2>

All the big online stores use them. I\u2019ve received parcels from many stores that use them myself. They\u2019re convenient and make returns easy.<\/p>

However, they\u2019re not recyclable and it\u2019s more plastic going to landfill. Some companies (like Amazon) use recyclable and reusable cardboard boxes, that\u2019s a lot better but sometimes you\u2019ll find protective plastic wrap or bubble packaging inside them.<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

We use paper postage bags, with a fun print, which is what you can see here.<\/p>

Garment bags<\/strong><\/h2>

Woohoo! You\u2019ve got a parcel with your new togs in it. You open the outer packaging and then find that each item is in its own individual plastic bag as well. Booo!<\/p>

There is a reason for using these bags. Garment bags mean that items are kept clean when in storage, and each bag normally has a bar code on it so that the people packing our orders can find the right item in the right size very easily. I\u2019ve been looking for non-plastic alternatives to these bags and they\u2019re very hard to find. That\u2019s the one thing that\u2019s stopping me selling on Amazon and using their fulfilment centre. Watch this space though!<\/p>

So what can a Smug Vegan do?<\/strong><\/h2>

Because it\u2019s the right thing to do, there\u2019s no plastic in Smug Vegan products or postal packaging.<\/p>

All Smug Vegan garments are 100% organic cotton, and you\u2019ll receive any online orders in rip-proof paper postal bags. If you buy from one of our stockists or at an event, you\u2019ll get a paper bag to carry your purchase home.<\/p>

As mentioned above, you won\u2019t see Smug Vegan items in plastic garment bags either. :)<\/p>

Want to receive Smug Vegan offers and news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our monthly newsletter<\/a>. You can unsubscribe at any time.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>","urlTitle":"lets-talk-about-plastic","url":"\/blog\/lets-talk-about-plastic\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/lets-talk-about-plastic\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/smugveganshop.com\/blog\/lets-talk-about-plastic\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1572994119,"updatedAt":1605111097,"publishedAt":1572996372,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":19613,"name":"Smug Vegan"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5dc1fc7a6b1de5.08226407.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5dc1fc7a6b1de5.08226407.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5dc1fc7a6b1de5.08226407.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":null,"metaDescription":null,"keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":756,"title":"New collection: Animal Magic","url":"\/blog\/new-collection-animal-magic\/","urlTitle":"new-collection-animal-magic","division":19613,"description":"We're excited to announce our new collection, Animal Magic, featuring a pig, a cow, and a chicken. The Animal Magic designs are inspired by our two favourite farm animal sanctuaries, The Retreat and the Happy Pants Farm Sanctuary. We donate 50% of our profits to these two great causes, as well as","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d33a91702ef83.22465759.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5d33a91702ef83.22465759.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":1952,"title":"Vegans Get Everywhere! Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair","url":"\/blog\/vegans-get-everywhere-country-living-magazine-christmas-fair\/","urlTitle":"vegans-get-everywhere-country-living-magazine-christmas-fair","division":19613,"description":"As Country Living Magazine is quite traditional and has a bit of a \u2018hunting, fishing, shooting\u2019 vibe, I was interested to see whether there would be much in the way of vegan-friendly goods on offer, and I was pleasantly surprised! Take a look at some of the goodies I found.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5dd2c881a3a446.39195707.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/5dd2c881a3a446.39195707.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":43873,"title":"Relaunch: We have lift-off!","url":"\/blog\/relaunch-we-have-lift-off\/","urlTitle":"relaunch-we-have-lift-off","division":19613,"description":"Smug Vegan was running on autopilot for a while whilst life took over. I\u2019m now back with a revamp of the Smug Vegan catalogue - adding new design collections and products. See what's new in this article.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lvjwpp0cprzseafjxjydngq9fozyav6rmxcypzsapqhitqcc.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/lvjwpp0cprzseafjxjydngq9fozyav6rmxcypzsapqhitqcc.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}