Toothpaste
- Toothpaste is a hygiene product that is used multiple times every day. Toothpaste may contain substances that negatively affect our health and the environment.
- Ordinary toothpaste in Swedish stores often contain the following substances:
- Triclosan is a preservative with antibacterial function. It has been found in urine, breast milk and the skin. It is suspected to be hormone disrupting and allergenic for children. In addition, it is toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms when it enters the wastewater. The risks from triclosan became evident in recent years and that is the reason why the product started disappearing from the shelves in the store.
- Parabens are common preservatives. Here you will find more information about parabens.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a substance that is found in most adult toothpaste as a foaming agent but which can irritate the mucous membranes. SLS also leads to the formation of cold sores.
Tips for a conscious consumption of toothpaste
Choose Nordic Swan Ecolabelled, natural or organic toothpaste. Except for the Nordic Ecolabelled toothpaste, there are rarely good alternatives in regular grocery stores, so it would be better to order online or visit a health food store.
Shave
- The ordinary manual razors and disposable razors are made of both plastic and metal, which makes them difficult to recycle and therefore they must be sorted as general waste.
- BIC sells 11 million disposable razors every year, which accounts for large amounts of plastic and waste.
- Razors require a lot of resources to be manufactured and then a lot of electricity throughout their lifecycle.
- Shaving foam is packaged in metal cans and generates a lot of waste in the long run. In shaving foams, there are also questionable chemical substances that can be allergenic, hormone disrupting and / or difficult to degrade. Read more about hazardous substances here.
Tips for a conscious consumption of shaving products
- Avoid disposable razors and plastic razors. Instead, choose a razor in chromed metal, so-called safety razor. The safety razor lasts a really long time and only the razor blade needs to be replaced. In addition, it is a closer and more gentle shave.
- Choose a shaver of good quality as they last longer
- Choose a shaver with a short charging time. Most rechargeable devices take about the same amount of time to charge (regardless of charging time), so you need less electricity to charge your device.
- When buying a razor, ask the suppliers about their policy regarding complaints and repairs. Choose a razor with the availability of replacement parts so that it can be easily repaired.
- If the shaver is running on battery, select rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
- Choose ecological shaving creams, shaving foams, shaving gel or solid shaving soap.
