There’s a movement sweeping the world right now that is raising awareness for one of the most important environmental issues facing the planet today. If you have been on any social media platform this month, you have undoubtedly seen the  #PlasticFreeJuly hashtag trending on your friends’ pages and business pages as well. The goal is to inspire people to use fewer single use plastic items in their daily lives in order to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that ends up in our world’s oceans. Let's do this!

As an  eco-friendly clothing company, we wholeheartedly support these causes and hope that our community of awesome earth loving customers will jump on the bandwagon as well. If you are hearing about Plastic Free July for the first time, we want to give you the basics. Answer key questions and provide some quick wins that you can start implementing today in order to do your part to save our oceans and marine life. Change is hard. We totally get it. But, our future depends on it and you're not alone. Millions of people are taking action. Are you ready?

What are some examples of single use plastic?

Single use plastic is everywhere! Why? Because it is cheap, easy, and convenient. But, these things don’t make it right. These items are things like straws, grocery bags, water bottles, and coffee stirrers, among other things.

Sure, these items may make life a little easier, but their lasting negative impact on the environment is significant. Why? Well, a lot of these items are made from petroleum, are not biodegradable, and when they do eventually break down over time they release harmful chemicals into the environment. Guess what that means? Those harmful chemicals can make their way back to into our bloodstream and have the potential to make us ill.

How can you reduce your consumption of single use plastics?

The good news is that as the knowledge of the plastic pollution issue has become increasingly mainstream, companies are constantly innovating products that help regular people like you and I move away from our reliance on plastic. Here’s a quick list of things that you can do today to ditch the plastic:

1. Get a refillable water bottle. You probably even have one around the house somewhere. Find it. Fill it. Keep refilling it. Get one for everyone in your family too. (Hint: keep your eyes out for some pretty sweet new refillable bottle options coming soon in our Fall 2018 release)

2. Say no to plastic straws. If you’re getting your iced coffee or you’re out to eat, just forgo the plastic straw. These little tubes of convenience are piling up in our global waters and the situation is not good.

3. Bring your own bags to the market. Keep some in the car and don’t forget to grab them before you lock your car and start heading toward the door (that’s what I always do). Did you know  we carry reusable tote bags that would be perfect for this?! 

That’s three quick and easy changes you can make in your daily routine to reduce your plastic use. We wouldn’t be very good advocates for the environment if we didn’t walk the walk, right? That’s why we, as an eco-conscious company, have multiple water filling stations around our offices to discourage our employees from using plastic water bottles. Most recently, we removed all plastic utensils from our break areas in order to become even more plastic free. 

While these little steps make a big difference, we are most proud of the fact that we were able to start eliminating thousands of pounds of plastic film in 2006 by converting to Direct to Screen for printing our separations. The bottom line is that we don't simply care about what we make, but more importantly how we make it. 

Besides making every effort on your own to go plastic free, the next best thing you can do is exactly what we are doing here –spread the word and encourage others to look at their habits and identify what small changes they can make to use less plastic. Good luck in your effort to go plastic free, this month and every month. We're rooting for you!