The zero-waste movement is huge right now – and for good reason! Take a look at all of the plastic clogging our oceans and piling up in landfills (and our homes) and you can see it’s a problem.
What is Zero-Waste?
Zero-waste living is a solution to the problem of massive waste around the world. The goal is to create zero (or very little) waste at the personal level. This means no throwaway beverage cups, no food packaging, and no disposable products. For some, this also means limiting the use of recycling as well since it takes energy to recycle products as well but it is primarily focused on not sending anything to the landfill.
On Pinterest and Instagram alone there are thousands of accounts focusing on zero-waste living – including me! I love the minimalist and clean look of high-quality reusable products that don’t go straight to the trash. With all of the gorgeous zero-waste options out there, who wouldn’t love it?
I am continually amazed by how impactful the community is. I also think that the zero-waste lifestyle is fantastic because it shows that waste-free living can be beautiful.
It doesn’t have to smell like patchouli in a yurt!
It looks like instagrammable heirloom cast iron, glass bottles of soap, and bamboo makeup brushes. The zero-waste movement has made the lifestyle look and feel damn BEAUTIFUL and desirable for more people which is something the environmental community has struggled with for decades.
Zero-waste living helps people live more sustainably by reducing their waste but there are some important areas of sustainability that are missed in the zero-waste movement.
Check out these other important components of sustainability:
Reducing Carbon Footprint
Remember climate change? It may not be on everyone’s radar but it’s happening! We are burning huge amounts of carbon creating a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and warming our planet. Zero-waste living doesn’t focus on the energy used because it focuses primarily on the actual waste you create. In some ways, the waste you produce doesn’t directly affect the climate like driving would but it does require energy to create and transport the product and the waste.
Your carbon footprint is the carbon you use based on your activities. This includes the energy used to heat or cool your home, the energy used to make and transport the things you buy, and the gas you use commuting every day. Everyone uses energy to a certain degree. You can calculate your carbon footprint at https://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm and at http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ (for anyone in the UK).
Even if you are creating less waste, you could still be responsible for a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Think about driving less, consuming less, and cutting back on meat (especially non-local meat) to reduce your impact.
Supporting the Local Economy
Supporting your local economy is not only important in reducing your carbon footprint. It is also important to financially support small businesses and families near you to keep your local economy strong. Strengthening local resilience is a huge step in combatting the uncertainty and challenges of climate change. Resilience will be hugely important in the face of natural disasters, economic issues, crop failures, and sea-level rise as a result of climate change.
I like to support my local economy now to strengthen the interconnected fabric of the region. I think about where the money I make in my job comes from and try to buy things that keep that money in the local area.
Many zero waste items are manufactured all across the globe. This is great because there are zero-waste products in all corners of the world but try to find a local producer for the item you want. For example, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of people selling package free shampoo bars all over the world but I was able to find one that was made in my region. This helps lower your carbon footprint and support the local economy!
Responsibly Grown Food:
The focus on food in the zero-waste community is its packaging – and for good reason. We’ve all seen crazy things like packaged peeled oranges or shrink-wrapped watermelon. The plastic obsession is ridiculous!
However, there are other things that we should be thinking about when we purchase our food.
Where was it grown? As mentioned above, focusing on local food not only reduces the carbon footprint of our food but also strengthens the local economy. We depend on local farmers and want to support the farmers in our communities.
How was it grown? Organic certification is a simple one to look for but just remember that 1. some small farms can’t afford the certification but still grow their food in a way that protects the ecosystem and is healthy for you and 2. farms can get an organic certification if they are a giant multinational monoculture (one crop) farm. Basically, organic isn’t everything.
The best thing to do would be to get to know your farmers and ask questions about how they farm. There are a ton of other certifications like salmon-safe, GAP (good agriculture practices), etc. to look for as well. Check out a local farmers market or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to get connected to a local farmer. Think farmers markets are too expensive for you? This article gives you the tips and tricks for how to save.
You can also get familiar with the food in your region by growing some yourself!
Natural & Homemade products:
Is it still zero-waste if you fill up your bottle of Windex in the bulk section? Of course! But is it sustainable? Not really.
One of the important parts of living sustainably is to use natural products. Every product in our house requires natural resources to produce (or pollutes our air and water) and has some degree of impact (either on the environment or on ourselves) when it is used, thrown out, or washed down the drain. Each step of the way ingredients can have an environmental impact.
The best way to lower the environmental impact is to choose products that are natural or make your own! I love being able to make my own toothpaste, facial oil, glass cleaner, etc. knowing that all of the ingredients are good for me and have a very low environmental impact!
Lowering Environmental toxins:
From BPA in our canned goods to phthalates in our perfume and VOCs in our furniture. These environmental toxins not only have an impact on our health and air quality in our home but also impact the environment. Off-gassing from materials and water or soil contamination can all happen when we purchase and use consumer items.
Zero-waste living doesn’t encompass environmental toxins in our lives but the chemicals in our everyday lives have huge consequences. Take non-stick cookware for instance. The PFCs in non-stick cookware not only cause massive environmental degradation but they can also be harmful to our health.
Be mindful of everything you bring into your house and try to choose the items (furniture, bedding, kitchen items, and more) with the lowest environmental toxins. One thing that the zero-waste movement does well is emphasizing non-plastic consumer items like natural bristle cleaning brushes, stainless steel water bottles, and glass food storage containers -dramatically reducing some chemical exposure. Check out EWG’s Healthy Home Guide for more info on lowering your chemical exposure in your home!
Bottom Line
Zero-waste doesn’t automatically mean sustainable. There are several other values that are important to consider when going about your day or bringing things into your life. Living zero-waste is an important step in addressing waste and plastic pollution but it goes hand in hand with other values that form the basis of sustainable living.
Comment below and tell me what you think is the most important component of sustainable living on this list!
Reducing waste is definitely important but so are many other things as you mention. You might be living a zero-waste lifestyle, yet contributing to the pollution of the planet and the destruction of natural habitats simply based on your diet! I love this article! Thank you Jonica. 🙂
Hi Andrea – so true! Sustainability is really about so much more than reducing waste (even though that is an important part). Thanks for stopping by!
Great post, interesting about the non stick PFCs I’d never heard of that.
One thing I’ve read, and I’m bit sure it’s even relevant here but it made me think of things different was the use and the production of plastic bags. It’s actually worse for the environment (cutting down trees) to make paper bags that have a shorter life span that that ofna plastic bag that is easy and cheap to make its only once its discarded that it becomes the big problem. Re-use!! It was the same for cotton tote bags too.
You are right about fabric totes – the textile industry is a huge part of the industrial pollution problem. But fabric totes are the strongest and most long lasting, since they can be washed. I sew my own using upcycled fabric from old jeans or other sturdy clothes. They have the added benefit of keeping fabric out of landfills AND I can make them whatever size I want. There are loads of free patterns for easy to make bags on Pinterest!
So, here in the UK the hardest issue to deal with, in my view, is food-production. We import a whopping 80% of what we eat (including products whose components are imported) while at the same time arable farmland is being sold to developers who include no additional infrastructure such as doctors surgeries, schools or shops. This pushes the whole population to be even more uber-dependant on the giant supermarkets who themselves create a mountain of packaging!
While I can’t claim to be Zero-Waste in our house -who can?- we’ve definitely got this message, if only for the sake of our health!
I was intrigued by the title of your post. You brought up some really good points that I haven’t really thought in great detail about since starting my journey in zerowaste/minimalism. Thank you for sharing light on other important issues we should be concerned about!
Hi Akua, thank you so much! I love that zero-waste & minimalism brings people into the sustainability movement but it’s still just a piece of the puzzle 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Hello, I am a student and I’m planning on starting to transition into zero waste as soon as I move into my first own apartment. This article had a lot of things I hadn’t even thought about. I don’t usually read blogs but this was really helpful!
Hi Henna, I’m so glad to hear that this was helpful. Moving out into your own place is a perfect time to start (that’s when I did too)! Good luck and let me know if you have questions!
Wow my super long and sophisticated comment got blocked because i suppose I’m a bot. Short version here: I think your headline is super offensive and I don’t like how negative your post is through it. Your points aren’t totally right a lot of things like shopping local are covered through the movement (on my opinion). And what about the fact that the movement is doing a lot of great stuff for the environment anyway. Don’t be so negative! Everybody is doing what they can and to judge people doing their best because they don’t do everything is never the right way.
Hi Eva, thanks for stopping by! This post was meant to help people think about the other sustainable lifestyle changes that are not typically included in the zero-waste lifestyle. No judgment at all – we are all just trying to live more sustainably. Have a great day!
I disagree with this post. While the movement may not directly address all of these things (it actually does address some), people who lead a zero-waste lifestyle are obviously extremely environmentally conscious of all of these things as a product of the mindset you have to be in to be a part of the zero waste movement. I think your article makes a lot of assumptions about the movement without truly understanding it/the community behind it. Think about it; if someone who is zero waste needs to buy a water bottle, they’re not going to order online as the will come in packaging and use a lot of carbon emissions. Instead they’ll shop locally. You make a lot of critical assumptions that are really unjustified.
I was really enjoying this read, until you got to the food section. One thing the environmental movement always, always, always seems to forget are people living with disabilities. Some folks have limited mobile of their hands and literally need pre-peeled foods to get by day-to-day, especially if they don’t have a caretaker. So please, stop shaming folks for needed pre-packaged foods or even straws readily available to them. Your privelege is showing.
Hi Jonica,
great article! I love that you wrote about the other things people can do better because of course, going zero waste is important but also being conscious of where we are putting our money in and what we are buying is equally as important! I wonder what your stance is on buying organic vs. buying locally? Would you rather support local farmers who are not growing organic or support organic agriculture that had to travel across the globe to get to you?
Much love,
Aya @ fine yellow
Couldn’t agree more, plus all the waste that governments and businesses create. We need to be sure that while we wand to minimize our wasteprint (or get rid of the concept of waste altogether!), we are looking at the big picture.
I read this post yesterday and can’t get it off of my mind, I have to respond. First of all, I appreciate your support and bringing awareness to the zero waste movement and striving to live more a more sustainable life. ANY measures that an individual makes towards these goals is progress and benefits everyone. The reason I have to respond is that in this post you address climate change, and if you are going to address this issue, I feel that you should fully address it and provide the truth to readers who are honestly looking to benefit the planet! Your casual mention of “cutting back on meat” feels like a cop-out to the real issue. You can’t write about climate change without mentioning that the number one cause of climate change is animal agriculture. Your suggestions considering heating/cooling and driving vehicles are absolutely dwarfed by the environmental impact of eating a plant-based diet. No matter how we may not want to hear it, whether or not it is convenient, switching to a vegan diet is the most beneficial change an individual can make for the environment. To not mention this in a post about sustainability is baffling to me. Not to mention the massive chemical pollution, waste, and deforestation resulting from animal agriculture. To anyone reading this wishing to live a sustainable life and ultimately save the planet, please stop being afraid of the “vegan” label and do some research on animal agriculture and the environment. Going zero waste, shopping local, driving less, it’s all great but it is NOT enough, without the Earth none of that matters and animal agriculture is killing our planet and our people.
Hi Erica – thanks so much for your comment. You’re right! Simply telling people to “cut back on meat” for sure doesn’t tell the whole picture. This post was just about the pitfalls of going zero waste and some of the important pieces of sustainability that we forget when we are striving for that super gorgeous and trendy zero-waste look. Doing a deep dive into animal agriculture would have made this a different post but it’s one I plan to do in the near future. Animal agriculture (like many things in life) is so nuanced and it’s not as simple as just telling people to go vegan. The way most meat is produced is abhorrent and a huge contributor of climate change (even grass fed meat, if produced in what used to be Brazilian rain forest, contributes to climate change and deforestation). However, there are ways to use animals in agriculture that is extremely restorative (and actually sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere). It is definitely something I plan to address in a future post and I so appreciate you saying something and passionately fighting the climate crisis!
From the EPA:
Transportation (28.9 percent of 2017 greenhouse gas emissions) – The transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes primarily gasoline and diesel.2
Agriculture (9.0 percent of 2017 greenhouse gas emissions) – Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from livestock such as cows, agricultural soils, and rice production.
So actually, her suggestion about driving less and using less energy is actually significantly more impactful than just going vegan.
Have a great day!
Hi! I think you really hit the nail on the head. While zero waste is great, and anyone who has the privilege to do so should, it is important to remember that it does not end there. A person needs to focus on many things regarding the earth–carbon footprint, garbage in the ocean (and in their neck of the woods), non-renewable resources, endangered species, etc. We need to look at the gross level and personal level. Changes must be made large and small scale.
Hi Jonica,
Thank you for writing this article, we need to be aware that other sustainable practices are as equally important as zero waste or just trying to not send products to the landfill. I think you hit most of the important parts of sustainable living, and personally would ignore the negative posts, especially when topics such as veganism are a whole new subject on their own. I am glad though that someone mentioned certain people are not actually able to chop up their own produce, I hadn’t thought about that and wonder if we can all put our heads together to create a zero waste service for those.
On a separate note I just wanted to ask your opinion. I’ve only recently started my zero waste journey and it seems that I live in a town that loves convenience and plastic. I’ve located some bulk shops, farmer’s markets, and someone with a compost bin that will accept my waste. However, most of these places vary from a 30 minute to nearly an hour drive. I of course am trying to connect with other eco conscious people where I live, but I am continually worrying that the amount of driving and carbon footprint is almost as harmful as preventing products going to the landfill. I would definitely consider the drive to be worth it if it meant going zero waste and supporting local businesses, but I still wonder if there was a better way to reduce my carbon footprint.
Best wishes!
Reducing consumption. We all think we need more than we really do.
Thanks for your thoughts. I think that no matter where we are on our journey to live more sustainability, others thoughts and perspectives can only broaden our own knowledge and opportunities to improve. So thank you for giving us more to think about. To save the world, it is going to take all of us, working together, to do our part and invite others to do the same. And I think you’re right on every point. Another thing to think about: where are we putting our money! Is our money, for example, in a bank that is using that money to invest in things we are opposed to or is harming the planet?
Hi,
I think you bring up some important points, and I think it’s good that you brought these up. I think the people who are concerned about this post are responding more to the tone than to the actual information. I know you’re probably not actually judging anyone or trying to shame anyone, but the way some things are phrased kind of sound like you are. Just my two cents. I think if you’re looking for feedback, it’s not so much the content that is off, but rather, the tone. If you’re not looking for feedback, then disregard! 😉
On a completely separate note, I want to respond to the person who said that going vegan is the most beneficial thing any individual can do for the environment. You’re not wrong, per se, because what I’m about to say does play into mass consumption of animal products raised in factory farms, but the best thing any individual can do for the environment is actually to refrain from procreating. Don’t have kids. The Earth cannot sustain the numbers we have; we have reached and surpassed its carrying capacity. The reason that factory farms, GMOs, etc. exist is that we need food in larger numbers than the planet can naturally provide. By transitioning to zero population growth, we can start helping the Earth heal. No matter what else we do, if we don’t decrease our numbers, it won’t help in the long run.
Every little bit counts. This is a journey not a destination. It gets so much easier as it becomes t our norm.
One often overlooked area is wasting less gas. I work hard to combine as many trips as possible. My kids sometimes don’t like having to stop at 3 stores but I tell them it is important to save time and gas for so many reasons.
Hi,
I really appreciate this article. One thing that is often missed is the amount of waste from unused food and unwanted clothes. If we want to live a more zero-waste life, we should think of ways to preserve the food we already have through canning, freezing, and using scraps. Also, we need to stop throwing out old clothes. Either donate good clothes to charitable organizations or recycle torn clothes. We could also repurpose and refashion clothes and textiles.
Indeed. You have to take everything in account. I have the opportunity to shop in a store without packaging, but it is 40km further than my local store. That’s not so environmentally friendly, is it? But if you can do the best you can, I think we’re alreaddy halfway there. 🙂