Diary
Just try to imagine a house in which there are 2 parents, David and Laura, and 2 kids, a teenager called Baptiste and a little girl called Isaure. They do their food shopping at the supermarket or at the drive, buy frequently their books or dvds online and love fast fashion brands to get dressed. Their habits are similar to many French families but they actually want to change. To understand how we are going to operate a change in their daily life, let’s make a tour of each room of their house.
The bedroom : Getting dressed more sustainably, the new challenge!
That’s the biggest challenge the family is facing! So far, clothes had a limited lifetime. They bought a lot through love at first sight, and they didn’t mind the clothes falling apart after few washings. In their new responsible approach, they decide to boycott fast fashion brands and only consider what they really need during the sales. They now look at French brands producing what they sale in France or in Europe which are advertising their ecological commitment, using labels and recognised know-how.
They buy less but better but also look at second hand clothes. At the beginning the children were a bit upset and winced. Then they finally were happy to have clothes that are from a better quality and stronger. The family is also trying to sort their clothes regularly and give the unneeded clothes that are accumulating for years into their wardrobes and the one that are too small to charities.
The living room: To consume in a better way, tackle the issue of obsolescence!
The TV of their grandparents which is from the 90’s continues to work. However, Isaure and Baptiste have known many televisions and other DVD players since they are born. This is known as Planned obsolescence! Marketing make people believing they need to change their equipment regularly for a more sophisticated one because they are going to die anyway soon as they only last a short period of time.
Consuming in a more sustainable way means also buying products that are made to last and which can be repaired. Laura and David have discovered consumer associations that were revealing the brands that breaks less easily than others and also a label called EPEAT which allows to compare some equipments in regards to their ecological characteristics.
The kitchen : Consuming and eating better
According to the « Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie » (ADEME), each year in France 30 kilos of food per person is thrown away in the bin. Forgotten yogurts in the fridge, half emptied jam jars, meat or delicatessen that have expired. Many pieces of food that Laura would like to stop wasting. So she set up a quasi-military organisation defining few points that she displays on the fridge:
1. First, she reorganises the fridge: food that expires quickly is displayed in the front of the shelves of the fridge and expiring dates are written in the front of the packaging (to avoid opening three bottles of milk at the same time!). It only applies to parents but also children who help to store the food in the fridge and have to be more responsible when they take something to eat in the fridge.
2. David prints an annual calendar of fruit and vegetables per season. The time we used to have strawberries in December is over!
3. Food shopping : From now on, the family decide to go food shopping with a proper list and decide in advance what they are going to eat every days of the week. It allows to reduce waste but also to buy on the spur of the moment things that will be useless. They also now go to the farm market to buy fruits that are more local instead of the supermarket to avoid buying products that come from across the world. They prefer to use small local food supplier and buy preferably organic food.
4. Three days a week, Isaura stays at school at the end of the day in a Club and have a snack. Instead of giving her a bottle of water and some biscuits bought in a super market, Laura is now cooking a proper cake by herself each Sunday so they can use it for the snacks of the week. And for the drinks she invests into a drinking bottle they can re-use.
5. To limit the waste, the family try to buy as much as possible in bulk: sugar, rice, cereals and try to emphasis the home made. There is nothing better than a good home made chocolate mousse or yoghurt to make the family happy!
On holidays : Try to target eco responsible brands
This summer the family has planned some seaside holidays. Despite the fact that they can’t get completely rid of a sun cream, they look (and found!) an alternative solution for Isaure. The little girl has had a crush on a Canopea retro swimming suit and her parents have been impressed by the commitment of the brand and the efficiency of Econyl® to protect the skin of the little girl.
Whatever your lifestyle, consuming more responsibly as a family is within everyone's reach! With the time we have, this is an opportunity to reevaluate and see what we can change on an individual level. And while waiting for the beautiful days ahead, discover our collection of sun protective swimsuits for babies, girls and boys here.