Plastic Free July: How We’re Taking Action to End Plastic Waste

July 7, 2022

In Canada, over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste is thrown away every year. About 50% of the plastic waste consists of single-use plastic items which are used for only a few minutes and thrown away. This includes straws, coffee stir sticks, water bottles, snack bags, and more. This waste unfortunately ends up in landfills, our environment, and our oceans. At Nest Designs, we’ve made an effort to reduce our carbon footprint including the use of single-use plastics. That’s why we've joined the Plastic Free July movement and are taking action to end single-use plastic waste.

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement that was created by the Plastic Free Foundation. Since 2011, they’ve been working to make the world plastic waste free. Millions of people around the world join this challenge every year in July to end their use of single-use plastic waste in their homes, work, and community.

Being Part of the Solution at Nest Designs

Nest Designs Plastic Free

We want to be part of the solution at Nest Designs. From reducing our carbon footprint to our use of single-use plastics, our team makes a conscious effort every day because we want future generations to be able to enjoy the earth’s beauty.

Individual product packaging is a necessary part of what we do because we need to keep our products safe for you and your family. However, we quickly realized when we started about the impact of individual product packaging - something we consider as a single-use plastic item. We have chosen to use EcoPure® to package our products. EcoPure® is made from a blend of organic ingredients and added to plastic packaging. When added to plastic packaging, it makes it fully biodegradable. It also produces carbon dioxide, safe biogas, and biomass when it breaks down, unlike the toxic chemicals plastic produces.

Nest Friends

The idea for our Nest Friends sparked when we were thinking of creative ways to reuse cardboard. We wanted something that parents and caregivers could do with their kids. Every season, we create new Nest Friends for you and your bubs to enjoy and play with. These cut-and-make characters are a fun way to engage in pretend play and talk about how the animals are being impacted by climate change.

Our SS22 Nest Friends include Seymour the Sea Lion, Sally the Seagull, Herbie the Hermit Crab, and Titan the Tiger.

Marine life like Seymour the Sea Lion can become entangled in ocean waste like fishing nets, lines, and lures - but they’ve also been affected by plastic bags and plastic packing bands. Sadly, this has led to injury, severe infection, and death.

Seabirds like Sally the Seagull can ingest plastic waste and lead to damaged organs. About 59% of all seabirds that have been sampled have plastic in them.

Plastic waste can affect friends like Herbie the Hermit Crab by releasing a toxic chemical called oleamide which resembles oleic acid. This is a chemical released by arthropods, the hermit crab’s food source and Herbie and his friends are mistaking plastic waste for food.

Titan the Tiger and his wildlife friends have also been affected by plastic waste. There are been sightings of tigers carrying plastic bottles and mistaking it for food.

Our SS22 Charity Partner: Ocean Conservatory

Nest Design Plastic Free July

Did you know that 80 to 90 percent of the waste found in Canada's marine environment is plastic waste? Even though you might not live near a river, lake, or ocean, your waste might still end up in the marine environment. This is because plastic waste can be blown into a river or lake or go down a storm drain and be washed into the ocean. Plastic waste can affect the ocean and its marine animals by contaminating the water, damaging their habitats, being eaten and harming them, or being entangled in them.

This season, a portion of our profits are being donated to our charity partner, Ocean Conservatory. They are a non-profit organization that works to protect the ocean and its wildlife. The Ocean Conservatory has many initiatives such as Trash Free Seas to eliminate waste from the ocean. This initiative includes the International Coastal Cleanup®, research on how garbage is affecting the marine environment and sharing this with scientists, the public, and policymakers, and educating people and businesses to help eliminate ocean waste.

From their research, plastic has been found in 59% of seabirds, 100% of sea turtles, and 25% of the fish that have been sampled.

Get Your Kids Involved!

Nest Designs Plastic Free July

There is hope! You and your family can be the solution to end plastic waste too. With climate change and global warming on the rise, it is important that we teach kids the impacts of all plastic including single-use plastics. Although using the single-use plastic item may seem convenient at the moment, it isn’t the best solution for our planet in the long run.

If you’re ready to be a part of the Plastic Free July challenge, here are some ways you can get your kids involved.

1. Avoid single-use plastics: The summer time means more time outside. For babies that have started solids, that means you’ll be packing snacks on-the-go. Instead of buying individually wrapped snacks, buy them in bulk and pack them in a reusable snack bag. Or if you are able to, make your own waste-free snacks at home like granola bars or simply cut up some fruit and cheese. You can also bring your own utensils. When buying drinks, consider bringing your own straw like a glass, stainless steel, or bamboo straw. Swap out juice boxes or water bottles for a stainless steel reusable bottle.

2. At the grocery store: Some cities have already made the switch to ban single-use plastic bags. However, it can be easy to forget about bringing your own bags. Especially when it seems like you’re already packing so much! Consider leaving a reusable cloth bag in your car for when you pop by the grocery store. You can also buy reusable produce bags to store your fruits and vegetables.

3. Swap out plastic wrap: Beeswax wraps make a great alternative for food storage. They can keep your food fresh longer, often come in adorable designs, and last for over a year.

4. Birthday parties or special occasions: The summer time is a great time to get together especially for special occasions like a birthday party. Instead of using plastic or paper plates, cups, and utensils, you can ask your neighbours or friends to bring their own. Some cities have plate share programs where you can borrow dishes and utensils. If you’re a Canadian, check out Plate Share and see if there are sets available.

5. Make a fun toy: The best way for kids to learn is a fun, hands-on experience. We love reusing items like cardboard and plastic bottles. If you’ve got some plastic bottles laying around, you can make toys out of them such as instruments like shakers and flutes! They can become boats that float too. For younger bubs, you can make sensory bottles. For older kids, you can make a calming jar together by simply using some dried leaves or flowers or biodegradable glitter.

6. Read a book: Books are a great way to learn and better understand the topic of plastic pollution. Some great books to add to your library include What A Waste: Rubbish, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French, George Saves the World by Lunchtime by Jo Readman, 10 Things I Can do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh, and Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts.

7. Go on a recycling scavenger hunt: Another fun activity to do with toddlers and older kids is a recycling scavenger hunt. You can go around the house, look for items together, and talk about each one and its impact on the environment.

8. Shop at a zero-waste refillery: A refillery is a lot like going to a bulk food store. However, a lot of them will also carry locally made food, dish care, laundry soaps, and hygiene products.

9. Go on a weekly beach clean-up: If you and your family love spending time at the beach, consider doing a weekly beach clean-up where you can spend as little as 5 minutes cleaning up the beach together. This is a great, hands-on way to teach kids about plastic waste and its direct impact on the ocean and marine wildlife.

10. Do a plastic free challenge together: As a family, consider committing 1 day, 1 week, 30 days, or more to try to reduce your single-use plastic waste. If you find it challenging, start with something like bringing your own straw out.

For more ways to reduce your use of plastics, check out Plastic Free July’s next steps.

Nest Designs Plastic Free July

As a company, we know that we can have a big impact on the environment. That’s why we try to be conscious of what and how we’re doing business. By using biodegradable plastic packaging and choosing more eco-friendly fabrics, we hope our carbon footprint stays small.

And you can too. If you have already started reducing your use of single-use plastics at home, we would love to hear about it! Let us know in the comments below if you’ll be committing to one of our ideas above or if you have another one to share!

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