Planet vs Plastic - Earth Day 2024
Busy Lizzie @
You’ve probably heard me say this time and time again but I’ll continue to repeat it, looking after the environment is highly important to us here at Hug at Home. That’s why we make all of our fabulous products using sustainable and natural materials so we can play our part in protecting the planet.
I’m sure you’ll understand then that Earth Day is a very big deal to us, especially this year’s theme which is Planet vs Plastics.
EARTHDAY.ORG has published some pretty scary facts about the amount of plastic being produced worldwide and I wanted to share them to make you all aware too. This way we can all make an effort to become more sustainable and make better choices!
More than 500 billion plastic bags were produced worldwide in 2023
That’s one million bags per minute!
This is why I always carry a reusable bag with me wherever I go. They’re so handy to fold up and keep in my handbag and it means I never have to purchase a plastic bag when I nip into the supermarket.
Instead of tossing all of that plastic away, we reuse it for a much better cause, to go into our gorgeous Hug Rugs! We use over a whopping 192 tonnes of post industrial plastics into the rubber backing of our Hugs every year, so remember that each time you step onto a Hug Rug, not only are you adding comfort to your home but you’re saving our Mother Earth too!
Fast fashion produces over 100 billion garments a year
85% of these garments then end up in landfill or incinerators (that’s a lot of clothes!), with only 1% being recycled. As 70% of clothing is made from crude oil, this has a dangerous impact on our lovely planet.
I must admit, I’m guilty of enjoying buying new clothes every now and then but I always make sure to donate my old items to local charity shops. Not only am I supporting a good cause, but I know my clothes will go to a new home rather than going to waste.
Even better, your donated clothes could be recycled into something new, including one of our Hug Rugs! That’s right, we take unwanted cotton clothes (6.5 million per year to be exact) and reuse them to create the soft and cosy cotton tufts for our Hugs - just another example of how good they are for the environment!
1 million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide
And that’s why rather than allowing them to end up in landfill, we take plastic bottles and turn them into something much better.
Every single one of our Hug Rugs use webbing to bond the mat and backing together, which is made from recycled plastic bottles to keep them out of our oceans - how clever!
And better yet, our Hug Rug Sense range also has tufts made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, yet they are still super cosy and luxuriously soft. And it doesn’t stop there, we’ve even created an entire range of home accessories using recycled plastics! From gorgeous rugs, to snuggly throws, to matching cushions, our Hug Rug Woven range is the perfect eco-friendly homeware for your home!
I hope these facts have made you think more about your use of plastic and how often you’re buying plastic-based products! It’s so important that we start making more eco-friendly choices to look after our wonderful Mother Earth.
Feeling inspired to make a difference? Then join us on our environmental journey! Recycling and reusing plastics is a brill place to start, but why not consider supporting some charitable causes who work to protect our lovely environment. At Hug at Home, we’re incredibly proud to support the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and the RSPB, both of which do fantastic work to support our wildlife.
EARTHDAY.ORG have listed some of the amazing causes they’re involved in so make sure to check them out and get involved if you can, every little bit helps to make a difference!
Busy Lizzie x
