We are ruining the earth, and it is entirely avoidable. We can all make minor changes to reduce our environmental impact. Even as travelers, we utilize several environmentally friendly products that can make a significant difference. When embarking on green efforts, reducing waste is a fantastic place to start.

That statistic is shocking: by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will outnumber the amount of fish in the ocean. While humans are not completely to blame for pollution, we do have an impact. With that in mind, we’d like to make a huge impact by replacing ordinary everyday goods with ecologically friendly products.

Because of its positive sentiment and capacity to boost product efficiency and reduce carbon footprint, eco-friendly fever has swept throughout mainstream consumer sectors. Every month, a plethora of environmentally friendly products hit store shelves as firms continue to explore methods to incorporate the green attitude into their brand.

This is a brief summary of the top ten best green products on the market, with both specific and broad examples.

1. Eco-Friendly Verification Phone Apps

In a consumer market infatuated with eco-friendly products, companies are scrambling to find ways to brand themselves as green. While many businesses contain official third-party certification verifying their green initiatives, plenty of companies are masquerading beneath the eco-friendly umbrella to both improve sales and enhance their image.

Consumer Reports’ free downloadable phone app Eco Label contains lists of certifiably green products and can help shoppers potentially avoid being duped by false advertising. Boasting a seamless and streamlined user interface, Eco Label can help you identify genuine eco-friendly goods while perusing the aisles.      

2. Solar Panel Charging Cases

Traditionally, solar panels generate power for homes by absorbing light and channeling it into energy. It was only a matter of time before this concept was effectively applied on a smaller scale to juice up electronic devices. The Voltaic Generator Solar Laptop Charger consists of high-quality solar panels mounted on a waterproof case, utilizing batteries specifically calibrated to efficiently absorb solar power. You can use this convenient solar charging case to power virtually all mainstream electronics. The fact the case looks stylish even with the solar panels is a nice bonus too.

3. Solar Water Heaters

Another premier example of the solar panel’s widespread industry proliferation, solar water heaters are superior to their traditional counterparts in virtually every single way. The reliance on solar power boosts their overall efficiency rates, unit lifespan, and reduces the emission of harmful particles. Plus, a solar water heating unit can potentially decrease energy consumption by up to 70 percent and help make that monthly utility bill a little less intimidating.  

4. LED Lights

An easy way to minimize your negative environmental impact simply involves reducing your overall energy consumption. A great way to start is by replacing your traditional light bulbs with LED lighting, which will enhance your bulbs’ efficiency and lifespan while still providing high quality brightness. LED bulbs are also devoid of toxic chemicals and produce virtually zero harmful UV emissions. The technology is experiencing extensive propagation and can be found in more homes every day.  The most remarkable aspect of LED bulbs is how vast of an improvement they are compared to their traditional counterparts.

5.  Energy Saving TVs

Television manufacturers have been making a concerted effort to produce energy efficient products for some time now. The vast majority of a retailer’s television inventory is generally ENERGY STAR-certified, signifying their commitment to energy efficiency and the environment. Recently released models continue to require less and less power to properly function, which helps both the environment and your wallet. This is paramount because televisions are one of the most widely used electronic devices in a typical household, and being able to cut down on its energy usage is invaluable. 

6. Dryer Balls

A simplistic yet effective concept that has finally begun receiving mainstream recognition, dryer balls are basically large rubber balls with spikes covering the surface. Their purpose is to separate the clothes to facilitate quicker drying and keep them soft. The reusability of the dryer balls renders traditional dryer sheets obsolete and allows you to save money in the process. Their only real downside is the fact they can be rather noisy at times.  

7. Eco-Friendly Paper Shredders

Documents containing sensitive information and/or personal financial records are obviously confidential, and it’s the need to dispose of said materials that has given birth to the electronic paper shredder industry. Various hand-powered shredders have now emerged and serve as a convenient eco-friendly solution, simply requiring users to twist their hands to activate the shredding mechanism. These green shredders are portable, incredibly easy to use, and represent an easy way to help conserve energy. 

8. Green Power Outlets

One of the continuous and inherent problems of traditional power outlets is how they continue to require power even once a device or appliance is turned off. Deemed “vampire power,” it’s a form of energy that negatively affects both the environment and your monthly utility bill. Eco-friendly outlets allow you to cut off all power to your gadgets with the simple turn of a dial, thus eliminating the vast majority of vampire power and enhancing your energy efficiency in the process. These hyper-efficient outlets are now widely available in retail stores everywhere.

9. Solar Speakers

Solar panels haven’t only been utilized to power devices; they’ve also been purposed to help technology become entirely self-sustaining. This innovation is evident in the Etón Rukus wireless speakers, a sleek, contemporary sound system that boasts high-quality auditory punch and is powered primarily by the sun. As expected, the solar panels are seamlessly embedded on the top of the device to allow for maximum light absorption. It’s undeniably cutting edge, and looks cool to boot.  

10. Green GPS Units

Portable GPS units have been providing drivers with detailed directions, traffic avoidance routes, and road trip statistics for over a decade. However, none of these dedicated devices have really been configured to have your best eco-friendly interests in mind. The Pama Eco Navigator Satellite Navigation System is the sole GPS product on the market dedicated to helping minimize your car’s carbon footprint.

Read Also: How to Buy Sustainable Palm Oil Products?

It provides you with the most fuel-efficient routes and a detailed diagnostic of your car’s performance. Additionally, it automatically logs all your routes, allowing you to potentially go back and assess your fuel efficiency for particular drives. In a market inundated with GPS devices, the Eco Navigator Satellite Navigation System’s emphasis on the environment helps it stand out from the crowd.

What is The Difference Between Eco-friendly And Green Products?

The meaning of the word “green” has long outgrown the color. It’s now often used in everyday conversation to apply to almost everything benefiting the environment. Eco-friendly isn’t quite so broad. It means that something doesn’t harm the planet.

But sustainable is the most precisely defined term here and represents the wide scope of issues and activities that, according to the United Nations, do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Sustainability sets the focus on the future. It means the item or action is generating environmental, social, and economic benefits, while not using up too many resources or causing pollution. Yes, all of those points are covered under one word.

Compared to ”green” and “eco-friendly,” sustainability has much higher standards. Sustainability includes eco-friendly activities and green products, but green doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable.

For instance, a product made from renewable resources is considered green, yet if a life-cycle analysis shows that it required a lot of energy to manufacture and ship to you, and if there isn’t a proper way to dispose of the product, then it’s not considered sustainable.

Clean vs. Nontoxic vs. Organic

Rising demand for safe products, especially in the wellness and beauty industries, created the terms clean and nontoxic, which are very similar. Clean implies ingredients — natural or synthetic — that are not harmful to your health. Nontoxic products are free from ingredients that can harm your health or the environment.

Organic is a legally defined term, which is used by the USDA to certify food, beauty products, and other agricultural products as being produced in a very specific way – mainly, as free from synthetic chemicals that are harmful to the environment and humans. So we only use this term if we’re talking about food, a restaurant, a beauty product, etc. that uses certified organic ingredients.

The ethical trade movement refers to the working conditions of workers who produce clothes, toys, food, promotional products, and other products for international companies, as well as how well they are paid for their work. It is a broad term that is not certified or precisely defined, but it’s still quite useful for describing, in general, the type of products you want to buy.

An example of this is where our Jute product manufacturers have established their factories with certified education facilities on site, to formally educate the workers if requested and their children until they are old enough to enter the workforce. We ensure strict child labor laws are upheld. Having this facility on-site allows the factory managers to add value to their employees beyond their fair wage agreements. It is funded by the factory owners.

The term artisan is opposite to any industrial process of production. Artisan products are usually handmade and crafted with minimal automation by skilled workers in developing countries. However, the fact that something was handmade doesn’t mean that it’s sustainable.

There’s no legal requirement for you to purchase sustainably, or to buy sustainable goods and services, but it could help you to:

• reduce your impact on the environment
• address social issues and improve the livelihoods of individuals and communities
• improve your business’ reputation
• save money over the life of a product or service

Advantages of sustainable purchasing for your business

Sustainable procurement can help your business to:

• save money and reduce your materials, equipment and running costs, eg reducing the volume of waste you send to landfill could lower your operating costs, and by using energy and water efficient products and services you can significantly cut your utility bills
• win new business and improve your prospects when tendering for work – some larger businesses and public sector organizations could ask to see how you manage your environmental and social impacts or ask you to meet certain sustainability standards
• improve your reputation among staff, customers and the public
• reduce your exposure to risk, eg by keeping up to date with changes to environmental legislation which could affect the products you buy
• attract lenders or investors who work to environmental or ethical principles
• take advantage of tax breaks such as the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme, which provides a tax incentive to businesses that invest in energy-saving and water-saving equipment, and low-emission vehicles
• qualify for business support and loan schemes when buying energy-saving equipment such as interest-free energy efficiency loans from the Carbon Trust

Environmental and social benefits of sustainable purchasing

By buying sustainable goods and services you can:

• reduce your carbon emissions, eg by using renewable energy or buying energy efficient products to reduce your energy use
• save natural resources, eg by choosing products and services that use recycled materials or waste as a raw material or resource
• reduce waste sent to landfill, eg by buying products that can be reused or recycled
• help your local or wider communities, eg by creating work for local suppliers or buying fairly traded goods to help improve living and working conditions
• create a market for new sustainable goods and materials to help the green economy grow and create new green jobs

Most of these environmentally friendly products are here to help reduce your waste and make simple purchase decisions. Most importantly, don’t just buy these items for needless consumerism; use them to replace everyday items once they’ve seen their lifetime.