What are sustainable home goods

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

The scoop on sustainable home goods and how to reduce your carbon footprint

Many people share a desire to make the whole world a better place, but it?s hard to figure out where to start. The trouble with thinking on such a large scale is it can make the individual seem so small. How can one person?s actions possibly make a difference?

Well they do. If you?re in doubt, think of the old campsite site rule to leave a place in better condition than you found it. By picking up trash, both your own and whatever was left before, you make a place better, cleaner and more suitable for plants and wild life to thrive. The campers after you will be more inclined to help preserve the site as well.

This domino influence of eco-friendly actions is one of many ways your daily actions make an impact. The key word is ?daily?. Those committed to the environment and welfare of living beings make sustainability a core factor in how they shop, eat and live. It?s a lifestyle.

More and more people are going the extra mile to make environmentally-conscious choices. For instance, once you discover sustainable home goods and experience the value of having non-toxic, recycled and reclaimed materials in your home, you?ll never go back.

Where it comes from

Eco-friendly home goods are more than meets the eye ? there?s a trail of goodness behind them. You see elegantly designed flatware, but knowing it?s crafted from recycled stainless steel by people who are paid a fair wage in safe working conditions is what makes it meaningful.

From the materials and the hands that make them, to the process that brings them to the market, every item in the sustainable department comes from a line of people who, like you, are committed to leaving the planet in better shape. That these items offer an authentic, pared-down beauty and positive vibes every time you use them is also a nice bonus.

For every item in a standard home store, there?s an eco-friendly version. It may not be in that store, you may have to go online to find it, but they exist. A quick search will take you to tables made from reclaimed barrels, colorful pitchers made from recycled glass, and bedding made from certified organic cotton with toxin-free dyes and reclaimed water.

Why support sustainable businesses

Every practice of a green business is carried out with respect to the planet and its people. The purpose of these items goes deeper than filling the consumer?s immediate need. They share a goal to make these small, eco-friendly choices more accessible to everyone, so more people can make greener choices.

Buying from local and online businesses that share your environmental and social objectives supports not only a business, but the green business practices they have in place. This means strict guidelines for where materials are sourced, how they?re processed, how items are assembled or crafted, how the people making these items are treated and paid, and how the items are transported.

Full circle

To answer what are sustainable home goods, look at an example, a vibrant collection of drinkware. Say a box of eco-friendly martini and wine glasses arrives on your doorstep. You?re now part of a circle of effort.

The materials were sourced from old soda bottles at a landfill, then cleaned, processed and mouthblown. Now you?re the proud owner of glasses that aren?t like any others because of their unique history and craftsmanship. Every green item in your home represents a new chapter. You?re a critical piece of a big picture that?s getting bigger every day.

What are green home products? It’s as important to know what they aren’t. Producing these goods doesn?t involve chopping down trees or emitting harmful greenhouse gasses. They?re not finished with toxic chemicals or packaged in new paper or plastic.

The entire life cycle, from sourcing raw materials to being used by people like you, offers social, environmental and even financial benefits over the long term.