By Maryclaire Manard
3 Household Swaps that are Better for the Planet
The most sustainable thing you can do for the planet when it comes to the products in your home is to use up what you already have. Once you’ve done that, if you’re feeling bold enough and have the time, the second most sustainable thing you can do is to make your own products from shampoos to laundry remedies.
If DIY is not your thing, and you’re conflicted about how to manage your love for our planet with your basic household needs, then the next best thing you can do is buy better.
While plenty of naysayers believe that individual consumer action doesn’t amount to much, it’s important to remember that this type of thinking is exactly what companies try so hard to maintain in terms of consumer sentiment. The reality is that it takes both collective individual action and systemic action to create real change. When individual action becomes part of a collective, companies have no option but to pay close attention. Corporations spend large parts of their budgets on market research and business intelligence to see how their products are performing and how consumers are reacting. These are important to companies because it correlates directly with their unit economics and ultimately their bottom line profitability. So now that you’re in on the secret that companies do care what you think and how you buy and your purchases can have an impact, what will you do differently? If you’re looking for a few simple swaps to make at home of brands that have better impacts on the planet, we’ve got you covered. The following list is non-exhaustive, but it is composed of recommendations away from brands that score C, D, or F and towards brands that score a B or A for the planet on our A-F scale. Cluey evaluates a brand’s planet impact based on things like resource extraction, water use, emissions, waste, and impacts on ecosystems and habitats. These grades are calculated by aggregating data from multiple best-in-class third-party sources like ESG ratings providers, impact assessment tools, recorded legal and regulatory violations, and more. In total, our sources derive their respective data from 1000+ inputs. To learn more about our ratings and data, you can visit the “About Cluey” section on our website.
Self-Care Brands
🚫 Swap these out:
- Head & Shoulders
- Herbal Essences
- African Pride
- Batiste
- Pantene
- Rimmel
- Remington
- Covergirl
- Arm & Hammer
✅ Swap these in:
Cleaning Brands:
🚫 Swap these out:
✅ Swap these in:
Paper Product Brands:
🚫 Swap these out:
✅ Swap these in:
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How We Rate
Cluey evaluates a brand’s planet impact based on things like resource extraction, water use, emissions, waste, and impacts on ecosystems and habitats. Brand s are rated on a graded scale of A-F. These grades are calculated by aggregating data from multiple best-in-class third party sources like ESG rating providers, impact assessment tools, recorded legal and regulatory violations, and more. In total, our sources derive their respective data from 1000+ inputs. To learn more about our ratings and data, click here.
