Wondering how you can be more eco-friendly at home? Want to be inspired by someone making waves by creating her own eco-friendly social enterprise? We’ve spoken to Bryony, owner and creator of Vesta Living (reusable cotton wipes) about her business and how it came about. Plus we’ve got some tips on how you can be a bit more eco-friendly at home.
Firstly, tell us a little about what Vesta Living is? What is it you sell?
Vesta Living makes reusable wipes for the face, body and home. They have been developed to replace disposable wipes that are made from plastic non-degradable material that never breaks down.
Disposable wipes clog the sewers and find their way into the ocean causing damage to marine creatures. Vesta reusable wipes have been developed to feel at convenient as disposable wipes. Rather than throwing them into the bin after one use, just pop them in the washing machine, ready to reuse again
We use 100% cotton fabric to make the wipes. So at the end of their life, they can be put into the compost and will degrade after six months or so.
Vesta also have organic cotton net bags to store used wipes, you can toss the bag in the washing machine with the wipes inside to keep them from getting lost with the rest of the washing!
Why is using reusable wipes so important?
I think its really important to address our throwaway mentality. Nothing that is thrown away is actually away. It has to go somewhere. Biodegradable products break down over time, but a lot of what we buy doesn’t break down, so it exists in landfill or is shipped off to other countries to become someone else problem.
If we think of our waste as a whole, perhaps we can make some positive changes. For example, if you use make up removal wipes twice a day, you will use 730 per year, that’s 30 packs a year. Or you could use just 20 cotton reusable facial wipes over and over again which completely degrade after use, thus reducing your impact on the environment significantly.
The perfect place to keep your facial wipes tidy. You can store around 20 facial wipes inside
What inspired you to create Vesta living? How did you get started?
I was inspired to start Vesta after looking for wipes in the UK, and not being able to find anything that worked for me. I wanted to set up a company that was ethical and sustainable.
We are setting up as a social enterprise and will employ women who are survivors of trauma. We hope that working at Vesta will be a step into the working world for them.
What tips do you have for people trying to be a bit more eco-friendly at home?
I would suggest starting by replacing anything that has a more environmentally friendly alternative. Buy bamboo toothbrushes rather than plastic. Take a reusable cup out with you, rather than buying your coffee in disposable cups that can’t be recycled and don’t degrade.
Anything that comes in plastic packaging, look for a glass alternative. Switch disposable wipes to reusable ones.
What have you done recently to be more eco at home?
I make all my own cleaning products at home, avoiding toxic chemicals and all that plastic packaging. It’s pretty easy to do with water, bicarb and essential oils.
I order an organic vegetable box every week to bypass the plastic the supermarkets use. If I do go the supermarket, I leave as much plastic packaging in the check out space as I can.
In the bathroom, we use bar soap rather than shower gels in plastic packaging and teeth cleaning products from Geo-organics which don’t use plastic.
Where can people find Vesta Living products?
You can shop a full range of our products on our website
About Vesta Living
Vesta Living was founded by Bryony in 2018 in response to the increasing pressure of single-use products on our environment. Vesta produces reusable wipes for the body and the home, with the intention of replacing single-use disposable wipes that do not degrade and clog our sewer systems causing millions of pounds worth of damage each year and are ingested by sea creatures such as turtles, who mistake wipes that find their way into our oceans for jellyfish.
Bryony stumbled upon the concept of replacing everyday items with an eco‐alternative and found quickly that there weren’t many UK companies offering these types of products and set about making her own.
Vesta Living produces reusable facial wipes, baby wipes and cleaning wipes. They are made with 100% cotton fabric and can be easily used and then washed in the machine. They can be used with various home‐made or shop bought cleansers to provide the exact same cleansing experience as disposables. Bryony hopes that Vesta Living will help to show consumers that they can easily make small changes that make a BIG impact on our environment.
Vesta has won various social enterprise grants which are providing the means to set up production in the UK employing survivors of abuse. The working environment will provide a safe space to work, gain experience and references, and build confidence for those who have been out of work for a long period of time. This will then allow them to take steps into the wider working environment, or stay on with Vesta Living and develop their skills.
Check out our other tips on how you can be a bit more eco-friendly at home here
