How to help your loved ones make small changes that will make a BIG impact to our planet.

So, you’re passionate about saving the environment and reducing your waste (especially plastic). You may even walk through a regular supermarket and feel a little disgusted at the amount of plastic to be found on the shelves…

You have a friend, partner, family member or colleague who just doesn’t seem to care…

How on earth can you convince them that trying to go as plastic free is the right direction?!

You’re not alone with this dilemma. In fact, many of us pursuing a lifestyle with less packaging find that it is a constant struggle to convince people that there is a genuine problem. It can be very easy for someone to see their daily disposable coffee cup as an extremely small impact (and it is), but with many feeling the same, it has led to our current plastic crisis.

Be gentle

Ever heard of the story where the sun and wind have a bet to see who can convince the man to take his coat off? The wind blows as hard as he can to try and blow the man’s coat off, but the man only wraps his coat tighter around himself. The sun shines down on him, making the man warm, and he willingly takes off his coat.

This is a good approach when trying to show how important reducing plastic is. Don’t tell them that what they are doing is bad, and that they should be ashamed of themselves. Encourage them. If they buy a coffee every day, ask if they would be interested in trying a reusable coffee cup. Tell them about brands you find work, or maybe even buy them the cup.

When they do show an interest, or make a change, be encouraging. If we all made small steps in the right direction the current plastic crisis would be well on its way to being less of a crisis!

Fruit and Veggies

This is another really easy swap that everyone can make! Supermarkets usually sell certain veggies with, and without plastic. Carrots are a great example, and often the plastic-free option costs the same per kilo, then the packaged version. Buying plastic-free also means you can select exactly what you need, so if you only need 2 carrots you’re not going to throw a whole bag in the bin if the others don’t get used.

Another step that you could encourage, is to try and buy at least one food that is organic, or grown locally. These are two other properties found in our food that will really help the environment. When buying locally, try to consider getting produce that is seasonal, as this will be even better for the environment!

Go on a shopping trip!

Have you discovered a plastic-free shop (The Package Free Larder is a great place to start)? If you’ve found a shop with lots of environmentally friendly options, or less packaging, why not take the person with you?

Package free shops can be a little intimidating at first, as you do shop differently. You’ll be more intentional, by filling your own containers, instead of just picking a packet from the shelves.

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Here, at The Package Free Larder, we love it when people visit our shop for the first time. We are always more than happy to guide you through our shop, and show you how everything works. Why not bring a curious friend along with you, and show them how great buying plastic-free really is!

Need any more tips on how to convince someone stubborn against plastic-free? Why not introduce them to our blog. We discuss loads of facts and figures to help readers visualise our plastic crisis better, as well as introducing some of our own products, and their less environmentally friendly counterparts in more detail.