The 4th edition of the Zero Waste Festival took place last weekend, during which Next proudly launched its eco-friendly fabric gift wrap, the Vice-VersaKIT. Every year, over the last four years, this event brought together selected companies that are eco-friendly, mindful of their ecological footprint and revisit clever ways of doing things. The 2020 edition was a perfect opportunity for us to discover local businesses to consider for holiday shopping, and also find original local christmas gift ideas. 😉 Here are Next’s 6 favorite companies.
AUTHORS: Next’s team
La Transformerie is a company whose mission is to eliminate food waste. The principle of circular economy is applied to achieve this goal. The business collects unsold items from groceries and fruit store departments and transforms them into delicious spreads or redistributes them to various local organizations. Since the start of its creation, around 6,060 Kg of fruit have been processed and around 21,816 Kg of food that have been redistributed. La Transformerie spreads are a great way to satisfy our stomachs while encouraging sustainable development.
Rosecitron specializes in the creation of eco-friendly and handmade cosmetics. The majority of products are offered in bulk in various stores in Quebec. This company is going zero waste goal since 2015. Concrete actions are taken everyday to reduce their ecological footprint. Here are some sustainable actions it’s making : avoid overpacking, sort their recycling by themselves and bring it to the ecocenter, compensate for emissions through carbon offsetting during the year. There are no trash cans in their stores. Rosecitron products are a good alternative to take care of ourselves and our planet at the same time.
L’Entre-Peaux workshop is the idea of Maude Léonard, eco-designer. Inspired by the circular economy model, the business creates eco-friendly bags and fashion accessories. It recovers non-recyclable advertising materials in Quebec and gives them a new vocation. L’Entre-Peaux workshop recovered until now around 12.75 tons (12,750 Kg) of advertising waste that would have ended up in the trash. A good way to combine fashion and sustainable development.
BBecolo is also another company that has decided to put forward the principles of the circular economy by offering a rental and exchange program for children’s clothing (size newborn to 24 months). This program sets up a recovery system for used clothing still in very good condition, which is then arranged in kits, then rented by families. Knowing that the fashion industry is a major contributor to waste production and that our children are constantly growing up, BBecolo offers a very interesting solution for parents wishing to reduce their ecological footprint. In addition, that concept offers excellent possibilities of made-in canada gift ideas for the holidays or even for an eco-friendly baby shower.
Mme L’Ovary is a company dedicated to the design of menstrual underwear. It offers a zero waste alternative to disposable and conventional protections that take hundreds of years to decompose in the environment. In addition to its ecological mission, Mme. L’Ovary has also a social mission: that of promoting a positive vision of the menstrual cycle. “Table Rouge” are educational lectures that address different aspects of the menstrual cycle and women’s health. Mme L’Ovary’s period panties are therefore a good option for living in harmony with our body and the environment.
Do you want to treat yourself to a new decor made in a responsible way as a gift for Christmas? Éco-Peinture is a non-profit company that recovers paint and aerosol residues as well as their metal or plastic containers. The company is part of the sustainable development movement by applying the principles of the circular economy. Paint residue is processed to make new recycled paint, while containers are reused, recycled or upgraded. More than 10 million kilos of paint and containers have been diverted from landfills since the beginnings of Eco-Peinture. If you are looking to get rid of your old paint cans, make an eco-friendly choice and find out about their drop-off points.
And then, why not consider a green gift wrap, the Vice-VersaKIT, as an alternative to wrapping paper to wrap your little finds? 😉
