A used dog crate can save you $80 and keep a perfectly good piece of gear out of a landfill. A used food bowl with a few hairline scratches can seed your pet’s water with bacteria for months. The difference between a smart secondhand buy and a risky one usually comes down to two questions: what the item is made of, and whether you can actually clean it.

Americans spent $158 billion on their pets in 2025, and a growing share are looking for ways to spend less; the American Pet Products Association found roughly 22% of owners cut back on pet spending last year. Reused pet gear sits right at the intersection of saving money and cutting waste. But pets add a wrinkle that used furniture or clothing doesn’t: some of the germs that ride along on old bowls, beds, and toys are remarkably hard to kill, and the popular vinegar-and-soap cleaning advice doesn’t do what most people think it does.

This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of these links, we receive a small commission that helps fund our Recycling Directory.

Why Buying Used Makes Sense

The resale habit that reshaped clothing is spreading to durable goods. Pet supplies are a natural fit: crates, carriers, and hard toys are built to last far longer than one animal’s use of them.

Keeping those items in circulation matters, because pet gear leans heavily on plastic. Pet products generate an estimated 300 million pounds of plastic waste a year in North America, according to Earth.Org, and most worn-out toys and beds aren’t recyclable through curbside programs. Every crate or bowl bought secondhand is one that didn’t have to be manufactured, and one that isn’t clogging a landfill.

A few manufacturers are building reuse into the product itself. West Paw runs a closed-loop reuse program called Join the Loop,  which grinds down worn Zogoflex toys and remakes them, and Petmate now makes kennels from roughly 95% recycled polypropylene. When you can’t find a safe used version of what you need, durable, recycled-content, take-back-eligible gear is the next-best circular choice.

Start With the Material, Not the Price Tag

The single most useful rule for secondhand pet shopping is this: hard, nonporous items can be cleaned and disinfected; soft, porous ones often can’t. Stainless steel, glass, glazed ceramic, and smooth hard plastic have surfaces you can scrub and sanitize down to bare material. Fabric, foam, wood, rope, and sisal soak up saliva, urine, and whatever lived in them before, and no amount of wiping reaches all the way in.

Use this as a quick field guide when you’re standing over a yard-sale table:

Food and Water Bowls

Stainless steel, glass, and glazed ceramic bowls are ideal secondhand buys because they’re durable, and boiling water or a dishwasher cycle sanitizes them completely. Just check ceramic for cracks, chips, and crazing (that fine web of surface cracks in old glaze), any of which can trap bacteria and, in some imported glazes, leach lead.

Skip used plastic bowls entirely. Even hairline scratches in plastic harbor bacteria that can’t be removed by routine washing, and the bacteria that live in a pet’s mouth recolonize those grooves fast. For example, the Cornell Feline Health Center notes that 70–90% of cats carry Pasteurella multocida, a pathogen which can cause wound infections in people.

A new stainless bowl costs a few dollars and lasts for years, so this is one place not to economize.

Crates and Carriers

Metal and hard-plastic crates are among the best secondhand values in pet care. Inspect your options for cracks, sharp edges, missing screws, weak joints, and a carrying handle that’s loose or damaged. On wire crates, check that the door latches securely and the pan slides in flush.

Fabric crates need intact seams and zippers that fasten smoothly; a failed zipper on the road can lead to a lost pet. One firm exception: don’t buy a used airline travel crate. Most carriers require a new, IATA-compliant crate for animals flying as cargo, and a secondhand one may not meet current standards.

Beds, Clothing, and Soft Toys

Fabric items can be great buys if, and only if, you can launder them properly. Wash on the hottest setting the fabric allows and dry on high heat; a full hot wash-and-dry cycle kills fleas at every life stage, along with their eggs. Use a plant-based, pet-safe detergent so you’re not leaving fragrance and residue against your pet’s skin.

Inspect for rips and loose parts that could become choking hazards and be realistic about foam beds; if you can’t remove and wash the cover and you can’t wash the core, you can’t truly clean it.

Plush and rope toys are the least recommended soft items to buy used, because their fibers can hold saliva-borne bacteria and even worm eggs that laundering doesn’t fully kill.

Cat Trees, Scratchers, and the Scent Problem

Cats and dogs mark territory with scent, and a secondhand scratching post or cat tree can come pre-loaded with another animal’s signature. Some cats respond by refusing the item; others try to overwrite it, sometimes by urine-marking. Carpet- and sisal-covered posts are also porous and nearly impossible to disinfect.

Give any soft-covered item the sniff tests a cat would give it. If you can smell the previous animal, your pet certainly will. A better secondhand strategy is to buy a solid frame you can wipe down and add fresh sisal rope or replaceable cardboard inserts yourself.

The Cleaning Advice Most Guides Get Wrong

Here’s the part worth slowing down for. Soap and water, including natural Castile soap, and vinegar are fine for everyday grime and routine bacteria. Physically scrubbing an item removes most of what’s on it, and for gear coming from a healthy household, that plus a hot wash and sunlight is usually enough.

But vinegar is not a disinfectant against the pathogens that matter most in used pet gear. The viruses of real concern, including canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia, are nonenveloped, meaning they lack the fatty outer coat that makes other germs easy to kill. That structure lets them resist most common cleaners, including vinegar and quaternary ammonium products, and survive in the environment for a long time.

The good news for anyone who came to secondhand shopping for environmental reasons: the most effective option is also one of the greenest. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide (AHP), which is sold to shelters and vets under the brand Rescue, kills parvovirus yet breaks down into water and oxygen, carries Green Seal and GREENGUARD Gold certifications, and doesn’t require the ventilation and skin protection bleach does. It’s the rare case where the responsible choice and the effective choice are the same bottle.

How Long Germs Actually Linger

Older advice often says viruses and parasites survive on secondhand items for “up to a month.” For the tough ones, that’s a serious underestimate. Canine parvovirus can persist in a contaminated environment for as long as seven months, according to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, and veterinary sources put its outdoor survival at up to a year under cool, shaded conditions. Fleas and their eggs can stay viable in bedding for weeks. That long tail infection potential is why an effective disinfection method, not just “give it a wash,” matters.

When to Skip Secondhand Altogether

A few situations tilt the math toward buying new, or passing entirely:

• You have an unvaccinated puppy or kitten. Young animals are most vulnerable to exactly the viruses that resist cleaning. Until vaccinations are complete, favor new, easily sanitized gear.
• The item comes from a home with a known illness. If a previous pet had parvo, panleukopenia, ringworm, or a flea infestation, skip any porous item and disinfect hard ones with an AHP or bleach solution.
• You can’t clean it to the core. Foam beds, saturated cat trees, and gouged chew toys can’t be reliably disinfected. When in doubt, they go.
• The damage is structural. Cracked crates, frayed harness webbing, failing tank seals, and chipped ceramic aren’t bargains, they’re hazards that can harm your pet.

Products Worth Knowing About

A short, practical kit makes secondhand pet shopping safe without much fuss.

• Accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectant (e.g., Rescue). The eco-forward way to kill parvovirus and panleukopenia on hard, nonporous gear.
• Enzymatic odor cleaner. Breaks down the proteins in urine and scent marks that plain soap leaves behind, which is useful for reclaiming a lightly-marked crate or hard scratcher frame.
• Stainless steel bowls. When a used bowl is plastic or questionable, a new stainless set is inexpensive, dishwasher-safe, and effectively permanent.
• A fine-tooth flea comb. A dollar-store tool that tells you fast whether a secondhand bed or blanket is carrying hitchhikers.
• Durable, recycled-content toys (e.g., West Paw Zogoflex). For the soft-toy gap secondhand can’t safely fill, and they’re take-back recyclable at end of life.

What You Can Do

1. Shop by material first. Reach for stainless steel, glass, glazed ceramic, and smooth hard plastic; be cautious with fabric, foam, wood, rope, and sisal.
2. Inspect before you buy. Check for cracks, sharp edges, frayed webbing, failed zippers, and chewed-through spots. Structural damage is a dealbreaker.
3. Match the cleaning method to the risk. Hot wash and dry for fabric; scrub-and-sanitize for hard items. For anything from a home with illness, use an AHP or bleach solution at full contact time.
4. Know when to buy new. Airline crates, food bowls to replace plastic, and gear for unvaccinated young animals are worth buying new.
5. Close the loop at the other end. When your own pet gear wears out, donate what’s still usable, and check Earth911’s recycling search for options on what isn’t.

Related Reading

• A Guide to Safe and Sustainable Pet Products
• Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents
• Reduce Rover’s CO2 Pawprint: Fruits and Veggies Dogs Enjoy

Editor’s Note: Originally published by Tammi Avallone, a writer and managing editor of FiveBarks.com, on June 30, 2022, this article was substantially updated in July 2026.

The post How Safe Are Secondhand Used Pet Supplies? appeared first on Earth911.

https://earth911.com/living-well-being/are-used-pet-supplies-save/

The average bathroom is a plastic problem hiding in plain sight. Take just one item off the shelf: roughly 20 billion toothpaste tubes are thrown away worldwide every year, and almost none of them are recycled. Multiply that across razors, bottles, floss, and swabs, and a single room quietly generates a steady stream of waste that recycling systems were never built to handle.

Personal care products get bought and tossed on a relentless cycle, and most are built from mixed materials that curbside recycling can’t process. The encouraging news is that durable, refillable, and plastic-free alternatives now exist for nearly every one of them, and for a growing number, independent research backs up the environmental case. Here are options for a lower-waste bathroom, along with what the science does and doesn’t say about each.

This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase an item through one of these links, we receive a small commission that helps fund our work.

Toothpaste Tablets

Toothpaste tubes are among the hardest bathroom items to recycle. Most are sheets of plastic laminate wrapped around a thin layer of aluminum, a fused mix of materials that conventional recycling can’t separate. Globally, that adds up to about 20 billion tubes trashed each year.

The industry has responded. Colgate spent more than five years developing a tube made entirely from #2 HDPE, the same recyclable plastic used for milk jugs, and shared the design with competitors. It began rolling the tube out under its Tom’s of Maine brand around 2019 to 2020 and pledged to convert its full portfolio by the end of 2025, a target it reports it has largely met, with major brands representing roughly 90% of the U.S. market committing to the same switch.

There’s a catch worth knowing: “technically recyclable” is not the same as “accepted curbside.” Few material recovery facilities currently sort toothpaste tubes, and in 2024 a federal judge allowed a consumer lawsuit against Colgate to proceed, alleging its recyclability labeling misleads shoppers whose local programs don’t take the tubes. Check whether your program accepts them before tossing one in the bin.

A simpler way to sidestep the tube entirely is the toothpaste tablet. You chew one until it forms a paste, then brush as usual. Unpaste Zero Waste tablets come in plastic-free, home-compostable pouches and are made without preservatives, dyes, or synthetic fragrances. Early zero-waste toothpastes skipped fluoride, which deterred anyone who wanted the cavity protection dentists recommend; Unpaste now sells both a fluoride and a fluoride-free version.

Biodegradable Dental Floss and the PFAS Question

Floss is a small item with an outsized chemistry problem. Conventional floss is usually nylon or a Teflon-type fiber coated to slide between teeth, and some of those coatings are made with PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that don’t break down in the body or the environment.

In a 2019 study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, researchers at the Silent Spring Institute and the Public Health Institute measured PFAS in the blood of 178 women and found that those who flossed with Oral-B Glide had higher levels of one PFAS than those who didn’t. It was the first study to link a specific flossing product to a higher body burden of these chemicals. The finding is an association rather than proof of cause, the manufacturer disputed it, and Oral-B has since reformulated Glide to remove PTFE. The lasting lesson: floss doesn’t need PFAS to work, and most flosses tested didn’t contain it.

Lucky Teeth floss avoids the issue on both the health and waste fronts. Its original floss is 100% organic silk coated in candelilla plant wax with tea tree and peppermint oils, fully biodegradable and packaged in a refillable glass jar with paper refill boxes instead of a throwaway plastic dispenser. Silk isn’t vegan, so the company also makes plant-based PLA and bamboo-charcoal flosses in the same refillable glass packaging.

Bamboo Toilet Paper

Toilet paper has a forest problem. Much of the pulp in major U.S. brands comes from the Canadian boreal, the largest intact forest on Earth and one of its most carbon-rich, and the industry clear-cuts more than a million acres of it each year, in part to make a single-use product, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s ongoing “Issue with Tissue” reporting. Tissue made from recycled content or responsibly sourced bamboo has roughly one-third the carbon footprint of virgin-fiber tissue, and NRDC lists both as the sustainable alternatives.

Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that regenerates without replanting, which is why it has become a popular tree-free option. We’re big fans of Who Gives A Crap’s bamboo TP, and along with Rizzi Home No. 2 bamboo toilet paper is Forest Stewardship Council and Responsible Forestry certified, wrapped in recycled paper rather than plastic, with soy-ink printed designs. Rizzi also claims to cut down on “butt crumble,” which we’ll let you investigate on your own.

Bamboo Cotton Swabs

Plastic-stemmed cotton swabs are among the most common items found on beaches and in waterways, small enough to slip through filters and reach the ocean. The problem is significant enough that the European Union banned single-use plastic cotton bud sticks in 2021.

The Humble Co. makes a fully biodegradable swab with a handle of sustainably grown bamboo and a cotton tip with natural coloring, packaged in recycled paper. The dentist-founded brand notes its swabs are free of PFAS and BPA, and it funds dental care for underserved communities through its SmileOnU program.

Zero-Waste Shaving

Disposable razors are cheap, ubiquitous, and nearly impossible to recycle: the fused plastic handle, rubber grip, and metal blade can’t easily be separated. The most-cited figure, that Americans throw away about 2 billion disposable razors a year, comes from a 1990 EPA estimate the agency stopped tracking in 2019, so the true number today is unknown and likely higher. What’s clear is that a metal safety razor lasts for years and replaces a steady stream of throwaways.

Albatross reusable metal razors come with 10 replacement blades in a hemp bag. The stainless blades ship in a paper envelope, and the company runs a blade take-back program that accepts used blades from any brand, a genuine fix since most curbside programs won’t take loose razor blades and upcycles the steel into new products. Albatross also makes a shaving soap of plant-based oils in a recyclable metal tin, an alternative to aerosol shaving cream.

Bar Soap

Swapping a pump bottle for a bar is one of the better-studied bathroom trades. In a 2009 life-cycle analysis in Environmental Science & Technology, Swiss researchers Annette Koehler and Caroline Wildbolz found that, per wash, liquid soap carries a carbon footprint about 25% higher than bar soap. Liquid formulas take roughly five times more energy to produce the raw materials and nearly 20 times more energy to make the packaging, and people tend to use about seven times more liquid soap by weight per wash than they do bar soap.

The picture isn’t entirely one-sided. The same study found bar soap has a larger land-use impact, because it relies on farmed vegetable oils, and we tend to use more hot water lathering a bar. But on carbon footprint, packaging, and several toxicity measures, the bar comes out ahead. Look for bars sold unwrapped or in paper; Meow Meow Tweet makes a variety of paper-packed soap bars.

Natural Shampoo Bar

Shampoo doesn’t have to come as liquid in a plastic bottle. Solid bars strip out the water that makes up the bulk of liquid shampoo, which means less packaging and less weight to ship, and they often outlast a bottle.

Meow Meow Tweet makes shampoo bars and powder from organic plant oils and butters with steam-distilled and cold-pressed essential oils and organic botanicals. The bars are package-free and ship in a recycled cardboard box with compostable paper wrapping, labels, and tape, while the powders ship in a recyclable aluminum bottle.

Refillable Body Lotion

Some products just work best as liquids, and lotion is one of them, but you can still cut the plastic with a refillable container. Plaine Products’ body lotion comes in an aluminum bottle with a reusable pump. When you run low, you rinse the empty bottle, mail it back in a refill box, and the company refills and reuses it. The formula is plant-based and vegan, and everything ships in recyclable or compostable packaging.

Bamboo Toothbrush

Every plastic toothbrush ever made still exists somewhere. Americans throw out about a billion of them a year, roughly 50 million pounds of waste, and because the nylon bristles are fused into a polypropylene handle, they can’t go through curbside recycling. They persist for centuries.

A bamboo-handled brush swaps the plastic handle for a compostable one. It’s not a flawless fix, since the nylon bristles still have to be pulled out before the handle can be composted, but the life-cycle research is encouraging. A 2020 assessment in the British Dental Journal, the first to run a full life-cycle analysis on toothbrushes, found that manual bamboo brushes and plastic brushes with replaceable heads had the lowest environmental impact of the options studied, while electric toothbrushes had the highest. The Humble Co., maker of the swabs above, is one dentist-founded brand that makes a bamboo toothbrush.

Menstrual Cups

For anyone who menstruates, disposables add up fast. A person can use around 10,000 pads and tampons in a lifetime, and modern pads are more than 90% plastic that can take centuries to break down. A reusable silicone menstrual cup replaces nearly all that waste and lasts for years.

The environmental case is well supported. A 2021 UN Environment Programme review and a 2022 life-cycle assessment both concluded that reusable menstrual cups have the lowest environmental impact of any menstrual product across their full life cycle, lower than tampons, pads, and even reusable cloth pads and period underwear, which need more water to launder. Cups are the lowest-waste option; reusable cloth pads and period underwear still beat disposables, though by how much depends on how they’re washed.

Where to Take What’s Left After Use

Switching products keeps waste out of the bin, but the items you already own still need somewhere to go. For blades, tubes, and packaging you’re retiring, check what your local program accepts using the Earth911 Recycling Search, and see our guides to recycling toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes and recycling tin and steel cans.

Editor’s Note: Originally published by Jennifer Sokolowsky on July 23, 2019, and updated in July 2026 with current products, links, and supporting research.

The post Sustainable Personal Care Products for an Earth-Friendly Bathroom appeared first on Earth911.

https://earth911.com/living-well-being/sustainable-personal-care-products/

The sustainable lighting brands in this guide will help you brighten up any room in your home while supporting artisan crafts — and without leaving a heavy footprint on the planet.

For how we define sustainable lighting, scroll down below beneath the brands!

Where to Find Sustainable Lighting

This guide features an already vetted, pre-curated roundup of sustainable lighting brands that are creating earth-minded, responsible, and beautifully designed sustainable lights.

Hopefully you’ll find a lighting fixture or lamp you’ll love — there are some really incredible and inspiring brands in here!

Looking for more furnishings? Check out our sustainable furniture guide here!

Note that this guide includes affiliate links. As always, all brands meet strict standards for sustainability and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!

1. Lanna Passa

Best for: artisan-made bamboo floor lamps

This Thailand-based shop showcases the artistry and craftsmanship of ethnic hill tribe communities like the Hmong and Lisu. Lanna Passa is committed to sustaining traditional crafts while sourcing from local villages and supporting hill tribe communities. In addition to single rattan lamp shades, Lanna Passa sells string light sets for weddings, festivals, and other outdoor venues.

I have the trio of bamboo floor lamps in my living room and love the cozy, grounded ambience it adds to the space. (Though the bamboo is an open weave, so if you’re sensitive to light, you might prefer a fully covered lamp shade.)

Conscious Qualities: Sustaining Cultural Crafts, Natural Materials, WOC-Owned Business

Price Range: $45 – $420
Shipping: Global

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2. Bicycle Glass

Best for: hand-blown recycled glass pendants

Dedicated to transforming “trash to treasure”, Bicycle Glass creates beautiful sustainable lighting out of locally-sourced recycled glass. I was blown away by the detail in their lighting on their product pages, though I think I’d keep to indoor lighting as I might be nervous about the durability of the recycled glass outdoors.

Bicycle Glass’ lighting is all made locally in Minnesota by artisans for each customer. And they deliver —the shop has a 4.9/5 star rating on Etsy with hundreds of reviews.

Conscious Qualities: 100% Recycled Glass, Local Production, Made to Order Model

Price Range: $250 – $1900
Shipping: USA

Browse Bicycle Glass

3. Thai Home Shop

Best for: bamboo pendant lights

Thai Home Shop’s eco-friendly lighting is individually handcrafted in local artisan workshops in Thailand using generations-old crafts. This small business sources their earth-minded materials — like bamboo and rattan — locally in Thailand at a fair price to support their community.

Their pendants add a cozy touch to any living space, and I personally love how a bamboo table lamp has added warmth to my bedroom.

Conscious Qualities: Natural Materials, Locally-Sourced and Produced, Supports Cultural Preservation

Price Range: $40 – $399
Shipping: Global

Use code CONSCIOUSSTYLE for 15% off!

Browse Thai Home Shop

4. Modern Gesture @ 54kibo

Best for: unique architectural ceiling lights

The one-of-a-kind Modern Gesture lighting from 54Kibo truly stands out with its intricate details and unique shape. Based in South Africa, Modern Gesture creates African-inspired, contemporary lighting made from recycled wood offcuts right in their own Cape Town workshop.

And while the selection is more limited than other options on the list, I love that the designs have been inspired by Ndebele African design jewelry — showing how interconnected fashion and interior design can be.

Conscious Qualities: Eco Materials, Traceable Production, Black-Owned Brand & Retailer

Price Range: $428 – $598
Shipping: Contiguous USA

Browse Modern Gesture

5. Schoolhouse

Best for: well-crafted lighting with character

I have a weakness for mid-century modern interiors and with everything from mushroom lamps and pop lights to linear chandeliers and brass sconces, Schoolhouse has mastered the art of retro-inspired lighting.

The brand’s heirloom-quality lighting is designed to transcend trends and crafted by skilled makers in their Portland-based factory. The brand sources their components responsibly from domestic and international sources.

Conscious Qualities: Made Ethically in Portland, Timeless Design, Lasting Quality

Price Range: $149 – $999
Shipping: Contiguous USA (inquiry for international shipping rates)

Browse Schoolhouse

6. GOODEE

Best for: ethically artisan made lighting by vetted makers

GOODEE is a mecca for all things artisan-made, including sustainable lighting fixtures, table lights, lampshades and even lightbulbs. You can find both elegant and bold sustainable lighting options made from materials like elephant grass, natural straw, and durable aluminum.

My personal favorites are the colorful woven lamps from Baba Tree made from recycled PET bottles.

Conscious Qualities: Artisan-Made, Ethical Production Practices, Black-Owned, Natural or Recycled Materials

Price Range: $189 – $3000+
Shipping: USA & Canada

Browse GOODEE

7. Graypants

Best for: contemporary design-forward lighting

Who knew recycled cardboard could look so chic? Graypants is an eco-friendly lighting brand that creates striking pendant lights (which they call “scraplights”) from repurposed cardboard. The sustainable lighting is manufactured in the US.

Like Bicycle Glass, pieces are made to order, so build in some lead time rather than expecting immediate shipping.

Conscious Qualities: Recycled Materials, Responsible Manufacturing, Made to Order

Price Range: $385 – $10,000+
Shipping: Contiguous USA

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8. Healthier Homes

Best for: natural non-toxic lighting

The sustainable lighting on Healthier Homes meets high standards in both sustainability and non-toxic materials.

The pendants, sconces, table lamps, chandeliers and other lighting fixtures are made with natural materials (like coconut shells) or durable materials (like metal) tested for toxic substances. Another element I love about Healthier Homes’ lighting is how the organic shapes soften the room.

Conscious Qualities: Natural, Non-Toxic Materials

Price Range: $84 – $1140
Shipping: Contiguous USA | contact for international shipping

Browse Healthier Homes

9. Chairish

Best for: vintage lighting

Chairish has a treasure trove of sustainable lighting with their carefully curated collection of gently used, vintage, and antique pieces. Uncover items like a pink floral crystal globe beaded chandelier or a 1920s Italian blown-glass “harp” chandelier with twisted glass.

With prices going in the several tens of thousands, the secondhand lighting from Chairish is not your thrift store lighting — and is certainly outside of my budget — but if you’re excited to invest in an heirloom piece, this is the spot.

Conscious Qualities: Vintage & Used Lighting

Price Range: $15 – $72,000 (looks like a typo, but yes that’s really the variance of prices on the platform!)
Shipping: USA & Canada

Browse Chairish

What is Sustainable Lighting?

Ok so what exactly is sustainable lighting anyway?

The most obvious is using lower impact, efficient LED lightbulbs. LEDs that are ENERGY STAR-qualified (a US government backed standard for energy efficiency) use just a fraction (20%–25%) of the energy and last 15 to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. (Source)

But let’s go beyond the lightbulbs and talk about the lighting fixtures themselves.

Materials

Beyond the bulbs, you can source environmentally and socially-responsible lighting fixtures and lamps. Some materials to look for include:

Reclaimed and Recycled Materials

One of the most sustainable lighting materials to use are those already in existence! Some repurposed materials in lights might include recycled glass or reclaimed wood.

Natural and Locally-Sourced Materials

This might include materials like bamboo, rattan, and sisal grass.

Many artisan lighting brands will source these sorts of materials, and as you’ll see, the material varies based on the region where the artisan groups are based. While bamboo might be the most sustainable and accessible material for one group, sisal grass may be the best material for another.

Durable Heirloom-Quality Materials

While natural materials can be sustainably sourced, they may not always last the test of time the way that more durable materials like copper or infinitely recyclable aluminum do.

There is sort of a tradeoff here because the initial production of metals involves a significant environmental impact due to the mining involved. But, quality-made metal lighting can last for generations if kept up well.

So, if you are going to purchase metal lighting, I recommend sourcing from a high-quality brand that really designs their products to LAST!

Production Practices

Another key element to sustainable lighting is how people and planet-friendly the production practices are.

Here are some questions to ask regarding a brand’s supply chain:

• Does the brand produce lights locally? Does the brand source their materials locally?
• Does the brand state where production takes place? What details do they give?
• What sort of relationship does the brand have with the manufacturing facilities or artisans? Is it a true partnership or does the brand just outsource in a race to the bottom for the cheapest price?
• Does the factory have any certifications or other assurances of its sustainability and ethics?

These are just some starter questions to be asking.

If you can’t find the answers to these questions, don’t be afraid to email the brand and ask — if they are a transparent and responsible brand, they should have no problem answering you honestly.

More Sustainable Home Guides:

Beautiful Ethical Home Decor Brands to Curate a Conscious Space

Your Ultimate Guide to Eco-Friendly & Organic Bedding

21 Best Sustainable Furniture Brands for an Eco Home

The post 9 Best Sustainable Lighting Brands To Brighten Up Your Space appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.

9 Best Sustainable Lighting Brands To Brighten Up Your Space