My Best & Worst Eco-friendly Purchases in 2021
Every year has its best and worst. When it comes to eco-conscious purchases, it couldn’t be an exception.
Even though I found great products in 2021, there are always exceptions. No matter how picky I am with my purchases, and despite reading numerous reviews, I end up owning a product that doesn’t meet my expectations (and needs) now and then.
These were my best and worst eco-conscious purchases without further ado in 2021.
My best eco-conscious purchases in 2021
BIC Refillable Pen
I’ve been using BIC pens since primary school. I love everything about it - how it writes, how it feels in my hand, its weight, and, of course, its price. I handwrite a lot, so I am particularly picky about the writing materials that I use.
When I found out that BIC had released a more sustainable version of its timeless pen, I could not wait to give it a try.
It retails for 5 euros (around that), and the pen’s body is made out of stainless steel. Each package comes with a fully active pen, plus two refills. This package is available in blue and black ink, and you have to pick the one that suits you best (in my case, the blue one).
Despite being a simple purchase, it turned out to be one of my absolute favorites of the year, mainly because it will help me reduce my environmental impact for years to come.
Even though I keep trying to reduce my paper usage (and waste), having a pen is an absolute staple these days - as we need to use our own when filling forms (because of COVID).
Reusable Stainless Steel Straws
This product was on my list of eco items I’ll never purchase, but last year I have been through several dental procedures, and using a straw was the easiest way of keeping hydrated and nourished.
I’ve started by purchasing a kit of reusable stainless steel straws at my local supermarket. Still, as I had to keep using these for longer than I expected, I bought another one while visiting a zero-waste store in Lisbon.
I use these several times a day to prevent my teeth from getting stained from coffee or tea. Both kits come with a brush to facilitate the cleaning process. However, if you put these on the dishwasher, you’ll end up with perfectly clean reusable straws - without doing the extra work.
Labienhecha Handbag
What a pleasant surprise! During the first days of 2021, I’ve spent plenty of hours looking up a timeless leather handbag that I could use for years to come.
Instagram started showing me ads from handbag brands. Thanks to that intrusion, I found out Labienhecha.
This sustainable female-owned brand from Málaga (Spain) specializes in recycled leather goods. The challenging part was to pick just one handbag, as they have so many lovely designs.
Plus, I love everything about their brand’s values, from how they create their products to the people involved (only women), the materials, how they market their products, and the social causes they support.
If you’re looking for eco-conscious leather goods, feel free to check out their website.
My worst eco-conscious purchases in 2021
Le Papier Glossy Lipstick
I had high expectations on this one. Le Papier is an eco-conscious brand specializing in nasty-free makeup products with a smaller environmental footprint.
What I liked the most about this product (and the one that caught my attention the most) was that the lipstick case is made out of paper, and you peel it when you need more product. This is making this the most sustainable packaging I've seen on lipstick so far.
As I could not find this product at a local physical store, I bought it online at Mind The Trash (one of my favorite eco-conscious stores) and had it delivered to my parent's home (in Portugal, as Mind The Trash is a Portuguese brand) a few weeks before my visit. I've picked up Dusty Rose's shade, as it seemed similar to my natural lip tone - giving me that no-makeup vibe.
Unfortunately, when I opened it for the first time - it was more on the brown side than on the pink one. And with my complexion, it just looks weird. I know many people can easily pull this off, but I am afraid that's not my case. So this lipstick has been sitting in my closet for months now, and I don't see myself using it any time sooner.
That's why this was one of my worst eco purchases in 2021.
My advice? When purchasing a makeup product online, look for reviews and pictures available on different websites. Looking up for user-generated content on Instagram is also a good idea, as you can have a glimpse of how it looks on other people.
Lanolips
Oh, you know me. I love to try skincare and makeup products, especially when consciously made.
After seeing Lanolips lip balms at Sephora a couple of times (and read more about these on their website), I decided to give these a try. So I got a mini Lanolips 101 Ointment (Multi-balm Coconut), which would be enough to form an opinion about the product.
The product comes in a tube and, even though it names itself ointment, I was expecting something between a fluid lip balm a thick ointment. Unfortunately, for me, this is more on the ointment side.
Given its thickness, you need to squeeze the tube a bit more than you expected to get some product out. I can tell the formula got slighter fluid after using it for a few weeks. However, it’s still far from the experience I was looking for, mainly because my lips feel sticky after applying it.
I am not saying that this is a bad product or that it should be avoided by all means. I am just saying that, unfortunately, it wasn’t the right fit for me.
Pela Case iPhone Case
I bought my first Pela Case smartphone cover when I got my current iPhone (back in 2019). Even though it wasn’t exactly cheap (for my budget), it was sustainably made (which was one of my top priorities), didn’t take much to arrive, and proved reliable.
At that time, I picked a plain blue-greenish case that I’d been using until the end of last Summer. What happened? Sebastian, my beloved cat, jumped to the top of the foyer’s cabinet and bit my case’s right-hand side - exactly where my hand lands when I hold my phone.
My phone case started crumbling in a few bits after using tape to make the chewed part more comfortable. It was time to get a new one.
Given my positive experience, I ran into Pela Case’s website to get a new one. Thanks to the URL link on their Instagram profile, I got a “Get 2 Pay 1” promo. So, I’ve ended up getting two phone cases (just in case) and one for my AirPods — this time, I’ve ordered both on a lighter shade (shell) and with a printed design.
Unlike my previous shopping experience, this parcel took over a month to arrive and, as the phone cases were shipped separately, I had to pay for customs twice.
As I placed my order through their European website, I expected that they would now have a warehouse somewhere in Europe. It was not that it would be shipped from the USA and Canada, which happened to be the case.
Besides the shipping and customs process, one of the cases arrived with a small dent. I know I could (and should) have contacted the brand right away, but it had been such a long process to get these here that I didn’t want to go through the whole thing again.
Unfortunately, after using that dented case for a couple of weeks, the material started crumbling in that part, and it became uncomfortable to use. So I replaced it with the spare phone case that I ordered.
Besides this experience, I still love Pela Case products. They are sustainably made and super effective when protecting my phone. However, from my experience, these tend to crumble a little bit when dented. Also, having something shipped from the US when I am trying to reduce my footprint - is a big no for me.
Just one more thing, if you’re thinking about getting a Pela Case, try to avoid the lighter shades, as these will become stained more quickly from their everyday use than the ones in darker shades (like the one I previously owned).
What about you? What were your best and worst eco purchases? Feel free to share your experience via e-mail or on Instagram.
