Info, news & debate
Natural soaps
Looking for a simple cold process soap recipe without palm oil? Look no further, here’s one of our favourites
A simple recipe for cold process soap making that you can try at home!
Great ways to reduce plastic use in your home: Part 2 – cleaning products and toiletries
The second instalment on plastic reduction from Ethical.net takes us through cutting plastic use in our cleaning products and toiletries, with a focus on making your own using the simplest of recipes.
How to make your own shampoo bar with neem oil and nettle
Tempted to learn how to make your own shampoo bar? Here’s a great simple recipe from The Soap Kitchen, which combines nettle and neem oil.
How to make your own sustainable cleaning products
Wondering how to make your own sustainable cleaning products? Our friends at Ethical.net are here to help, with useful tips galore and a recipe for homemade apple cider vinegar.
Why natural soap is naturally better, for your skin and for the planet
When is soap not really soap? More often than you might think. Bas de Vries of Quincessentials explores why natural soap is naturally better.
Ten top tips for running a market stall or craft fayre stall
Today we’re sharing ten tips for running a market stall or craft fayre stall from the folks behind The Soap Kitchen.
Meet madder, woad & weld: traditional dye plants of Europe
In this post, textile artist Teresinha Roberts of Wild Colours tells us all about the top three European dye plants for use in natural dyeing: madder, woad and weld.
Earth.Food.Love: the story of the UK’s first zero-waste shop
Nicola and Richard Eckersley, founders of Earth.Food.Love, share their journey to pioneering the UK’s first zero-waste shop in Totnes, Devon.
Join our new online community Living Low Impact
We’re excited to introduce our new Facebook group Living Low Impact – and you’re invited!
My plastic-free life: an interview with Kate Armstrong
You may remember from our post in May that the month of June marks The Marine Conservation Society’s Plastic Challenge. But what is it actually like to give up plastic? We spoke to campaigner Kate Armstrong of plasticisrubbish.com about her decade-long journey towards and campaign for a plastic-free existence.
Why the ‘natural’ in natural soaps is so important
True soaps can be made from a range of oils and butters which come from plants, trees and in the case of some oils such as tallow and lard, from animals. These oils and butters are chemically classed as mild acids.
Starting your own business: how to sell hand-made soaps
Want to start selling your home-made soap? Katrina McKenzie of Small World Soaps explains how to sell hand-made soaps in the UK and turn your hobby into a business.
Low-impact & the city 1: introduction – how possible is it to live in a sustainable, non-corporate way in a city?
I lived at Redfield Community for 13 years – it’s where Lowimpact.org was born – but now I live in London, and so I’m assessing my options for living as low-impact a life as I can.
Why some soap-makers refuse to use palm oil and how you can help them
Lowimpact.org: Hi Katrina – you make and sell soaps that don’t contain any palm oil. We wanted to talk to you about why you came to that decision, and what you use instead. To start, what is palm oil used for in soap making?
Craft skills are too important to lose
How many people do you know these days whose work involves traditional craft skills? For every craftsperson in the UK, there must be a couple of thousand working in telesales.