How to make sustainable choices?

Have you ever found yourself confused about which product out of the selection offered to you is more sustainable? We all know that to be sustainable products should

• be locally sourced,
• made from natural regenerative ingredients grown without pesticides,
• involve little or no processing,
• be packaged without plastic,
• be transported without the use of fossil fuels and probably many more things.

But realistically finding a product that ticks all these boxes is impossible, even if you were to try to do it all yourself by growing, foraging, building and making everything you need from scratch. So instead we have to make choices using our own knowledge of environmental impacts and the information given to us on product packaging. If you are like me you probably find this both exhausting and confusing.

• Which apple is most sustainable: the one that is local and organic but was stored for several months before being sold to me wrapped in plastic, or the one that is from far away, and not organic but was not stored and is sold without packaging?
• Is it more sustainable to buy fresh fruits from far away sold unpackaged or frozen local fruits in a plastic bag?
• Is it better to buy a shampoo with claims to be made of 95% natural ingredients but sold in a small plastic bottle or the one that is made of 50% natural ingredients but sold in a large plastic bottle?

In most cases, questions such as these cannot be answered, even by experts in sustainability. And of course this is only taking into consideration the environmental impacts of any particular product: what about the social impacts and health impacts of your choices? All of this combines to make being a responsible consumer virtually impossible as well as frustrating, confusing and potentially stressful. 

I believe a large part of the problem is the lack of transparency. Companies of course want us to buy their products so they ask us to believe them that they have done their best to make their product sustainable, healthy, socially responsible... As much of the communication between companies and consumers is not subject to checks from regulators or certifying bodies, practices such as green-washing are rife, making it even more difficult for consumers to navigate. My frustration with this is one of the factors that led me to establish Kayan Naturkosmetik. I wanted to make my own cosmetic products by relying on a small number of well-researched ingredients. Of course I quickly realised that being 100% sustainable would not be possible, but by selecting only natural ingredients, by making everything myself and by using very little plastic I do my best to ensure my cosmetics are as sustainable as I can make them, while still being a pleasure to use. 

Originally, I made my products for myself and my family, but I soon realised that others would perhaps be happy to use them as well. I have therefore built my brand Kayan Naturkosmetik on two very fundamental values: sustainability and transparency. What this means is that, although I make products for all of you now and not just me and my family I will not compromise on those two aspects. The ingredients I use are all natural and the products of the thorough research I do on each ingredient shared with you, allowing you to see exactly what is inside each of your Kayan Naturkosmetik products. Feel free to browse through the articles below to learn more about each of the ingredients I use. And of course, if you have any questions feel free to contact me, I would love to hear from you!