Caring for a newborn is as grueling as it is rewarding, and with each passing year, the caregiving toolkit seems to grow exponentially bigger, with more and more baby gear. Features on car seats multiply, carriers become more intricate, monitors monitor more things via more devices at more times of day and night. Some are gimmicks, but some baby products really do make life easier. How’s a new parent to know the difference when faced with an onslaught of bassinets and strollers claiming to be the best baby products of 2020?   With research. We’ve studied the brands, the reviews, the input of experts and parents to create our list of the very best of 2020’s new strollers, car seats, baby bottles, bassinets, and other gear that will ease your parenting journey and let you focus on the good stuff. Which is really what it’s all about.   The Best New Baby Carriers   CoPilot Baby Carrier and Backpack by JP Outdoors                                                                                    

One of the first writing tools we get to experience, right next to crayons, are pencils. Through what did you learn your ABCs? Pencils. How about what you used to learn how to spell your name? Or draw your first basket? I bet it is pencils! And even though many of us “outgrow” pencils to some extent, they are still basic work materials to artists, designers, and people in related fields. It does not come as a surprise then that Forbes magazine once regarded pencils as one of the most important tools in human history, along with knives, abacuses and the compass.   Due to its common usage, about 14 billion pencils are used globally every year. Pencils are made from wood or plastic products and graphite. Yet, only the lead sticks, which is actually graphite glazed in clay, is used in learning ABCs or drawing your first basket. The rest, well, they end being shaved into dustbins, thrown away, or something like it. With current efforts to embrace sustainable consumption including in the way we manage waste; we cannot overlook even such seemingly “micro” wastes like those from pencils. It takes one tree to make 170,000 pencils, meaning that it takes about 80,000 trees to meet the global annual demand for pencils. Talk about environmental impact!   This is why it is important to know if pencils can be recycled, and if yes, how to go about it.  

Are Pencils Recyclable?

  Pencils can be recycled, as most pencils are made from recyclable materials. Wooden pencils are usually made from trees like cedar and its species; as well as graphite, metal ferrules and natural or synthetic rubber. Mechanical pencils on the other hand have reusable metal or plastic casing, with graphite “lead” sticks. While wooden pencils, which are the majority, are mainly recyclable, mechanical pencils are not.   Nonetheless, this does not mean that recycling wooden pencils is an easy task. In fact, such pencils are usually not accepted in Recycling bins. This is because the process used to treat wood used for pencils (especially the low-grade types) renders them non-recyclable.   Nonetheless, it is still necessary to keep pencil wastes from landfills, if only to make up for the number of trees used in producing them. One way to do this is to use up every single centimeter of the pencil. In this way, useful pencils would not end up in the trash.   The most recyclable piece of a pencil is the ferrule, the metal piece that holds the rubber/eraser in place. This can be made from brass or aluminum. Both metals can be easily recycled in large quantities.   You might want to try purchasing eco-friendly pencils that are produced from recycled materials. There are also seed pencils like Sprout that contain seeds. All you need to do is to plant the stub of your pencil when you are done using it and voila: you have a new vegetable or tree in your garden within a month!   If you can find no other use, you can still gather up pencil stubs and use them for kindling fires if you have a fireplace.  

Can You Recycle Pencil Shavings?

  Pencil shavings are biodegradable, even though they decompose quite slowly; because they are usually made from cedarwood. Nonetheless, if you dispose of them in your waste bin, they are most likely going to end up in landfills. That is not exactly great for the environment. Thus, if you wish to recycle pencil shavings, it is best you do it by yourself. To begin, you would have to dedicate a bin or a substitute to collect your pencil shavings.   After you gather a sizeable amount, you can then use any of the ideas below.   1. Help your garden with your pencil shavings: If you are a lover of all things green – including green gardens – pencil shavings can be of great help. This is because pencil shavings can be used in making compost, mulching, as well as acting as a pest deterrent. Because most pencils are made of cedarwood, which tends to scare troublesome insects away, working pencil shavings into the soil around your plants keep them safe from pest invasions. Pencil shavings can also be used to retain soil moisture. And although pencil shavings according to a study do not act as fertilizers, they still are useful when mixed with other compost materials.   2. Create recycled art: You might want to unlock your creative genius with your pencil shavings. You can always visit Pinterest to find beautiful DIY designs from pencil shavings.   3. Alternative Firelighter or Fuel: Pencil shavings serve as great sources of materials needed to light fires or keep them going. This might not be the best option if you have the environment in mind but it is definitely better than wasting away in landfills.

 

Are Pencils Biodegradable?

  Most pencils are made of biodegradable materials, while some others (like those with plastic casing) are not. Nevertheless, not all parts of pencils made mostly with biodegradable materials are biodegradable.   In a lot of wooden pencils, the wood used for the pencil stick is made from insect resistant, durable wood. These sticks are biodegradable, even though heavy processing is sometimes used to make the wood to decay very slowly.   However, the “lead” used to actually write or draw is made from graphite which is natural crystalline carbon, which is similar to diamond. This mineral is found usually in igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks. Hence, it is typically not biodegradable or photo-degradable. Nonetheless, it may be used in composting as plants could absorb its carbon. (It is a mineral after all).   The ferrule, that metal part of pencils used to hold the erasers, are also not biodegradable. The metal cylinder is called a pencil ferrule and is traditionally made of, for example, brass or aluminum. Most pencil ferrules are however made from brass in view of their increased strength over the aluminum.   The erasers themselves are usually made of either natural rubber or synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is biodegradable, but synthetic rubbers aren’t.   Nonetheless, there are eco-friendly pencils that are made entirely of biodegradable materials. You could check out these BIC pens for example.  

Are Pencils More Environmentally Friendly Than Pens?

  The debate about whether pencils are more environmentally friendly than pens is quite the debate. Different logical points exist on both sides of the argument, and this would be pitted against each other to help you decide.   1. Source Materials: Most pens are made of polystyrene or similar plastics. About 70 tons of plastic are made into non-reusable pens every day. There are certain demerits of polystyrene: First, it is made from petroleum, one of the key pollutants of the climate today, and second, it is not easy to dispose of it after you are done using it.   Pencils on the other hand are usually sourced from wood and graphite. We have already seen that wood used in making pens might add up to a whooping 80,000 trees every year. Graphite mining also makes use of machinery that might add to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. On this point, it is really hard to decide which is better.   2. Waste Recycling: Recycling plastic pens are not very viable which means that a lot of them end up in landfills, considering that 2 billion pens are used in the United States alone every year. Pencils also tend to end up in landfill too but they are made materials which are able to biodegrade.   3. Transportation: Pens and pencils weigh about the same which means that the impact of their transportation and/or distribution on the environment is quite even.   4. Use: Pencils usually have a shorter lifespan than pens. Also, many plastic pens have refillable inkjets. Thus, based on length of use, pens are usually deemed more environmentally friendly than pencils. To counter this, however, most people usually have more pens than they need at the moment; and so, pens are consumed at a similar rate as pencils. Nonetheless, some consider this argument irrelevant as both pencils and pens have their merit and demerit with regards to the environment. The most important thing is to be as eco-friendly as possible when using either: use eco-friendly pencils or pens, and find a way to recycle or reuse both where applicable. And of course, there is always the option of going completely paperless – in which case you would not need either.  

Can You Put Pencils in The Recycling Bin?

    Generally, you should not put pencils in the recycling bin, as most pencils cannot be recycled either because: o   They are made of mixed materials which makes them non-recyclable, or, o   They are too small to be recycled.   Wooden pencils usually fall into the latter category. The pencil shavings/stubs are too small to be sorted unless gathered up in large quantities.   Mechanical pencils are usually either metal or mixed plastic, or a mix of both. Some of the plastic is not recyclable, while others are too small to be sorted and recycled.   Nonetheless, you can always reuse your mechanical pencil by refilling the lead. You could also gather them up in large quantities and send them to recycling organizations like Terracycle that collects waste that is difficult to recycle for conversion into materials and products. To do this, get a box which you would fill up with pencils you no longer need. Then ship the box to them directly.  

5 Surprising Ways To Reuse Old Pencils

  First of all, please do not throw your old pencils away. There are so many uses they do have in addition to writing or making drawings with them yourself, which include:  

1. Donating to those who need it most

You can show some love and make the world a better place by giving those old pencils to organizations like Pencils for Kids, who would ensure that children really in need of them get them.  

2. Making Jewelry

You could chop colored pencils into small pieces and glue them together to make a variety of jewelry and accessory pieces like earrings.  

3. Creating Art

You could use your old pencils to decorate your picture frame, create picture frames, decorate your pen holders, and other DIY crafts!  

4. Stick for Seedlings

If you are the gardening type, you are definitely not left out. You can use your old pencils as starter sticks so that they could have something to cling to as they grow.  Once they outgrow them, you could then remove the pencils and save them for another set of seedlings.  

5. Making Birdhouses For Your Pet Birds

You could stack the old Pencils and glue them to form beautiful birdhouses for your pets! Even if you don’t keep birds, those birdhouses could still serve as toys for little kids. You might even paint them and add decorations.   Conclusion Pencils have been around for a while and have been serving a great purpose. For this reason, they need to be attended to on time. We have already provided ways to deal with old pencils. The ball is now in your court.

The company has launched a reusable aluminum bottle system with pouch refills at scale. Europe has a leg up on the U.S. in a couple of regards when it comes to recycling, namely facilities capable of recycling more types of materials and a cumulative population that, in general, recycles more. But the global effort from companies to reduce waste and encourage recycling is making a worldwide difference, and they’re doing it, in part, by making recycling more convenient. P&G Beauty, for example, has introduced a packaging strategy in Europe that takes aim at increasing recycling rates while at the same time cutting down on plastics usage and maintaining customer convenience.   At the Reuters Business Summit near the end of October during the panel “The Window to Act is Now: Advancing Responsible Beauty in Europe,” P&G Beauty unveiled a shampoo refill system for its Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie brands that will get underway in 2021. And, no, the idea of a refill system is nothing new, after all TerraCycle’s Loop program, of which P&G was a launch partner for, is nearing two years old — and that itself is a take on old-fashioned milk deliveries.   What makes P&G Beauty’s system unique is the blend of packaging it uses: a new reusable 100% aluminum bottle and recyclable (in certain areas) stand-up refill pouch, made using 60% less plastic (per ml versus the standard brand bottle). P&G Beauty says it’s on track to reduce virgin plastic usage by 50% in its shampoo and conditioner bottles by the end of 2021, where through collective efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle it will result in 300 million fewer virgin plastic bottles being produced yearly.   “We need to start turning the tide on the plastic waste crisis, and there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our planet. That is why I’m thrilled to announce a new packaging innovation called the ‘good refill system,’” says Artur Litarowicz, senior vice president and general manager of haircare for P&G Europe. He then adds, “We know this is just the start. There is so much more to do, and I am passionate about P&G Beauty being a force for good across Europe as we step toward achieving our 2030 Responsible Beauty goals at pace.”   The “2030 Responsible Beauty” goals Litarowicz references are the company’s aim based on five interconnected guiding principles: Quality and Performance; Safety; Sustainability; Transparency; and Equality and Inclusion. Those five components form the foundation of the company’s 2030 goals which represent its vision “to be a positive force for beauty in the world.” The goals extend to a range of initiatives from social aspects like equality to increasing the environmental responsibility of its ingredients. When it comes to packaging, the company aims to have 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030. It expects to have 90% of its major packaging platforms being recyclable or reusable by 2025. Also by 2025, it expects to have a 50% reduction in the use of virgin fossil-based plastic across its lines.   Virginie Helias, P&G’s chief sustainability officer, says, “We have committed to enable and inspire responsible consumption through innovation on our product and packaging. Our leading beauty brands in Europe touch millions of lives. This new packaging innovation will contribute to making the reuse of packaging irresistible, while enabling a reduction of virgin plastic as per P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment. It’s no longer about if or what we can do, but how quickly we can do it — the window is now for embracing new sustainable lifestyles.”   Efforts like those made by P&G Beauty helps consumers to more easily make environmentally conscious choices that, in turn, spur CPGs to make further environmentally conscious changes. It’s something that Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, comments on during the panel at the Reuters Business Summit, “I’ve long been a believer that a refill behavior is a big part of the future of sustainable packaging, and the innovation announced by P&G Beauty today is a positive step in the right direction for the many millions of households Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences and Aussie serve,” he says. “While there is of course more to be done, it’s great to see large companies such as P&G Beauty taking the issue seriously and using their scale to drive change quickly and impactfully.”

For beauty and wellness gifts that transport you from a lockdown shower to a spa or a meadow of flowers, here are a few options that come close—at least for a few fleeting moments. In addition, many of these brands are cutting down on plastic waste, giving back to communities in need, and redefining what beauty really is all about—all good things to pass on as a gift. California beauty company All Good came out with a zero-plastic beauty kit that has all the essentials. In addition, they debuted this fall, a new line up lip and cheek tints in recyclable glass pots. The botanically derived ingredients are combined with clean mineral pigments and SPF 15 non-nano zinc–that is reef friendly–for a perfect blend of beauty and sustainability. A 100% plant-based formula and in recyclable cartons, these shampoo bars actually work. If you’ve tried washing your hair with a bar of soap, it can lead to mixed results. But a new lineup of companies such as Each & Every are producing a modern era of shampoo bars that are effective and eco-friendly. Made with no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, synthetic dyes or synthetic fragrance, each bar is sizable and will last longer than the average shampoo bottle (which is primarily water). Too many options overwhelm you at the drugstore? Are other brands too pricey? This new skincare company wants to marry vegan, clean beauty with affordability. All products are priced under $30. Founder Matthias Hug put them to the test, seeing how this simplified beauty regime would deal with adult acne. It worked — just as well as pricier options on the market. Made with vegan botanicals and free of potentially irritating ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and artificial fragrances, Fluer & Bee products are manufactured in a lab that runs on 100% wind energy and the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2021. In addition, they donate 1% of all sales to Days for Girls, a nonprofit women's empowerment organization that distributes menstrual hygiene products to girls in need who would otherwise miss school. A clean beauty brand for the makeup and skincare lover. The Sunset Kit has some of the Ilia’s best offerings in a curated selection — and ready for travel (in a post COVID world). Set includes two full-sized clean favorites and two minis; an idea way to dip into the world of clean beauty. Ilia already uses recycled aluminum, glass, and responsibly-sourced paper, and is pushing for better packaging materials for the beauty industry. As one of the early adopters of clean beauty, founder Sasha Plavsic has been on a decade-long journey, passionate about fusing skincare with modern-day cosmetics in an eco-friendly manner. For dry cold windy days, shea butter is a thick, emollient cream with an endless list of uses and cherished in West Africa where it stems from. This one, by Ten Thousand Villages, celebrates the shea butter’s native roots in Ghana where its hand-harvested from shea trees and thoughtfully packaged in a ceramic container, decorated with recycled glass beads made by local artisans. Tea tree and lemon-scented, this versatile cream can be applied to dry, flaky problems or rubbed into your legs and arms after a shower for smooth limbs all winter long. Kylie Antolini, proprietor and founder of Wildwood Candle Co., is an avid trail runner, Portland resident, and candle-obsessed connoisseur. She brings all three together with Wildwood Candle Co., named after the trails in Forest Park, a municipal park with over 70 miles of single track trails to explore, in Portland, Oregon. It is her goal to be able to give back by donating at least 5% of profits to the Forest Park Conservancy. The Forest Park Conservancy plays the most important role in maintaining the ecological health and soft surface trails of the park. Each scent represents the names of trails that connect to Wildwood, or are an attraction within the Forest Park acreage. If you cannot get outside this holiday season, you can at least take in the scents of the Pacific Northwest with its crisp winter air, and the smell of freshly fallen fir needles. If you have a friend that is a scent-lover and fragrance nut, send her this sampler kit by Zents featuring their entire range (and maybe a gift card so she can get a full-size bottle of her favorite?). Inspired by the his travels to India after a car accident that left him in pain and injured, Cord Coen learned ancient healing practices, which included the power of fragrance. Given Coen’s experience in India, Zents mixes beauty with service and is committed to paying it forward. The company curates seva (selfless service in Hindi) to support a host of organizations: to increase access to healthcare through Project C.U.R.E; to teach mindfulness through the David Lynch Foundation; to care for the environment through IDE; to support the arts through Playing for Change; to protect the animals through Animal Welfare Institute; and lastly, to integrate eastern healing techniques with western medicine, The Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT) Program by Urban Zen Foundation Instagram favorite brand Saie (pronounced as “say”) has brought together beauty industry executives to create a clean beauty brand that’s affordable. If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, their moisturizing balm is a favorite, leaving you with a universal pink tint that can polish off any natural look. Their packaging is made with recycled plastic, and is recyclable — yes, we know the challenges with recycling. So Saie has partnered with TerraCycle to get back empty tubes at their end of life: when you’re finished with the product, send them an email. They’ll mail you a shipping label to recycle the materials properly. And the company is working on improving this process further. Created by co-founder and CEO of Bluemercury Marla Beck, who looks after the growing network of Bluemercury stores around the country, which specialize in clean beauty and wellness, Lune+Aster is their in-house brand. With vitamin-infused, paraben-free formulas, the brand describes its collection as “minimal effort, maximum impact makeup.” The Golden Hour palette brings everyday nudes, pinks, and peachy tones together for a versatile set that will suit a variety of skin colors. Classic, long-lasting, and an elegant palette that any lady would love to add to her collection. It’s almost been a decade since founders Alexander Kummerow and Julia Wills started concocting natural skincare solutions in their Seattle kitchen and posting them on Etsy as a small business. As the years have progressed, their formulations have improved resulting in a crowd-favorite, the Pink Cloud Cleanser, which removes makeup, cleanses the skin, but is also low-foaming, non-stripping, and has a heavenly scent. It’s 30 seconds of luxury to start or end your day. Packed in a glass bottle, it’s a beautiful addition to your bathroom countertop as well. If you’re looking to clean up your nail care routine, Cote nail polishes are made without the five major nail polish toxins. They come in nuanced shades of nudes, pinks, corals, and reds. Until manicures at the local salon become a regular treat, these little nail polishes will keep you feeling feminine and refined. Pair with base and top coat to give them longer staying power. Cote also recycles all its used polish bottles, and 0ffers customers 10 percent off your next Cote polish purchase by bringing any used bottle of polish into the shop. Working in conjunction with an environmental services company that provides recycling management services specific to nail polish, Cote repurposes the polishes used in their retail locations. Thought a bit more on the pricey side, Organic Pharmacy is one of the UK’s most well-known clean beauty brands, started 18 years ago. This Hero Skin Care kit brings together all their best-selling products into a luxurious gift. This holiday season they’re also partnering with the Prince’s Trust, which has an initiative titled Women Supporting Women, in an effort to create a stronger community and better resources for vulnerable women in the UK. In 2020 and 2021, 10% of profits will go to this initiative. These artfully-designed clay stones will make you feel like you’re at a spa. Made to help with exfoliation and circulate blood flow, they’re a meditative way to spend a few extra minutes in the shower each week. If COVID has left you missing the occasional indulgence of a spa, these beautiful creations will transport you and leave you feeling smooth and refreshed. The skin-smoothing stones are artisan-made in the South of France and come in two sizes for face and body.

Bausch + Lomb’s exclusive ONE by ONE Recycling program has recycled nearly 27 million used contact lenses, top foils and blister packs since launching in November 2016. The program, made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, has diverted more than 162,000 pounds of contact lens waste from oceans, lakes, streams and landfills.   “As a leader in the eye health industry and the originator of the first soft contact lens, we are proud to provide the ONE by ONE Recycling program to contact lens wearers to help prevent these used materials from ending up in our environment,” says John Ferris, general manager, U.S. Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb. “In addition, as part of our overall approach to sustainability, we continually evaluate the full life cycle of our lenses. In fact, many of our contact lenses, including Biotrue ONEday daily disposables, are manufactured in facilities that have adopted zero-waste-to-landfill initiatives and have achieved diversion rates of 94 to 99 percent during the past few years, further supporting our longstanding commitment to doing all we can to lessen our company’s overall environmental footprint.”   Today, more than 5,500 optometry practices are registered with the ONE by ONE Recycling program. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these offices, which collects the used lens materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the bin is filled, the optometry practice will ship the materials to TerraCycle for proper recycling using a prepaid shipping label.   For every 10 pounds of material received from the ONE by ONE Recycling Program, TerraCycle donates $10 to Optometry Giving Sight, an organization that funds programs that provide eye examinations and low-cost eyeglasses to people in need, including tens of millions of children with uncorrected myopia.   In 2019, Bausch + Lomb took the program one step further by repurposing the recycled waste and combining it with other recycled material to create custom training modules that were donated to the Guide Dog Foundation, a national not-for-profit that trains guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The modules, which included benches, tables, waste stations and an agility ramp, are used to train the dogs and to further enhance the organization’s Smithtown, N.Y., campus for those who visit.   To register and learn more about the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program, visit www.bauschrecycles.com or speak to a Bausch + Lomb sales representative.

–Andrew Karp

 

Procter & Gamble is among investors in round to fund Loop.