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What is Green Cleaning? 

Have you been thinking about green cleaning, but aren’t sure what it is or why it’s better than conventional cleaning?

Green cleaning can also mean using refillable cleaning products like reusable glass spray bottles and multipurpose cleaning concentrates. Or cleaning with biodegradable and zero waste cleaning tools. All of these are great examples of what green cleaning is. 

Eco-friendly cleaning tools are part of green-cleaning too! They save time, money and the environment.

Sustainable Scrub Brushes: 

Whether you are scrubbing the kitchen sink or pots and pans from supper opt for scrub brushes made with compostable materials like bamboo, coconut, wood, palm fibers. 

Organic Dish Cloths and Towels: 

While we talked about cleaning with old rags it’s nice to have a handful of new organic dishcloths and towels. These are super absorbent and made with unbleached organic cotton. 

Reusable Spray Bottles:

Cleaning never looked so beautiful than with reusable spray bottles, these are a green cleaning tool you’ll love buying. 

While green cleaning can have a lot of meanings, for me the most benefits are reducing waste

2022 is a crucial year to protect the fragile planet we are living on and if we can adapt to live more sustainably day to day, this will make a huge difference.

Here are some realistic changes you can make in your life, to help make 2022 the greenest year yet.

1. Attempt to go plastic-free

Plastic is so last year. Each year around 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean. Middle East is responsible for one fifth of plastic production but in 2016 only 30 per cent of plastic waste was recovered.

With more and more plastic-free alternatives popping up on the market, you are blessed with a multitude of choices when switching out your products.

Shop from Shifteco for safer alternatives

2. Use a reusable water bottle

You’ve probably heard this before. But plastic bottles are still being sold in shops, with 46 billion of them bought in the Middle East each year.

2022 is the year we should try to reduce that number significantly. With so many funky alternatives to choose from on the market, you can be sure to look cool and help the environment at the same time.

Try the one from ReThynk

3. Shower less

You may love a long, indulgent shower in the morning, but did you know that the process wastes a huge amount of water?

 For example, the largest use for water in UAE households is the shower. Cutting the time you spend in the bathroom will help the environment and also save you some money.

Simply spending one less minute in the shower can help save 2,400 litres of water (which is 40 kg of CO2 per person).

If you find that time flies by when you’re having a soak, think about investing in this quirky waterpebble which can help remind you when it’s time to wrap up!

4. Shop second-hand

The fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 10 per cent of carbon emissions globally.

 And with more voices calling out the wasteful and unethical fast fashion supply chain, this is the year to try and only buy second-hand clothes.

 By choosing to shop sustainably you will help reduce waste, pollution, energy and save yourself money.

5. Fly less

We all know it: flying as usual just isn’t compatible with a secure climate. One study from Lund University found that avoiding just one transatlantic flight saves eight times more greenhouse gas emissions in a year than recycling.

Short-haul flights are problematic too, and often unnecessary with the speed of rail travel these days. Staying grounded will look different for different people, and isn’t always possible for those in remote locations, or with family half a world away.

But cutting down your aviation emissions goes a long way. You’ll discover some amazing places en route, and travel companies who share your commitment.

6. Switch to concentrates  & superconcentrates in your cleaning products by DUTYBOX.

As a sustainable brand we also support the greener lifestyle with non-toxic biodegradable cleaning products, reusable bottles and concentrated refills!

Lets make 2022 as green as possible together!

Hello GREEN Christmas Season!

 And its not only about Christmas Tree!

On a bid to be more sustainable in 2022 and worried about the impact your gifts have on the environment (or you know your loved ones will be) it can add a whole other layer of confusion to the shopping process.

Where do you even find gifts that are cool, useful and sustainable? The good news is, a green Christmas is in your future – and its easier than you might think

DUTYBOX Starter Set would be your choice Number One!

It looks amazing, makes a perfect gift to anyone and its eco-friendly!

 The small choices we make as consumers every day can make a big impact on the planet and our community.

 Supporting brands that give conscious weight to sustainability can help us meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

We’ve seen consumers face something of a dilemma during the pandemic in terms of hygiene versus the environment. Many people have shifted their habits towards safety first and foremost, such as the usage of harsher cleaning products. However, post-pandemic – we expect the environment to come back into consumer thinking at an even greater level than before and that will encourage even more growth for eco-friendly cleaning products like Dutybox.

What can Dutybox do and how we can we motivate consumers to get involved with green cleaning?

Those who are engaged with green products are looking to increase their involvement. In fact, a third of people who buy eco-friendly household care products increased the number they bought in the last six months. This underlines the growth we’ve seen in terms of sales for eco-friendly products

More than ever, consumers recognize that they themselves can make a difference to the future of the planet and are really showing the intent to do so. If we can make it easier for consumers to act on that intent, then we will continue to see significant growth in the coming years.

Dutybox focuses not just on the concentrated refills and cutting on highlighting the importance of the impact it has on cutting down energy consumption and emissions from manufacturing and shipping products around. Up to 90% of cleaning products is water, so concentrated refills can create a vast reduction in terms of weight and bulk.

Retailers like Spinneys are exploring in-store refill stations for eco brands, so these products are going to gain even more attention and awareness as people explore the cleaning aisles.

The barriers to eco-friendly products have typically been perceived efficacy and cost. These two barriers are slowly coming down, which is helping to aid growth of the green market.

Eventually, we will see a convergence between traditional and green to the point where all products have to be considered to do better for the planet to be successful.

DutyBox makes bold statements about sustainability and zero waste practices. We promise that using our product you’ll drastically reduce plastic waste and contribute to global environment.

However, our bottles still come made of plastic. Let’s make it clear here.

Eco geeks believe that using glass, paper and other natural materials is so much better for the environment

Yes, our bottles are made of plastic and not from glass for a few reasons.

Plastic tends to get a really bad rep from environmentalists – that’s got a lot to do with the fact only 9 percent of it is recycled. That said, there’s so much more to think about in terms of what goes into manufacturing and recycling both glass and plastic, not to mention its afterlife. Which is truly the eco-friendliest choice when you get down to it, glass or plastic? Well, perhaps the answer isn’t as clear cut as you may think.

It’s important to note that glass is endlessly recyclable, back to its original use.

It never loses its quality and purity, no matter how many times it’s recycled…. but is it actually being recycled?

Problems with glass:

1. First up, making new glass requires sand.

While we have tons of sand on beaches, deserts and under the ocean, we’re using it faster than the planet can replenish it. We use sand more than we use oil, and only a specific kind of sand can be used to get the job done (no, desert sand can’t be used).  Mostly, sand is harvested from riverbeds and sea beds. Taking sand out of the natural environment also disrupts the ecosystem, considering microorganisms live on it which feed the base of the food chain.  Removing sand from the seabed leaves shore communities open to flooding and erosion.

2. Glass is heavier than plastic and breaks much easier during transit. This means it produces more emissions in transportation than plastic, and costs more to transport.

3. Yet another thing to consider is most glass isn’t actually recycled. In fact, only 33 percent of waste glass is recycled. When you consider 1 million metric tons of glass is disposed of every year in UAE, that’s not a very high recycling rate.

There are many reasons glass recycling is so low:

• Glass put into the recycling bin is used as a cheap landfill cover to keep costs low:

• Consumers participating in “wish-cycling” where they toss non-recyclables into the recycling bin and contaminate the entire bin.

• Colored glass can only be recycled and melted down with like-colors.

• Windows and Pyrex bakeware are not recyclable because of the way it’s manufactured to withstand high temperatures.

4. Last but not least, glass takes one million years to decompose in the environment, perhaps even more in a landfill.

In total, that’s about four major problems with glass that impact the environment.

From bathroom cleaner to laundry detergent to hand soap, pretty much any personal care or home cleaning product you purchase contains a secret ingredient you have no idea you’re paying for: water. In fact, most commercial cleaning products contain a whopping 90 to 95 percent water. So when you pick up a new floor cleaner, you’re basically just paying for a plastic bottle (which you already have), water (which probably comes out of your tap), and a teeny-tiny amount of actual ingredients.

With a goal of correcting that imbalance, reducing the environmental impact of personal care and cleaning products, and offering non-toxic alternatives, DutyBox have emerged in recent years with a creative solution.

The Concept combines making non-toxic formulas; using reduced-plastic packaging; and creating sustainably packaged, concentrated cleaning refill capsules.

Moreover, Dutybox is changing the way conscious consumers clean their homes, and the future of the cleaning product industry.

And that — the fact that refillable systems can help not only the environment but also the customers save money — as the y pay only for the actual ingredients

If you choose between the businesses that are doing their best to be sustainable, as opposed to whatever random brand you find in the store who’s doing virtually nothing to lower its impact, why wouldn’t you?