Stephanie CooksonMany home and kitchen products reach the end of their lifespan quickly, leaving behind plastic that doesn’t biodegrade and requires repurchasing often. Switching to longer lasting, sustainably and locally sourced, low-waste options can go a long way to saving you money and lessening your impact on the earth over time.
Reducing waste and being kinder to the environment while taking care of household tasks without breaking the bank can feel overwhelming. However, South African businesses have risen to the challenge by creating affordable and sustainable products. They also pride themselves on using local labour and raw materials with little to no plastic waste.
Here are three local businesses whose products will help you spruce up your home in a sustainable way this spring:
spaZa
Derived from the local term ‘spaza shop,’ spaZa is a South African grown business mostly run from home. A team of South African women owns and operates spaZa, creating practical and beautiful household products. These are also made using natural, sustainable, raw, and locally available materials.
The award-winning business was founded by Julia Schaffer. It has been making functional and eco-friendly items for nearly 10 years. Their products are inspired by the need to reduce single-use plastics and be kind to the earth while making “chores feel better.”
Our favourite product from spaZa is the Tawashi Scrub, an eco-friendly alternative to sponges.
Canettevallei
Based a few minutes outside Stellenbosch, this wine and lavender farm grows lavender organically and makes one-of-a-kind, fresh products. Their all-natural creations are perfect for gifts and weddings, with a range of lavender products. They range from essential oil and lavender rice to lavender honey and dried lavender flowers. Products are crafted on the farm and handmade by local workers.
As spring has officially sprung, lavender picking is available at Canettevallei until the end of September. The farm provides scissors and a measuring tape for you to spend the day walking through their fragrant, purple fields.
Our favorite Canettevallei product is vegan dishwashing and laundry soap bars made with all-natural ingredients and skipping out on the plastic packaging and chemicals common with detergents.
SimplyBee
SimplyBee prides itself on producing all-natural, handmade products for body and home care. Located in Hopefield, a town north of Cape Town, SimplyBee’s creators set out on their mission to cultivate awareness of the health benefits of beeswax-based products and support the conservation of bees.
With their own beehives and a passion for responsible beekeeping, SimplyBee now has over 450 stockists in SA. SimplyBee also makes it a priority to support local and buys many ingredients from South African companies. Due to popularity, they blossomed from only 5 products to over 120, many of which are available online.
We love SimplyBee’s reusable beeswax wraps, an alternative to cling wrap and tinfoil. These wraps you money and keep waste out of landfills while looking prettier than their single-use alternatives.
SEE MORE: Tips to make your garden more sustainable
