Every choice you make impacts your surroundings directly or indirectly. This can eventually make or break the environment in the long run. These choices include the products you buy and the food you consume.
However, the environmental impact is not limited to a human’s way of life. How you keep your pets or the products you use for them also plays a role in the sustainable development of the environment.
Using pet toys, litter, or bags, which are not environment-friendly increases your pet’s carbon footprint or paw print to a large extent. Roughly 100+ million tonnes of greenhouse gas are emitted during production of pet food annually.
Therefore, if you want to save the environment, you need to look at your cat or dog’s products. Below are the eight best toys, essentials, and treats for your furry friend to help them go green.
1. Eco Pet Beds
Your pet needs a good sleep at any given time. Therefore, sustainable pet beds are essential in the list of environmentally friendly pet products your pet deserves.
You can purchase beds made of natural fibers, and painted with sustainable dyes. These beds are filled with recycled plastic, reducing the earth’s plastic load.
You can also find sheep wool-made beds that your cat will love sleeping on. A wide range of prints are easily available.
2. Sustainable Pet Food
A major contributor to your pet’s carbon paw print is their diet. Opt for sustainable, eco-friendly pet foods and snacks to feed them through the day.
These foods are free of chemicals and loaded with healthy ingredients. Moreover, any sustainable food will be packed with zero or minimal waste. You can check the following brands for delicious, sustainable treats:
- Petaluma sources its ingredients from local farms. You can find meat-free dog food, cooked in solar-powered plants and packed in biodegradable bags.
- Chippin is another pet food brand that produces eco-friendly products that include silver carp, spirulina, crickets, flaxseed, kale, blueberry, and banana for a healthy treat.
- The Honest Kitchen serves GMO and chemical-preservative-free food for pets.
- Jiminy’s is another brand that uses crickets as a protein source. You can find treats in different flavors such as carrot and pea, sweet potato, and pumpkin.
3. Green Pet Toys
Pet toys are rapidly shredded and torn apart by your pet’s teeth and claws and are needed in large quantities throughout their lifetime. Such a high number of plastic-based non-biodegradable toys have a significant impact on the environment.
Moreover, such products contain a lot of toxins, which can be ingested by your pet and prove harmful. Therefore, switching to sustainable toys is suitable for both your furry friends and the environment.
You can buy eco-friendly pet products, such as West Paw’s non-toxic chew toys and frisbees made from recycled plastic. You can find several eco-friendly pet toys in the market, ranging from natural rubber chew toys to recycled polyester plushies.
Sustainable chew toys are also made from hemp, repurposed fire hoses, recycled t-shirt cotton yarn, lambswool, and organic cotton. A rope toy is one of the longest-lasting chew toys, later acting as a flossing tool once they start unraveling.
Aside from dog toys, you can find sustainable cork ball toys for your cat. These eco-friendly and bio-degradable balls are made using the bark of old trees. The toys are painted using vegan, eco-friendly paints, giving the balls a fun look.
4. Eco-friendly Poop Bags
If you take a plastic doggy bag with you on every walk, you are generously donating to the carbon paw print of your pet. While you are responsible for picking up your pet’s poop, the plastic you use is harmful to the environment.
Therefore, compostable poop bags made from plant-based materials or cornstarch are suggested. Several companies are now selling biodegradable and recyclable trash bags that can be a good replacement for plastic doggy bags.
You can also find sturdy bags made from recycled paper for the same purpose. If not, you can also use old newspapers to scoop up the poop and flush it off once you reach home.
Any of these options is a better alternative to using plastic bags daily that are piling up in landfills.
5. Biodegradable Cat Litter
If you are a cat owner, you need to find sustainable cat litter options to help decrease your feline’s carbon print. There are various biodegradable cat litter options made of grass, wood, corn, tofu, and other natural materials available in the market.
Read the instructions on each kind of litter and dispose of/decompose them properly. Using cat litter made of otherwise waste material, such as inedible walnut shells helps reuse waste and keeps your house fresh smelling.
6. Eco-friendly Pet Collars And Leashes
The one accessory your furry pets might always carry is their collars. What if you were told that you can contribute to a sustainable environment while keeping up your pet’s fashion statement?
Various brands in the market are now producing eco-friendly and sustainable collars and leashes for your pet. These may be made of bamboo, hemp, cork, and cotton.
The sustainable hemp collars and leashes have the added advantage of antibacterial properties, helping protect your pup. These collars come in a variety of colors and designs, with some companies offering personalization as well.
Besides these, you can also find upcycled collars made from rubber fire hoses which are highly durable. You can also find kitty collars made from a blend of hemp and organic cotton muslin that is both soft and antimicrobial.
7. Sustainable Pet Bowls
While plastic pet bowls may come in several different attractive shapes and colors, they can be easily breakable and harmful to the environment. On the other hand, sustainable bowls made of stainless steel, ceramic, rubber, or bamboo are more durable and don’t impact the environment negatively.
Therefore, switching to environment-friendly and non-toxic, BPA-free products that will not harm your pet’s health is warranted. These bowls come in a variety of colors as well and are a great addition to your zero-waste pet care routine.
8. Eco-friendly Pet Grooming Tools
Your pets require daily grooming, for which you might have a lot of tools in the store. Switching to eco-friendly grooming tools will help lower plastic use. These tools include bamboo-made brushes with plant-based bristles that are good for your pet’s coat.
You can also find soap bars for your pet to replace plastic shampoo bottles. Moreover, most of these products are made of naturally sourced materials better suited for your pet’s hair and skin.
Conclusion
Eco-friendly products are good for the environment and safer for your furry friends. From biodegradable cat litter, and plastic-free toys, to sustainable food options, there are a variety of environmentally-safe pet products available in the market today.
Becoming conscious of your choices and switching to sustainable products over time will help your pet become zero waste. Such a shift is essential for the overall good of the environment, and thus every living being within it.
