The Ideas Factory

What is bioplastic? We discuss the pros and cons of bioplastics, whether they are better for the environment, and the different types.

Face wipes wreak havoc on both the environment and your skin. We explain why face wipes are bad for the environment and share some eco-friendly alternatives.

We use leftover and repurposed chai tea spices in our soap bars and award-winning candle. Here we explain what chai is and the amazing health benefits of chai.

Trying to live "low waste" can be even harder with children. So we've compiled a handy blog post full of ideas on how to live eco-friendly with young children - from food to birthday parties!

There are plenty of zero waste bathroom swaps we can make using eco bathroom accessories – here are our tips for a sustainable bathroom cabinet.

It's Plastic-Free July - whoop whoop! 

We've put together a nifty set of tips to help reduce your single-use packaging materials. It may seem daunting, but remember - every little helps!

If you’re wondering how to be more eco-friendly and sustainable, you may not know where to start. Here’s our guide on how to live a greener life.

The less coffee we waste the better. Fortunately, a number of clever companies have realised the great potential in leftover grounds.

Here at UpCircle, we’re fully on board with that message, and in the spirit of innovation, have lovingly compiled a list of a few of our faves.

UpCircle is now a business deeply ingrained in the olive ecosystem! How? Because we make our Face Mask from the fine powder of discarded olive stones. 

But what is the process that makes this by-product? And how does it go (literally) from farm to face? 

Join us for a celebration of all things olive. 

With global warming and #zerowaste at the forefront of our minds in 2019, we’re all becoming increasingly aware of the environmental footprint we are leaving. 

Use our easy guide to assess the sustainability of your skincare routine with easy swaps to ensure minimum environmental impact and maximum results!

We’re here to talk food waste. A recent Evening Standard article discussed how fears of climate change are gripping Britain, with over 85% of the population worrying about how our planet is changing!

Read on for top tips to save your food from ending up in the trash - including a couple of fridge-clearing recipes!

BUSINESS PODCAST FROM GLOBAL COSMETICS NEWS

We were invited to get involved with the Global Cosmetics news podcast. And with a title like this one ☝️ we practically ran to the studio. 🏃

Click the button below to listen in full!

It’s safe to say that more often than not, the clothes that we buy should probably be costing us more. If you properly factor in staff, overheads like rent, materials and global transportation, the price of a simple sweatshirt should be (a lot) more than £10. We really need to consider the true cost of the clothes that we take for granted every day!

The rumours are true. We need to do more to minimise waste, whether that’s recycling, reusing or remaking stuff from things that already exist.

New ideas and ways of thinking are required, so we've put together a list of handy tips and tools to help you promote a circular economy, just like us. Result!

Let’s be honest, many of us don’t do as much recycling as we could do.  It's not easy to recycle, especially when we don’t see the harmful effects of it, but it’s high time we all turned a little bit more green.

So we've created a handy, go-to recycling guide to make being eco-friendly easier for everyone, including what the recycling symbols mean and some helpful hints on how to recycle smarter.

Palm oil is one of the most widely used ingredients in the world, hiding away in everything from bread to shampoo. However, its use has made the news for all the wrong reasons, leading to more and more people jumping off the palm bandwagon. 

Read on to find out why palm oil is so controversial and what alternatives are out there. 

The amount of waste being sent to landfill is pretty problematic, but there are a number of ways you can easily reduce waste and be more sustainable at home.

It can often seem as though the world's gone a bit gloomy. Oil spills, smoke-spewing factories and unbearable temperatures forcing people to stock up on suncream. 

At UpCircle we think a different future is possible, a better future. So throw open your blinds and look out. The year is 2040, it's bright outside. Welcome to another possibility. 

Microbeads, remember them? They’re those tiny dots that were all the rage a few short years ago. Open virtually any facial cleanser and there they were, glittering in the bathroom light.

Why did they become so popular though? And, more importantly, why did they fall from grace?

In this blog we look at what makes a product "organic". A word that is now often used for many skincare products.

Let's understand together what makes an organic product so important.

Kermit the frog famously once sang “it’s not easy being green” and if you were to glance on over at any newspaper lying nearby you might be tempted to agree.

But it doesn't have to be that way - thanks to these tips.

In the UpCircle Food Waste Series we chat to some of our fave zero waste pioneers: third in the series we chatted with Chloe, founder of nibs etc., who make delicious crackers from juice pulp!

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

Second in the series we chatted with food waste Snactivists.

In our food waste blog series we will catch up with some of our fave zero waste pioneers! 

First up we chatted with Hannah McCollum, the founder of ChicP.

It's no secret that an awful lot of us absolutely love drinking coffee. However, unfortunately the coffee industry isn’t as green as we’d like it to be.

Find out more about how we at UpCircle are trying to make a change!

Discover the inspirational story behind UpCircle, started by a sibling pair with no prior experience in the industry.

Read the interview as they talk about where the idea came from, how they've grown the business and their plans for the future!