Here are some commonly used terms. I will try to be as accurate as possible with the definitions I’m giving, but sometimes definitions vary between regions, field of interest etc. In that case I will give the definition that means to most to me.

Biodegradable – means the item will break down in the environment. Often though, this is not actually a good thing,  if the material used is a synthetic plastic. The term Biodegradable is often used to imply something is compostable, when in actual fact, it just means it breaks into millions of tiny pieces of plastic.

Compostable – this means the material used can break down naturally into it’s natural elements and be returned to soil, so the cycle can continue. Ideally this can be done in a home composting system, but not always necessarily.

Fairtrade – is an arrangement that allows producers in developing countries better and fairer conditions. This could involve guaranteed higher pricing, better payment conditions, improved social and environmental conditions etc. It allows consumers to select products which they know are ethically produced, without slave labour and that the producer is getting a fair price.

Microplastics – are defined as pieces of plastic that are less than 5mm in length. These are becoming an increasingly bigger problem, due to the vast amounts of plastic used in every facet of life. Also scientists are carrying out  much more research into microplastics and discovering the vast amount of damage they are causing, especially to marine ecosystems. Microbeads from showergels, microfibres fromwashing fleeces and other synthetic clothes as well as discarded plastic breaking down in sunlight are just some of the ways microplastics are created.

Sustainable – to live sustainably, means to live in a way that ensures we don’t take any more resources from earth than can be regenerated, to allow earth to survive beyond our existence for future generations. Human existance hasn’t been sustainable for a long time and will take massive worldwide cooperation and a complete change in the way we live as a society, if we are ever to achieve sustainability again.