Share your articles with us and get published! Reach out at hello@friendlyturtle.com.
The Ultimate Sustainable Travel Toiletries Guide For 2021
Heading out on vacation this summer? You may be wondering what the best way to go about packing sustainable travel toiletries is.
Worry not, we’ve got the ultimate sustainable travel toiletries guide ready in time for summer to help give you some ideas and inspiration. If you’ve got some of your own personal tips and tricks that you’d like to share with others, like learning a few eco-friendly words in the local language, we’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Repurpose containers for your liquid products
Rather than taking a whole bottle of lotion, shampoo or mouthwash with you, repurpose some old containers such as small jars, liquor sample bottles or old face cream containers to pack small for your journey. It’s as easy as transferring as much product as you’ll need into the container and leaving the rest at home.
That way, you can avoid having to buy anything you don’t already own for your toiletry bag whilst also finding a new use for items that you might have thrown straight into the rubbish bin...the ultimate sustainable travel toiletries!
Choose solid alternatives
One of the biggest issues most people face when packing their sustainable travel toiletries is that 100ml limit on liquids. Thankfully, there are some great sustainable and equally practical solutions – toiletries in solid form. This way, you will not have to worry about liquids in your carry-on at all and you’ll be able to get through security much faster.
Instead of regular toothpaste, pack some toothpaste tablets. Rather than in plastic, they come packaged in glass, cardboard or metal and when you’re on the go, it’s very easy to pack only as many tablets as you need for your journey. Besides being eco-friendly, these can significantly downsize your carry-on toiletry bag as well.
Another great product for flying are Beauty Kubes – small, individual shampoo cubes which can also be used as a body wash. Similarly to toothpaste tablets, you’ll only need to take as many as you’ll use on your eco-friendly travel adventure, which makes everything a whole lot easier.
Aside from these two products and similar alternatives which make it easy to take only what you need with you, any solid product – such as natural soap bars, plastic free shampoo bars, soap on a rope or lotion bars – will make your eco-friendly travel a whole lot less stressful.
If space is a concern, you can cut off a piece of these larger bars to take with you while travelling, so that you don’t have to take the whole product with you. While you can’t exactly do this with products such as toothpaste, it’s a great hack to use for some other sustainable travel toiletries.
Pack together and share
Unless you’re travelling solo, you’ll want to avoid packing the same toiletries as the friends or family members travelling with you – you can always share! If you’re buying any new products for the journey, pick neutral scents anyone may enjoy and share them with each other.
Why would you each bring your own bag of toiletries, when one to share can take care of most of your hygiene needs while travelling? Just make sure you’re not sharing a toothbrush!
Don’t forget some natural deodorant
If you’re getting on your eco-friendly travel adventures or if you’re heading somewhere warm, don’t forget some natural deodorant! You wouldn’t want to get to your destination and have to buy conventional deodorant full of harmful ingredients, especially if you’re already used to natural cosmetics.
Natural deodorant comes in solid form, which makes it one of the easiest sustainable travel toiletries to pack! Pick your favourite scent or give an unscented crystal deodorant a try. You'll also be avoiding all of the harmful ingredients in conventional anti-persperents as well!
Don’t forget to tan safely
Whether you’re heading to the tropics or somewhere chilly, you’ll likely be spending a lot of time outdoors. Don’t forget to pack some zero waste, plastic free sunscreen to protect your skin. Even if you’re not laying on a beach towel in a swimsuit, your skin needs some sustainable sunscreen to stay protected from the UV rays!
However, if you are tanning at the beach and heading for a swim, there’s another consideration you’ll want to pay close attention to – the ingredients in your sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen that is reef-safe, which typically means that it does not contain oxybenzone and octinoxate – two chemicals shown to be responsible for coral bleaching.
Just a word of caution before you make the purchase. The term reef-safe isn’t regulated and enforced by any organisation, which means that brands can use it freely, without supporting this claim. Thankfully, checking if a sunscreen is really free of these two chemicals is as easy as reading the ingredient list once you know what to look for!
|
Posted on June 07 2021
0 comments
Let customers speak for us
Blog posts
Posted on August 13 2026
Mindful gifting is about choosing presents with purpose, considering what the recipient will genuinely use and reducing unnecessary waste along the way. In this Friendly Turtle EcoBlog guide, we explore how thoughtful choices around local sellers, useful gifts and low-waste wrapping can make celebrations more meaningful without creating excess clutter or packaging. Sustainable gifting does not mean searching for a product with the perfect green label. Instead, it means considering where an item comes from, how much is really needed, whether it suits the recipient’s lifestyle and what will happen to the product and packaging afterwards. From choosing seasonal flowers and appropriately sized food gifts to reusing wrapping paper, boxes and fabric already at home, small decisions can reduce environmental impact. We also examine why buying locally is not automatically sustainable, how to look beyond vague environmental claims and why fewer, carefully selected gifts can offer more value than oversized hampers or novelty products. Experiences can be thoughtful alternatives too, provided they are accessible, flexible and likely to be used. By prioritising usefulness, appropriate quantities, responsible sourcing and simple presentation, mindful gifting can support more conscious consumption while keeping special occasions personal, practical and enjoyable.
Posted on August 12 2026
Sustainable commercial buildings need more than impressive green features at launch. Solar panels, efficient lighting, passive ventilation and green certifications can all support better performance, but long-term sustainability depends on what happens after construction is complete. In this Friendly Turtle EcoBlog guide, we explore why operational management, embodied carbon, maintenance, tenant behaviour and accountability are just as important as architectural design. Energy-efficient systems only deliver lasting value when they are monitored, recalibrated and maintained properly, while materials such as concrete, steel and glass must be considered through their full lifecycle. Clear responsibilities between developers, building managers, tenants and investors can also help ensure that environmental targets remain practical and measurable over time. From reducing energy and water use to improving retrofit planning, material choices and long-term resilience, sustainable commercial buildings perform best when design, construction and everyday operation work together. True green development is not a one-off certification or marketing claim; it is an ongoing commitment to lower carbon impact, efficient resource use and continuous improvement throughout the life of the building.
