Have an Egg-Stra special eco-friendly

AN ESTIMATED 80 million chocolate Easter eggs are sold annually in the UK. According to the Retail Data Partnership, Cadbury has a 20% share of the country’s confectionary market at Easter, with the other nine best selling brands being (in order) Nestle, Haribo, Wrigley’s, Galaxy, Kinder, Maltesers, Maynards Bassetts, Swizzels, and M&M’s.

No surprises there perhaps.

And sadly, no brands known for their ecofriendly or ethical credentials make the list. Luckily, we’ve made you one below…

While some of the leading brands have recently re-thought their packaging, including seeking to reduce or eliminate their use of plastic, as we always say at Plastic Free Home, what’s on the inside counts too.

Don’t forget to look at the company making the product and it’s ethical and sustainability credentials, the ingredients used and the supply chain involved.

As a general rule of thumb, is something seems comparatively cheap, somebody is being squeezed somewhere along the line.

When buying Easter eggs, look at whether a product is Fairtrade (or similarly accredited), to help ensure that the chocolate has been ethically grown and sourced, with workers’ rights and pay better protected as part of the supply chain.

You may also want to consider whether your Easter eggs are organic, vegan, dairy free or palm oil free, depending on your personal preferences, and, of course, plastic-free.

So, the best bit…

Our top five recommendations when it comes to eco-friendly Easter eggs are: Divine Easter

Egg, Montezuma’s Organic Easter Egg, Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolate Eggs, Traidcraft The Real Easter Egg, and Moo Free Easter Egg.

These brands are widely available online, at certain major supermarkets or, better still, often found in zero waste shops and ethical retailers.

And, it goes without saying, if you can avoid all of the gimmicks at Easter time, from fancy dress kids will wear once to baskets, bonnets and toys.

Created in 2018 by blogger and voluntary hack David Lamont, Plastic Free Home is an online community with more than 32,000 followers that aims to seek and share ideas on how we can all live more sustainably. Visit www. theplasticfreehome.com or www.facebook.com/ plasticfreehomeuk