Our take on the true definition of eco friendly party supplies

On a recent visit to our local Spotlight store we came across some Disney-themed plates, cups and cutlery.

They were made from cheap plastic but to our surprise they were labelled "eco friendly". To justify their "eco friendly" claim, written next to those words, were "reusable". 

We scoffed at this claim and a recent post on our Facebook Page found we were not alone in our rolling of the eyes.

Unfortunately though, as we have  found through the creation of Eco Party Box, these types of "eco friendly" claims are not uncommon. 

Many paper plate suppliers are often caught short. Did you know that the majority of paper party plates are coated with a thin layer of wax or plastic to make them more resistant to wetness so they won’t go soggy with tomato sauce? This also helps to preserve the images printed in ink on the paper.

Just recently we got in touch with another party supply company overseas to see if we could stock their products, as it has been difficult to source these types of party products in Australia. 

We were interested to know what their "felt" party hats and party bags were made from. 

Unfortunately the "felt" was actually polyester felt but still carried the claim of "eco friendly" despite being made with a non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetic fabric. 

Pure wool felt is the better eco choice as it is biodegradble and uses no petroluem in its manufacturing.

But their justification again was it could be reused or regifted - thus making it "eco friendly" too.

We agree that re-using a non-biodegradable product is eco friendly, but only if it has already been made previous to being a party product or if it is recycling old landfill-destined non-biodegradable materials (like the plastic bottles used in the creation of eco-fi material). 

It is our opinion that a product that is made from new non-biodegradable material - like plastic or polyester - is never going to be eco friendly due to the fact they are petroluem-based and will end up in landfill one day. 

It's better than buying the cheap non-biodegradable "ready to be thrown out after a single use" products but at the end of its life, when its broken, its colours are faded or it's out of shape, it will find its place in landfill - which is where all other non-eco disposable party supplies end up. 

So if you are considering an eco party take your time to find the products that give the term "eco friendly" more justice, rather than just being reusable.

Find out if it is made locally, if its not find out if it could be; is it a fairly traded product, what is it made from?, does it require a large manufacturing process? does it comply with eco friendly standards and practices?

Is it made from GM-free crops?; does it have the Sustainable Forestry Initiative label (SFI) or other renewable plantation assurances if it is made of wood?

We believe true eco party supplies are simple, wholesome, natural and beautiful - and an eco party is about celebrating these attributes rather than adding to landfill and consuming more earth-damaging or non-renewable resources.

Our goal is to provide our customers with healthy biodegradable party products as well as sharing ideas on how to reuse household products, how to utilise nature's gifts and use online resources which are free and don't waste the earth's riches.