PATCH Strips: Your Eco-friendly Alternative To Plasters + Bandaids
I'm not the most graceful person you've ever met. I'm tall; I have long limbs with a mind of their own. This, matched with my love for the outdoors and exploring, makes for bumps and bruises constantly popping up on my body, with no real explanation for how they got there. I would have made a terrible ballet dancer. Thanks Mum for picking up on that early and not forcing me through lessons.
All things considered, plasters are a crucial part of the 'girl-scout-kit' I carry in my handbag (I'm that person who carries EVERYTHING, just in case someone, even strangers, needs something). But during Plastic Free July, I became stumped when I cut my leg and reached for a plaster.
Reducing my waste is important to me, but compromising on health is not something I'm interested in when it comes to eco-swaps. Rubbing a bit of dirt in it is not always the best option for our bodies, even though it may be the best for the planet.
That's why I'm THRILLED to have discovered and partnered with PATCH strips.
PATCH have crafted an organic, bamboo fibre based plaster, infused with activated charcoal, aloe vera, and coconut oil. They have a lot of freaking GREAT aspects about them; they've thought of it all.
- Organic ingredients
- Australian owned and operated (let's keep this local, hey)
- Biodegradable... they can break down in your home compost! (I'll be testing this myself soon, but check out their breakdown video on the homepage)
- Cruelty free + vegan friendly
- Certified organic bamboo
- Free from: plastic, silicon, latex, and parabens
- Sustainably sourced
NOTE: The strip itself and the backing paper is home compostable, but the sterile case needs to go in your soft plastic recycling. The paper tube is also recyclable, but really handy for storage/re-purposing too. Sterility is important for medial products, and this is the best possible solution at this time. When shipped, the strips come in a cardboard box, with wooden shavings for cushioning- no plastic.
PATCH was born out of James Dutton's mission to protect his son's adventure wounds. You know when you apply a plaster, and it simply makes the issue worse? I know far too many people who are allergic to them, and come out with big rashes around the wound as a reaction from the latex and chemicals. James didn't want to keep making his son's wounds worse, so he set about to create an alternative (I love a good problem solving successful brand story!).
The PATCH Range:
- Natural strips
- Coconut Oil Kids Strips (they have cute pandas on them... so I'm definitely not just using them for kids)
- Aloe Vera Strips
- Activated Charcoal Strips
Bamboo:
I know what you're thinking: 'but isn't bamboo frowned upon in the eco-world? How sustainable is it really?' Bamboo is a fast growing and renewable resource. But, you're right: it can be harvested and produced into materials in a way that negatively impacts the environment.
PATCH have thought about this too.
PATCH create their bamboo strips through a Lyocell production process. Lyocell is defined as a cellulose fibre made by an organic solvent spinning process. The compounds used are non-toxic, much safer for humans, and 99.5% of them are kept in a closed loop cycle. A closed loop system means the elements are continuously recycled, and not released into the environment.
Social Impact
The team at PATCH are working to spread their product around the globe, and have been able to make positive impact in places in need. PATCH support local communities in East Timor by providing them with their natural strips. They also work with Sea Shepherd to provide strips across 9 ships, and support children across Haiti with sterile medical resources.
PATCH strips have made me excited for the future. Medial products can be particularly hard to produce in an eco-friendly way, due to regulations around sterility. PATCH have worked through these battles and come up with the best possible solution.
I'll be bringing these with me whenever I need a blood test, and my little nieces won't know what's hit them when I whip out panda plasters for their adventure wounds!
Shop the PATCH range here.
As a rule, I only work with brands I love, use, and can whole heartedly back. This is a sponsored blog (I can't pay my electricity bill with free natural beauty products), but 100% my own words, photos, and opinion. Thanks to my brother, Isaac, for snapping a few of these pics, and his girlfriend for being an awesome sport and featuring in the main photo.