Is it possible to have a sustainable Halloween?
Let’s first talk about sustainability.
Sustainability does not necessarily mean being 100% zero-waste. Instead, it means that each of us makes conscious efforts in our daily lives to reduce our consumption and overall footprint. Since we all have different lifestyles, the practice of sustainability varies from person to person. Some might make small changes as they see fit, while some completely change their entire lifestyle to focus solely on zero waste.
How do we put this into practice during a time of considerable consumption, like Halloween? Does it mean we can’t give out candy and must choose something reusable instead or not give anything out because waste is waste? Does it mean we can’t put out decorations or wear costumes? Again, sustainability does not mean we have to change our lifestyle completely. Read below for some of our top tips on making your Halloween more eco-friendly.
Buy Nothing New: Reuse Decorations, Costumes, and Treat Bags
Simple things like reusing decorations and costumes are huge when it comes to these holidays, in which there are new décor and costumes to buy every year. If you don’t want to reuse costumes, there are always ways to make them out of household items; it just requires a bit of creativity, and the same goes for decorations. Can you find items around your home, yard, at a friend’s house, or at a thrift store that you can make into a costume? We are lucky we have Pinterest and other platforms that provide endless DIY ideas!
Need something to hold your treats? How about a pillowcase, cloth tote bag, or a bucket you already have on hand.
Use natural decor as much as possible – things like real pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, etc. are edible or at least compostable when you’re done using them for decorating.
Sustainable Halloween Candy
What about candy? We can do our research on candy brands and be smart consumers.
If you have the means, you could purchase sustainably made and ethically sourced candy. Some brands include UNREAL, YumEarth, Alter Eco, and more! When buying chocolate, stick to brands with Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance labels.
A decent number of candies use sustainable and low-waste or zero-waste packaging.
A few of the typical pharmacy candies come in cardboard boxes:
- Nerds
- Milk Duds
- Dots
- Mike and Ike
- Lemonheads
- Junior Mints
- Hot Tamales
If you’re looking for individually wrapped candy, you could always go with Hersey Kisses or anything else wrapped in foil that could be recycled.
Palm Oil and Sustainability
Palm oil is another critical point of sustainability regarding candy. Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), which grows in the tropics. Palm oil is present in many everyday items, from cosmetics like lipsticks and soaps to food like pizza and chocolate. According to FAO, palm oil accounts for 5% of tropical and 2.3% of global deforestation. It is estimated that palm oil destroyed between 3,459,475 and 4,447,896 acres of land from 1990 to 2008, and it is still destroying land as we continue to produce and consume it. Because it is so prevalent in chocolate, it’s widely used in candy. Thankfully, as this issue becomes more widely known, candy brands are stepping back from using palm oil. Below are a handful of candies and their brands that do not include palm oil. Some of these brands include “sustainable palm oil,” so use your best judgment when purchasing, but these candies claim to be PALM OIL FREE:
- Hershey’s: Hershey’s Bars: Milk chocolate, Dark chocolate, and Chocolate with Almonds. Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Nuggets, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, Jolly Ranchers. Not all Hersey bars are palm oil-free, so please check the label before buying.
- Nestle’s: 100 Grand, Raisonettes, Goobers, Sno Caps
- Wonka: Nerds Rope, Nerds, Chewy Sweetarts, Gobstoppers, Runts
- Mars: Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate M&M’s, almond M&M’s, Dark and Milk Chocolate Promises from Dove
- Dots, Brach’s Candy Corn, Red Hots, Good ‘N Plenty, Dum Dums, and Ring Pops
There are many more candies that don’t use palm oil; make sure to read the ingredients carefully. If we take the info above about sustainable packaging with our information about palm oil-free candies, we have: Nerds, Good ‘N Plenty, Red Hots, Mike’ N Ike, Hot Tamales, and more.
I hope this guide aids you in making your Halloween more sustainable and gives you some insight into the world of sustainability. There is so much more information available about sustainable Halloween candy, decorations, and costumes. As always, do your research and be an intelligent consumer. We challenge you to have a zero-waste Halloween! If you post about your sustainable Halloween on social media, please tag us! Feel free to share your sustainable Halloween tips in the comments!
Happy Halloween!
NOTE: Blue Ocean Society is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of the brands mentioned in this post.
