Fashion / festival fashion
Spreading the word about eco-glitter
“I love glitter!” says Kate Senior, founder of Easton company EcoStardust. “I used to cover myself in it and throw it around like confetti at parties and festivals.”
“I threw a glitter themed birthday party and after buying kilos of glitter, I saw the ingredients on the packaging and everything changed.
“Once I realised, I was covering myself, and the world, in little bits of plastic, it took the sparkle out of it for me. I had to find an alternative and this is how EcoStardust biodegradable glitter came about.”
is needed now More than ever
Starting her mission in August 2016, Kath worked on her idea in her spare time while working as an accounts manager at a digital e-commerce agency, finally launching the business in April 2017.
The EcoStardust biodegradable glitter comes in recycleable and reusable packaging
An EcoStardust Glitter artist at work
The EcoStardust Biodegradable Glitter Galentines Collection, features punchy pinks and purple glitters in a varity of sizes available from the EcoStardust online shop at £30.
“We have gone from strength to strength, heading out to UK festivals to spread the word about eco-glitter and share our company mission to help raise awareness on environmental issues,” says Kath.
It isn’t all about the glitter and festivals for the EcoStardust team. These eco-saving heroes get stuck in and are not afraid to get their hands dirty.
Involving themselves in plastic litter picking and beach cleans and holding regular eco-bricking workshops (creating a reusable plastic building block) at their headquarters in the Easton Business Centre.
“This is very important to us,” says Kath. “We want to do more and get involved with cleaning up our communities, learning about how we can be better people.
“We want to practice what we preach and give back to our community through monthly events held at our office, whether it be eco-bricking or headdress making.”
EcoStardust founder Kath Senior (left0 and the Pure Beauty Global Award nominated Bio-Glitter Beauty Balm £6 (right)
Taking it to the next level with spreading the eco-glitter love EcoStardust have set up a Non Bio-glitter Amnesty on their website that encourages glitter lovers to send in their non-bio glitters in exchange for a 15 per cent off voucher from the EcoStardust online shop.
This glitter is then recycled in a wonderfully, sparkly collaboration with surf-board company Rockfort Customs, who create beautiful recycled jewellery from a recycled resin bi-product from their surfboard business, giving the bad glitter a fabulous new lease of life, that won’t end up in our seas.
With aims to become the world’s leading eco-glitter brand, the EcoStardust team wish to inspire people to reduce their impact on the environment whilst educating them against the biodegradable glitter brands who are not selling the real deal.
The Abalone Biodegradable Glitter signature blend starting from £6
“Many bio-degradable glitter brands are actually selling PLA glitter, which is technically biodegradable but only in an industrial composting machine, and not many people have one of them!” explains Kath. “Our glitter has been independently tested and biodegrades in the natural environment”.
Selling premium grade bio-degradable glitter made from plant cellulose, sustainably farmed from Eucalyptus trees, the EcoStardust glitter blends are safe for you and the environment.
Containing no toxic chemicals, it is compostable, marine and wastewater safe and offers the same high quality as conventional glitter, that is also vegan friendly.
The biodegradable grip seal sample bags (left) and using the EcoStardust product for nail art (right).
Using reusable and recyclable aluminium storage tins, recycled card boxes and biodegradable grip seal bags, EcoStardust are always working towards finding the most sustainable packaging for their products.
EcoStardust have a lot to celebrate. Not only are they proud winners of the sustainable Blue Patch Award for best new business, they were also finalists in the recent Bristol Life Awards and have recently been nominated for a Pure Beauty Global award for their Bio-Glitter Beauty Balm.
With stockists now reaching as far as New Zealand and New York and festival appearances at Jai Thep in Thailand, Womad, Swingamajig and Beautiful Days, the EcoStardust glitter team are certainly going places; with 10 per cent of all their profits going to environmental charities including Surfers Against Sewage.
EcoStardust want to make more glitter and festival lovers aware or the harms of using non-bio glitter products.
“People always respond really well to our product,” adds Kath. “So many people still don’t know eco-glitter exists, so it is amazing to find these people and educate them. Once they know the benefits of biodegradable glitter, over traditional glitter, they always want to make the switch.”
Having fun in the sun in a collaboration with Bristol’s festival queens Burnt Soul
All glitter fans are invited to join the EcoStardust Eco-glitter Party at the Radnor Rooms on St Nicholas Street on Thursday, April 25 at 6pm, with a chance to get glittered up at the eco-glitter make up station and watch live glitter body art painting. With stalls from local festival fashion designers including Kiss My Disco and Pluma, and a chance to mix up your own eco-glitter blends, you will be set for the festival season.
Teaming up with a group of influential female eco-warriors, the EcoStardust party will also feature inspiring talks from the Age of Plastics Podcast host Andrea Fox, marine conservationist Libby Bowles from Tread Lighter, who rode across New Zealand on her handmade bamboo bike promoting awareness of ocean plastics to school children and Laura Try from Row For The Ocean, who rowed across the Atlantic to raise awareness and money for Surfers Against Sewage. The event will also be raising money for Bristol-based charity City to Sea.
Tickets from £10. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.ecostardust.com/products/ecostardust-2nd-birthday-glitter-party
Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog, No Debutante
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