The other day I was driving, listening to episode 240 of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast (one of my favourite sustainable fashion deep dives). In this episode Clare Press was interviewing Rachel and Jesse from Kooshoo a sustainable hair accessory brand based on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific.
At one point, Jesse said something that completely made me pull over and double-check it:
“we make hair accessories from plants not plastics because basically, every other hair tie ever owned has been made from synthetics. Another way of putting that is, every hair tie you’ve ever owned in your entire life still exists somewhere!”
I honestly couldn’t believe it, so I looked into it, and yes: conventional hair accessories are terrible for the planet!
Tiny Accessories, Huge Environmental Impact
Most hair ties, scrunchies, clips, and elastics you’ll find on the high street are made from petroleum-based plastics like nylon, polyester, and synthetic rubber. These materials are not biodegradable and they persist in the environment for hundreds of years.
✔️ Scientists estimate that a conventional plastic hair tie can take around 500 years to begin to break down once discarded.
✔️ As they eventually break down, these plastics fragment into microplastics which are tiny particles that contaminate soil, waterways, and the food chain.
✔️ In the U.S. alone millions of synthetic hair ties are lost or thrown away every single day, contributing to landfill overload and microplastic pollution.
Even though they’re small, these accessories add up. Because they’re cheap, often snap easily, and are treated as disposable, they join the global plastic waste problem faster than most of us realise.
Why This Shocked Me and Inspired Change
As someone who already tries to make mindful purchasing decisions, I was horrified to discover how something as small as my hair ties could be silently harming the environment for centuries.
I thought about every scrunchie and elastic I had owned over the years and how sad I felt that every single one is probably still somewhere on this planet.
That moment was the spark that led me to ask:
If I’m going to sell scrunchies, can they be as eco-friendly as possible?
And this is how the SAGE scrunchie was born.
What Makes SAGE Different?
SAGE stands for Sustainable, Adaptable, Green, Eco-friendly because I didn’t just want a cute scrunchie. I wanted a planet-positive one.
So I set out to design a scrunchie that:
~ Is made from sustainable, natural materials
~ Minimises waste and avoids petroleum-based plastics
~ Is biodegradable rather than becoming a long-term pollutant
~ Can be reused, loved, and ultimately returned to the earth
In short: I wanted to walk the talk on sustainability because small changes everywhere can add up to big changes for the planet.
Why Buying Sustainably Matters
By choosing hair accessories made from organic cotton, natural rubber, or other biodegradable materials, you’re making a simple yet impactful choice:
✨ Fewer plastics in landfills and oceans
✨ Reduced microplastic pollution
✨ Less reliance on fossil fuels and toxic dyes
✨ Support for ethical, eco-conscious manufacturing
And even though a hair tie might seem like a small purchase, the cumulative environmental benefit is huge especially when millions of people make the same conscious choice.
It’s a Small Change but It Matters
I didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel with scrunchies but I did want to prove that even the smallest everyday objects can be redesigned with the planet in mind.
So the next time you’re considering buying a hair accessory, please ask yourself:
“Will this still be here 500 years from now?”
If the answer is yes, it’s time to think differently.
Let’s make sustainable style the new normal please, one scrunchie at a time.