Plastic has become an integral part of our world: whether packaging, furniture or cosmetics – the versatile material is used almost everywhere. However, a significant proportion of these plastics end up in the environment every year and pollute soil and water. But a life without plastic is possible – and certainly not pointless. With our plastic top titles you can easily find alternatives.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, 6.28 million tons of plastic waste was generated in Germany in 2019 and not all of it can be recycled. The plastic ends up in the environment, litters nature and causes great damage as microplastics – in short, we have a plastic problem! But there are alternatives. Whether industry or private household: everyone can do something to stem the flood of plastic.
Our top titles on the topic of “living plastic-free” will tell you how to do this: from discussions about the sensible use of plastics in retail, to guides for everyday life without plastic, to lovingly designed children's books that introduce the topic to even the youngest children in an age-appropriate way can be conveyed – with our books and magazines the path to a plastic-free life is very easy.
Tip: You can also find out all sorts of interesting facts about plastics and plastic avoidance on our plastics topic page.
1. “Better life without plastic” and “Even better life without plastic”
Our classic plastic book, “Better Life Without Plastic,” is a few years old, but as relevant as ever. Because The book offers numerous tips and tricks on how you can banish plastic from everyday life, from more conscious shopping to homemade cleaning products or snacks that you can't get “plastic-free” in any supermarket.
And the sequel, “Living even better without plastic,” also offers further helpful tips and exciting information about the effects of our plastic consumption on the environment. Together they are essential reading for anyone who wants to stop putting plastic in their bags!
Order “Better life without plastic” now (book: 14.00 euros | e-book: 10.99 euros)
Guide | 2016 | 112 pages | by Anneliese Bunk and Nadine Schubert
Order “Live even better without plastic” now (book: 14.00 euros | e-book: 10.99 euros)
Guide | 2018 | 112 pages | by Nadine Schubert
2. “Plastian, the little fish”
How can you talk to children about plastic waste in the ocean and saving plastic? Our children's book “Plastian, the little fish” shows this. In it, Lillian and Moritz go on an adventurous sea voyage in a self-made plastic boat.
Unfortunately, the little fish Plastian swallows the plastic particles that gradually come off the boat and gets a stomach ache. Together they then try to find a solution to the plastic problem.
Order now (book: 12.95 euros | e-book: 9.99 euros)
Children's book | 2015 | 36 pages | by Nicole Intemann; Illustration by Julia Patschorke
3. »Frieda in the unpackaged shop«
Little Frieda is amazed at the overflowing trash can. When her dad reads about an unpackaged store, it was clear to Frieda that this waste-free place had to be explored. What you can discover there is so much more exciting than in the supermarket and the waste bin remains empty.
“Frieda in the Unpackaged Shop”: A wonderful story about the charm of shopping differently. For children aged four and over.
Order now (book: 14.00 euros | e-book: 10.99 euros)
Children's book | 2022 | 32 pages | by Katharina König; Illustration by Laura Tschorn
4. »Easy Unpackaged«
Would you like to save more waste in everyday life? Are you curious about unpackaged stores, but don't know exactly how the concept works? No problem!
With the “Easy Unpacked” manual, avoiding waste is not only easier, but also fun. In addition to instructions, recipes and lots of background information, inspiring texts make you want to live a resource-light life!
Order now (book: 26.00 euros | e-book: 20.99 euros)
Guide | 2022 | 112 pages | Published by Unverpackt eV – Association of Unpackaged Stores
Tip: You can also find out how to approach shopping in an unpackaged store in a relaxed manner in our article “Simply without: 7 tips for shopping in an unpackaged store”.
5. “Just leave it out?”
Unpackaged stores are showing the way: It can also be done without plastic packaging! Shouldn't they then generally be avoided in retail? Unfortunately, in practice this is anything but easy; packaging has many advantages: it is practical, protects contents well and is important in the food trade for hygiene standards, efficient logistics, marketing and customer information.
In “Just leave it out?” experts from science and practice shed light on this in 21 posts the challenges, potential and opportunities of eliminating packaging in food retail and thus offer a differentiated picture of a much-discussed problem.
Order now (book: 26.00 euros | e-book: 20.99 euros)
Non-fiction | 2020 | 424 pages | Edited by Melanie Kröger, Jens Pape and Alexandra Wittwer
6. »Plastic Poker«
We live in the “Plastocene”: plastic particles pollute soils, oceans and the air around the world. They also cause harm in the bodies of animals and humans. This is a systemic problem – in order to reduce our wasteful use of plastics to an acceptable level, politics, business and consumers must work together and make their contribution.
The “Plastikpoker” issue of the political ecology magazine brings together expert knowledge from different areas and develops concrete solutions to our plastic misery.
Order now (booklet: 17.95 euros | e-book: 13.99 euros)
trade magazine | political ecology 02 – 2020
Tip: You can find out where the use of plastic actually makes sense in our article “The right material for the right purpose”, which is part of this issue of political ecology comes from.
7. »The 35 Day Challenge«
Want to change your life sustainably in just five weeks? Nothing is easier than that, because our guide “The 35 Day Challenge” shows how it’s done.
Whether waste avoidance, climate-friendly nutrition or environmentally friendly mobility: all challenges contain a beginner and an expert mode. Small changes enable an easy start, next-level tasks significantly reduce the ecological footprint. This makes it possible to switch to a resource-light, climate-friendly life.
Order now (book: 19.00 euros | e-book: 14.99 euros)
Guide | 2020 | 160 pages | by Benjamin Eckert and Fabian Eckert
8. “Simply eco”
Everywhere in everyday life and especially in the home there are ways to save plastic and live more sustainably. “Simply Eco” shows these possibilities.
But is completely eliminating plastic really always the goal? For example, is a glass bottle really better than PET? Would you rather use the plastic box for the lunch or the greaseproof paper? Our guide takes a close look and clearly presents the truly sustainable solutions.
Order now (book: 20.00 euros | e-book: 15.99 euros)
Guide | 2017 | 192 pages | by Marcus Franken and Monika Götze
9. “Less plastic, more future”
With “Less Plastic, More Future” Heike Knüpfer shows practical ways to minimize disposable plastic in your own four walls.
The book not only offers concrete instructions for everyday life, but also calls for an important social debate about our economic system – because private commitment is far from enough to tackle the global plastic problem.
Order now (book: 16.00 euros | e-book: 12.99 euros)
Non-fiction | 2023 | 112 pages | by Heike Knüpfer
10. »My way out of the plastic trap«
Plastic is everywhere and it is often not easy to avoid it. A few years ago, Indra Starke-Ottich set out to reduce her “plastic emissions” and began changing her life in small steps.
But the devil is in the details – In “My Way Out of the Plastic Trap” she describes how to recognize and avoid plastic traps based on her experiences and encourages you to find your own way.
Order now (book: 22.00 euros | e-book: 17.99 euros)
Non-fiction | 2020 | 216 pages | by Indra Starke-Ottich
11. Slow Food Magazine “Better without plastic”
Our Slow Food magazine shows in its issue on plastic that enjoyment can also be achieved without plastic. Many people want to avoid plastic packaging – but how do we deal with the fact that even the vegetables we carry home in the basket may have grown under a sea of plastic film in Spain? This requires political solutions.
You will also get “10 tips on how to do it without plastic” and find out more about the background and dangers of microplastics in the interview “Microplastics on everyone’s lips” with Werner Kloas, Professor at the Institute of Biology at Humboldt University Berlin.
Order now (booklet: 7.50 euros | e-book: 5.59 euros)
Magazine | Slow Food Magazine 03 – 2019
#naturaloekom: Better reading without plastic
oekom publishing house is not only committed to sustainability in terms of content, but is also making progress in production and distribution with a voluntary commitment to sustainable publishing. Our books are therefore delivered without foil to avoid unnecessary plastic. You can read more about how oekom is committed to sustainability in the oekom section of course.
