After seeing all the waste that has been washing up on our beaches in recent months, we at Exploring Dogs felt a responsibility to instill a more eco-friendly approach to our activities, to protect and preserve our environment for future generations - and our furry friends can help too! This week, we highlight some pets products and initiatives that help us and our furry friends in our quest for a cleaner and better future.
Food
Beco Pets
Beco Pets are continuously working on ways to bring a positive impact into our furry friend's lives, with as minimal impact on our planet as possible, which is why we love this brand. Not only do they bake healthy dog treats for our pups - on top of their grain-free wet and dry foods, but they also make eco-friendly poop bags, toys (made from natural rubber) as well as, rather stylish, and of course, eco-friendly feeding and hygiene accessories. When it comes to searching for eco-friendly pet products for pets, Beco Pets makes it a no-brainer, which is probably why you can find them in most pet stores in Hong Kong, such as Whiskers n Paws, ePets, Vetopia and more.
Furry Green
Furry Green provide freshly cooked pet food meals by upcycling unused food, which would otherwise have gone to waste. By converting pre-consumer human foods and transforming them into a wide variety of tasty and nutritious pet meals, Furry Green helps us tackle the rather large issue of food wastage, which can sometimes be as high as 40 percent! Not only are Furry Green doing their part to help us tackle food waste, but they also give back to the community by donating meals to animal shelters and local NGOs. Their nutritious meals usually consist of a variety of meat, organs, mixed vegetables, eggs and oatmeal - check out their menu now!
Furry Green - Delivery and kerbside pick up available | (+852) 5636 0311
Hidden Gems
Hidden Gems is Hong Kong's first zero-waste pet store, making it that much easier for our furry friends to live a sustainable life as well.
Not only do they have refilleries for their freshly dehydrated treats, ranging from freeze-dried meaty bites to our favourite Zombie Chicken Feet - but also pet grooming products and supplements as well!
All you need to do, before you come ready to shop 'til you drop, is bring your own containers!
Hidden Gems, Shop 101, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan | (+852) 9448 9925
Hygiene
Dog Poop Bags
We take our sh*t seriously, and thankfully there are a number of brands out there that do too. But! Not all poop bags are created equal, and just because the label says "bio-degradable" doesn't necessarily mean that these poop bags degrade quickly or safely, due to poorly regulated guidelines.
The most well-known and affordable of the truly eco-friendly dog poop bags are Earth Rated - which also come lavender-scented - and stocked by a majority of pet supply stores in Hong Kong, ranging in price from $51 - $58.
Some other notable brands include newcomers Blastik and Invisible Company.
Blastik is a local company providing affordable and compostible bioplastics to help combat the issue of plastic pollution via the latest technology in bioplastics.
Invisible Company are another plastic-alternative company, tackling the issue of truly bio-degradable and non-toxic alternatives to plastic. Their dog poop bags provide an unconventional way of disposing of your dog's waste - down the toilet - poop bag and all! One pack of their water soluble bags last for 2-4 months and can instantly dissolve in water over 65℃ (- or slower under cooler temperatures)! Pretty neat, huh?
Ethique
Did you know by buying a standard 350ml bottle of shampoo or body wash, you are essentially buying 65% water? That's a lot of waste - in both water and plastic! Step in Ethique, who creates concentrated solid beauty bars as a way to tackle the amount of plastic and waste created by our bathroom essentials. And now, our furry friends can enjoy these solid shampoo bars too! Take your pick from the Bow Wow Bar for dog's with regular skin, Shampooch for dogs with sensitive skin, and the Pawfector Conditioner for that nice finishing touch.
There are plenty of reasons to switch to solid shamphoo bars. Not only are these eco-conscious bars good for the environment, but they're gentler on our skin and you get more bang for your buck.
So for our last trip, as a way to reduce our waste and carbon footprint, Exploring Dogs teamed up with iSGO HK (who specialise in curated, healthy living) to share these eco-friendly bars with the Exploring Dogs community.
Enjoy a 15% discount on all orders, with free-shipping, by using the code ED15 before 31st August 2022. On top of that, 5% of all purchases made before the end of August 2022 will be donated to our beneficiary charity of the month, Animal Friends!
Training Pads
Potty training your pet does not need to be wasteful, and there are several pet brands that are making pee pads or "training pads" more eco-friendly. Simple Solution have created a washable training and travel pad, which comes in packs of two, available at Whiskers n Paws for $318. If you don't fancy getting your hands dirty (pun not intended) Pogi's plant based training pads and FurriePet Sheets' bio-based pet pads are created from natural plant fibers and renewable material and are available from Barkmall and ePets.hk, respectively between $108 - $130. Pogi's also do a pack of earth-friendly, hypo-allergenic grooming wipes made from bamboo fibre, which can also come in handy if you get your hands dirty!
Toys
Balls
New initiative, Recycle Ball HK, is on a mission to collect and recycle all the used tennis balls in Hong Kong! Whether you have a bunch of ragged, well-used looking tennis balls sitting at home or have one of those dogs that always manages to find and retrieve balls when out and about, send @RecycleBallHK a direct message on Instagram to arrange a pick up of your used tennis balls in exchange for a free bag of used balls for your dog. Once the dogs have finished chewing the balls, bring them back to exchange for fresh used balls - simples! You can also help this initiative by helping Recycle Ball HK place a Call-to-Action bin in your community to help collect used balls - simply reach out to founder Shane via Instagram for more information!
Ball Launchers
Speaking of balls, Chuckit! is another fan favourite amongst doggies that love to play fetch, for their durable, ergonomic, bouncy balls. Couple these with one of their launchers made from 95% recycled materials ( - which comes in extra handy for those with slobbery dogs) and you could go ALL DAY!
You can find some Chuckit! items at Whiskers n Paws, 10/F Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street Ap Lei Chau.
Chew Toys
West Paw's toys are a staple in the household of aggressive chewers, thanks to the (surprisingly) bouncy and durable recycled material that West Paw uses in its toys. Their toys can float, are easy to clean (as its machine washable) and great for the environment! Once you're done with your toys, you can simply join West Paw’s recycling program and send it back for repurposing. Win-win! You can find West Paws at Whiskers n Paws in Hong Kong, and learn more about their recycling programme via the West Paw's website. Whiskers n Paws, 10/F Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street Ap Lei Chau | +852 2552 6200
Soft Toys
Pamper your pets and update your home decor with P.L.A.Y's luxury, eco-friendly pet products. Not only are their toys cute, but they are also made from 100% post-consumer certified-safe recycled plastic bottles! Take your pick from durable Flying Discs (frisbees) and Floating toys, to beautifully designed plush toys for every occasion, to engaging enrichment toys or even an Outdoor chill pad - perfect for those Autumn camping trips! You can check out all of P.L.A.Y's items (and more) at Petisan - by visiting their website or store.
Petisan, Shop 115, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan | +852 5989 5907