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Natural BJD

Aug 15, 2020

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      #21 Gintsumi, Aug 15, 2020
      Last edited: Feb 28, 2024
    2. Like i said Natural things are often eco friendly in that they are not made of unnatural synthetic man-made materials and can often be compostable and biodegradable. A lot of natural materials do not harm the environment as much as materials like plastic for example which is not natural. Dead butterflies and lambskin for example that hasn't been tampered with wouldn't damage the environment as much as stuff made of synthetic unnatural materials, so it may not be a typical animal industry byproduct but that doesn't really change the impact it would actually have if you were to throw some lambskin on the ground versus a plastic bottle.

      Animal pelts could also be justified in the way i just mentioned even if the farm they come from doesn't give out info about their environmental impact that still doesn't change the fact that it's a natural product. I rather use natural materials over fake unnatural synthetic ones, unless i can find a better natural material. I even know some nice natural alternatives for using animal leather. Also being eco friendly is about more than just minimizing your impact on the environment but you can still use things like butterfly wings and still be eco-friendly while doing it. And i admit recycled plastic is a bit eco but it is still a synthetic manmade unnatural material and is not something i really plan on using at the moment. I'm not so against using silicone but i probably wouldn't use it very much

      Also they're a lot of vegan/vegetarian things that aren't animal friendly or eco friendly but it just depends on the material and etc, to me vegan/vegetarian does not always equal better. And, while being responsible and caring about sourcing is important of course, this post is called natural bjd , not vegan or vegetarian bjd. If you want to use only vegan/vegetarian materials then this post may not be for you.
       
      #22 Mayflower, Aug 15, 2020
    3. I wasn't going to respond to this thread at first, because I felt I had nothing to add, and I believe it wasn't something meant for me (as a vegan) to expand upon. However, as an insomniac, I thought I had misread the part about "animal friendly," and then using actual insect wings. That's why I commented about it not seeming animal friendly at all, and it being contradictory, to the other commenter that had similar thoughts. Sourcing dead bugs from your garden to use as you please, I feel is not cruel to the dead bug, it hurts no one -- it's probably not eco-friendly, but it's not going to damage any living being. Buying dead bugs from a store that sells them... that's up to each individual to decide for themselves.

      Veganism means caring about all life on the planet, including and probably most importantly the planet itself; being as eco-friendly as you possibly can while doing no conscious harm to other living beings -- I don't usually go out of my way to explain it, because I think if people care about it, they'll go out and read about it. I just think it's wrong to assume that most "vegans" do it solely for the food, and not for everything else that lives on the earth, and mostly to do less harm to the planet as a whole. There's a new term called "plant based," that I feel people use now not to be confused with vegans, because it's not just about the ethical treatment of animals, or eating plants only, or a diet for allergies. Veganism is about caring for all life on the whole world, not just animals, but plants and the earth, when it comes to living a vegan life style. Just wanted to make sure "plant based" diet and veganism, are not confused with each other, because they are not the same and neither are vegetarians.
       
      #23 Enzyme, Aug 16, 2020
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    4. I know I've repeated this already, but you can be somewhat animal-friendly while using actual insect wings. Somebody else also already mentioned this. And again this post is mostly about being natural and natural materials, not specifically vegan or vegetarian materials. Dead bugs when they are dropped and left on the ground are somewhat eco friendly in that they don't have a direct negative impact on the environment and that it will biodegrade because it is a natural material, this i have also mentioned plenty in this post too. And also many vegans and vegetarians seem to think that being that way is about being animal-friendly or cruelty-free only and caring about animals but not caring about the environment or being eco friendly.

      Like i don't get how you can be cruelty-free or animal friendly without caring about being eco friendly but it seems many of them have not gotten the memo. Not enough of them care about plant-life or being eco friendly and just focus on caring about animals part. But this post wasn't made to discuss all of that, it's to see if anyone else uses or would like to use more eco, sustainable , natural , or any cruelty-free or animal friendly materials while making their dolls instead of toxic, unnatural or synthetic things and what products/things they use. It can be both or just one of those things, sometimes trade-offs might be necessary. If the material recommended or whatever is vegan or vegetarian that might be good but i'm not looking for only or specifically vegan or vegetarian materials.
       
      #24 Mayflower, Aug 17, 2020
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    5. I don't really get the point of this question. If the idea is to use natural products, as opposed to plastic etc., then I don't get why one would use a polyurethane doll in the first place. I would expect this discussion in a forum for clay or rag dolls.
      And on the other hand, if "natural" is the one defining feature of materials one wants to use, without taking into consideration how their production impacts the environment (= eco-friendly or not), which is how I read OPs responses - then plastics are natural too. They are made of crude oil, i.e. the carbon of fossil plants. Doesn't get much more natural than that.
       
      #25 Mandagore, Aug 17, 2020
    6. I mean - if you want animal friendly "insect wings", there's butterfly wings and stuff out there made from feathers that look pretty close to the original wings ... Natural material, and feathers would be easier to get, I guess, than real insect wings. Also, they're not as delicate as real insect wings.

      As for "eco friendly" - well, the doll hobby in itself isn't actually all THAT eco friendly. The dolls are mostly made in Asia, shipping them to where you live impacts the environment. Resin in itself isn't really eco friendly (though there's environmental resin). On the other hand, most of the "non-natural" stuff used for BJDs isn't single use plastic. Like, if you get a wig made of synthetic mohair or something like that, you won't be using it just once, for a couple of days or one single shoot - in most cases, the doll will be wearing it for YEARS. Same with pretty much everything else "doll". And when you decide you don't want that wig anymore, in most cases, you'll try to sell it on instead of tossing it in the trash.

      Also, where's the line drawn between natural and non-natural? I mean, as @Mandagore pointed out, even plastic is made from a natural material (as in: occurring in nature and being "harvested" by humans).
       
      #26 Khell, Aug 18, 2020
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    7. This! I'm an eco-vegetarian - I'm veggie due to the impact of meat industry on the biosphere as a whole - so for me it's about the big picture whenever I make ethical choices. For example, precious stones are natural - they're rocks - but often mined in hideous conditions, so that's harm to both workers and the environment of the mine. My husband is a meat-eater, but we budget for wild-caught meat because it's the lowest-impact option. I use real fur over plastic fur on the occasions I do so, which people often think is quite funny because I'm veggie - but it's about trying to see the big picture.

      Also, when you factor in things like carbon emissions of things sent from abroad. I think the biggest one that's often forgotten is the wellbeing of workers, and the impact that an industry has on the local area around their home. Mmmmm like, the denim industry.

      But even here in Wales, we have a problem with free range eggs specifically: when you've got a lot of chickens, their poop runs off and poisons the local waters, killing fish, river mammals and plantlife, and it's bad for the people nearby too. You'd think: free range, better for the animals, more ethical choice. But which of those two bad situations is "better"...?

      So yeah. It's very difficult, and we should try and forgive ourselves and never blame others, because the toxic system we are in is beyond the power of individuals to change. I try not to have hard and fast rules, and approach every situation on its own merits, and do the best I can in the difficult situation we're in.

      Re-using is always a good choice, where possible; you can't go wrong with re-use, as well as just buying fewer things.

      For your butterfly wings, I'd definitely second the other poster and suggest painted paper - a lot more durable
       
      #27 ASlipInTime, Aug 18, 2020
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