Why Emma Roberts Is Trying to Go Plastic-Free After Baby: 'What's the World Going to Look Like?'

Grove Collaborative/Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts has been thinking a lot about the future since welcoming her first baby.

The new mom, 30, tells PEOPLE how her 7-month-old son Rhodes inspired her to take the Plastic Free July challenge. With the help of Grove Collaborative, a sustainable product line."That was definitely the most eye-opening, having a child," she says of her little one, who she welcomed in late December with partner Garrett Hedlund, 36. "Where before, I'm operating in the world on my own and I'm just kind of thinking about what's right for me. And when you have a kid, it's like, wait, how old is he going to be in the year 2050? What's the world going to look like?"

"For me, I definitely wanted to educate myself more on what I should be doing," she explains.

RELATED: Emma Roberts Gives Rare Glimpse of Baby Son Rhodes in Sweet Mother's Day Post

The Scream Queens actress went completely plastic-free for a week, she says, and has made several small but significant life changes to reduce her plastic usage permanently, including cooking more instead of ordering out, keeping a reusable cup for her daily coffee and cleaning out the "no man's land for crap" under her kitchen sink. "It definitely takes more time to be mindful and to clear out your kitchen and your bathroom of products that are not sustainable," Roberts says.

Roberts also raves about Grove's line of reusable products (including her go-to silicone straws), as well as their environmentally conscious mission, which she says aligns with her values as a mother. The plastic-neutral brand was named one of the EPA's partners of the year in 2020, and they've pledged to go plastic-free by 2025.

Emma Roberts/instagram Emma Roberts with son Rhodes Robert

One area she's looking to make even more changes is in the products she uses with Rhodes.

"The baby space is a really hard space. I'm always on the hunt for companies that I feel like have a good mission, and that aren't using chemicals and plastics," Roberts explains. "And I have to say there are many brands that have impressed me, but I don't think that there are enough amazing baby brands out there that you can totally trust and are totally transparent. And so that's something that I'm always asking people to recommend to me."

"Since becoming a mom, it's really looking into what the ingredients are in my products," she continues. "And so with Grove, I was really excited that their cleaning products not only are they refillable, reusable, but they have great ingredients in them."

RELATED VIDEO: Emma Roberts Welcomes First Child with Garrett Hedlund

With the worsening effects of climate change more apparent than ever and governments taking action on environmental issues, Roberts feels even the small things make a difference if we do them together. It's an attainable goal "if everybody collectively shifts their mindset," she says.