Before we tell you the details of our Refillable Collection, please join us for a quick recap of our sustainable journey thus far:
In 2019, we reduced 85% of plastic from our packaging vessels. Great news, right? Yes and no. Sustainability and eco-friendly practices are a 3D puzzle that we are constantly striving to solve.
In 2019, we reduced 85% of plastic from our packaging vessels. Great news, right? Yes and no. Sustainability and eco-friendly practices are a 3D puzzle that we are constantly striving to solve.
Yes, we cut down on plastic by switching to glass. However, that switch also has its pitfalls for the environment. Glass is 100% renewable, but it requires a ton of energy to produce AND reuse due to the necessity of extreme heat for melting or molding.
Heat + Energy = Emissions.
Glass is also h-e-a-v-y and, of course, fragile. Due to its weight and breakable nature, it requires more fuel emissions to send, more packaging to protect, and more trips to restock. Therefore, glass has a heavier carbon footprint than if we were to use something lighter, such as, say, plastic.
So, what’s better for the environment? Up-cycled plastic made from ocean waste, even though that’s where its lifecycle ends? Glass, even though it has a heavy carbon footprint? Compostable packaging, even though it’s extremely limited? Like we said: 3D puzzle.
Regardless of the eco-hula-hoops, our promise is this: We are committed to moving towards 100% of our packaging materials into sustainably produced, renewable, or compostable vessels.
We believe this Refillable Collection is one step to give you, our conscious consumer, better options for sustainability.
Not everything moves across the finish line simultaneously, which means we have to be patient.
Transitioning our Bath Bombs out of plastic was big, but the cardboard and metal container still creates a bit of waste, which is why we have our eyes on compostable solutions. We are also deep into research on the most eco-friendly packaging for our Lip Goo, Ache + Pain, and Skin Repair tubes (currently recyclable polypropylene).
It must be said, that we always feel wonderful about the clean ingredients in our products. Martha makes sure that the ingredients she uses are good for you and kind to the Earth, and we want our packaging to reflect our ethos. We’re working on it, day by day.
Our Refillable Collection is another step towards our sustainability commitment as a company. The objective of this collection is to reduce our carbon footprint in two ways:
- Biodegradable Bags: Most of our refillable bags are biodegradable* and much lighter than glass. By using lightweight bags instead of heavy, fragile glass, we can ship liquid refills without the abundance of packaging, and significantly reduce our carbon footprint when you order these products.
- More Product at Once: The refill program also enables us to ship less frequently. Essentially we’ve increased the quantity and decreased the packaging, which saves you, on average, about 20%.
Thank you for being with us on this journey, and never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, suggestions, or tidbits of info that might be of interest. We're always available at: (805) 460 4102.
*Compostable means that material breaks down into soil. Biodegradable means it breaks down over, say, 10 years instead of 450.
