We're All About The Planet
You already know that we're pretty big on being kind to our Planet here at Sol HQ. But did you know, it's estimated that 14 MILLION TONNES of plastic ends up in our Oceans EVERY YEAR?
When there is so much plastic in the Ocean that you can see it from space, you know there is a problem. A study completed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has found that some parts of the Ocean contain 7 times more plastic particles than it does fish.
The beauty industry has a lot to answer for. Less than 9% of plastic in the skincare industry is repurposed or recycled, and we definitely can do better than that. More and more businesses are making the move to sustainable or recyclable packaging, which is amazing, but we can still do better.
An option that is available but not yet being fully utilised in packaging is the use of bioplastics. Bioplastics are defined by being composed of 20% or more renewable resources, and are also free of chemical BPA (bisphenol A). Bioplastics are made from the sugars in corn starch, cassava and sugar cane, and while it does have it's own drawbacks, it is still a step in the right direction. You can learn more about bioplastics in NZ here.
It's What We Do
Sustainable packaging makes up a big part of our ethos. We explored many different options before deciding what personally aligns with our values. For us, we want to AVOID the use of plastic as much as possible.
Although there are great initiatives out there in the efforts to recycle plastic, for instance "Ocean Plastic" aka plastic retrieved from the ocean we feel is a great initiative, but long term it's not the answer. In our opinion this just masks the plastic pollution we already face. What happens to the plastic waste that is retrieved and reused?
Where does that plastic go at the end of being used? Back into the Ocean? Landfill? That's not a solution.
Take Our Zinc, For Example
We went for Aluminium tin for our zinc - Aluminium is infinitely recyclable. Our tins are kerbside recyclable, and should be easily wiped out with a cloth before popping into the recycle bin.
We however, strongly encourage our tins to be re-used before being recycled! Get creative in ways you can re-purpose your tin... What ways can you think of to recycle them?
If you need some ideas, check out this cool video we made!!
The human race is far more clued up on ways to be more sustainable than we used to be, but if we all do that little bit more, life will be just that little bit better, not only for us but for all of the living organisms that call the Ocean Home.