Did you watch the most recent episodes of the War on Waste on the ABC? This series is opening our eyes to the issues we face surrounding our waste. I love it because it leaves me feeling educated and aware. At the same time I’m left drowning in guilt. Is it just me?
I start questioning some of my purchases (e.g. organic spinach which only comes wrapped in plastic) and I worry that what I’m going to great lengths to recycle is going to landfill anyway. I’m left asking, am I doing the right thing? If not, what could I be doing better?
The same goes with my business. In my opinion you can’t have an organic skincare brand and package it all in plastic. It’s like having a hamburger and washing it down with diet coke. It just doesn’t make sense.
For me, organic is a choice because it’s not only better for your health but it’s better for the environment. What you package your products in has to align with the same environmental values.
When I designed the Clémence range, I wanted to choose the most easily recycled materials. Aluminium is our primary packaging material because it is the easiest to recycle. This means that the majority of aluminium containers really do get recycled. In fact approximately 75% of the aluminium ever produced is still in use today. That’s pretty cool, isn’t it?
It is also the quickest to break down in the environment. Did you know that aluminium takes around 80 years to return back to the earth, compared to 400 years for glass and plastic?
The rest of our packaging materials, including unit cartons, shipping cartons, and packing peanuts, are also carefully chosen. It has to be reusable, recyclable or compostable, and I’m constantly searching for better options. Currently I’m geeking out over a compostable packing tape soon to be released by a new Australian company.
At the end of the day, I tell myself that at least I care and I make conscious choices. I want to leave a healthy world for my kids and it’s up to me (and you) to make a difference, one purchase at a time.
