So, What is Zero-Waste?

One of our key aspirations for the year is attempting reduce our waste, in both a personal and a business capacity.

Sometimes our commitment to less and sticking to our guns when it comes to not using excess packaging has got us into murky waters with suppliers who wanted our products to look a little more ‘luxe’. But we think it’s worth taking the loss now in the hope that other brands may follow suit, or that people may just start thinking a little more about how much excess we are putting into the world.

What is our definition of luxury in 2018? We think it should certainly include taking care of our planet and making steps to being truly eco-conscious.

So what exactly is Zero waste anyway? One of the first blogs on the subject, www.goingzerowaste.com defines it thus:

“We aim to send nothing to a landfill. We reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled, and compost what we cannot.”

Sounds relatively simple right? Reducing what we need is key.

We designed all our products to be completely multipurpose and easy to travel with and we don’t add anything to the range that we don’t feel is absolutely necessary.

For example, many people love using our black soap as shampoo, facial exfoliant and body wash.

When you get to the end of your Shea butter tub, you can one of our tutorials to show you how to whip that last spoonful into a whole new tub of cream using kitchen cupboard ingredients and aromatherapy oils.

Idan oil can be used for everything moisture related: leave in conditioner, body oil, bath oil, shaving oil. This one product replaced at least 6 from my travel bag.

But there are still exceptions and challenges: As a business we are always going to be receiving and sending parcels,but we can open a dialogue with suppliers: please never, EVER sending us polystyrene packing noodles (aka the devil incarnate) and explain why.

We are looking into the possibility of mushroom outer packaging that is totally biodegradable. The technology around this is pretty new, but the more people that support now, the faster it will grow.

We can't wait for Bulk Market in Hackney to reopen in July after a successful crowdfunding campaign, it's one of the first zero-waste markets in the area. And we are shopping at local farm stores in Gloucestershire instead of plastic filled supermarkets.

So what can you do to start on your own zero waste journey? Start by trying to eradicate plastic. Mamalina's Plastic Free Parent Guide her guide suggestions easy and practical tips that everyone can follow. Also, complain when you are at a restaurant that uses plastic cups or cutlery. Be vocal! Challenge brands that claim to be eco conscious or green but insist on using plastic packaging.

Some super markets are making baby steps, you can now take your tuppeware to Morrisons. Morrisons has announced it will allow customers to use their own containers for meat and fish from the Morrisons’ Market Street Butcher and Fishmonger counters from May. It would great if they would also stop selling tupperware all together.

If you aren’t lucky enough to live in an area with plastic free stores, join the Tesconbury movement,( http://tesconbury.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/excess-packaging.html)which we discovered through a particularly militant Bristol friend ( Hi Richard!) This website has been campaigning to send back all your excess packaging to the big supermarkets, using their customer service Freepost address since 2012.

Vive la resistance!