OUR PHILOSOPHY ON PLASTICS, RECYCLING, AND RESPONSIBILITY

Let's talk about plastic.

Not all plastics are inherently bad. As with anything, the discussion of benefit or harm must be contextual. For instance: Water is essential to life. But, under the wrong circumstances, it can also be deadly. One could imagine a scary article about “the dangers of water," and in the right context, it could be accurate - but in most contexts it would not. Few would be misled by hyperbolic statements about water, since we understand it well and interact with it on a daily basis. Plastics, on the other hand, are less intuitive.

Firstly, there are many different types of plastic, each with a set of unique characteristics and end uses. Blanket statements about plastics typically aren't helpful or accurate due to the widely different properties of the types of plastics, the end use, recyclability, and long term impact on the environment.

Therefore, we want to provide good information that will help people make good decisions. We like this statement: “believe as many true things as possible, and as few false things as possible."

Reduce, reuse...

In modern life, it is almost impossible to avoid using plastics. With that in mind, there are still steps to take to ensure that they are used responsibly and in moderation. Foremost in this discussion is recycling.

There is a big difference between theoretical recyclability and practical recyclability. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as just putting your used plastics in the correct bin. Recycling plastic involves many processes that can be strenuous to the material, like melting, machining and extruding. To be practically recyclable, a plastic must be able to withstand the reprocessing steps without degradation.

Some plastics can't be cleaned well enough to recycle. Others are not recyclable due to degrading of the plastic during use, by UV rays, or by breaking down during the recycling process.

Sometimes, something as simple as a label or the last few drops in a soda bottle can be a major obstacle in recycling. The energy spent to resolve these problems can be costly, even to the point of being worse for the planet than not recycling at all.

The bottom line:

We choose to use PET (polyethylene terephthalate) for all of our plastic packaging because it has the chemical resistance we need to package cleaners and soaps, and the durability to be used and re-used for an extended period of time before being recycled. And, crucially, it can be recycled many times over - an average PET bottle can be re-made up to ten times with the same material. For these reasons, PET is our plastic of choice.

Consumers play an integral part of the sustainability life cycle. You should be aware of the plastics you use, be intentional about reusing or repurposing containers as often as possible, and, when it is the proper time, place the plastic into the proper recycling bin. We encourage you to purchase our concentrated products whenever possible and dilute them yourselves, as this dramatically reduces the amount of packaging we have to use. Remember to re-use the containers we send you as much as you can, and to clean them before placing them in the recycling bin.

Environmental responsibility is a continuous effort.

You don't have to be perfect to make a positive impact on the environment. Every time you re-use a plastic container instead of buying a new one, you reduce the amount of plastic headed to a landfill. Simple acts of mindfulness create massive changes over time.