As a business, we're always conscious of our environmental impact. We try to make positive changes whenever we can, but Plastic Free July gives us a unique opportunity to look at our overall progress and see where we stand.
We're proud to share that we have a full line of products that are available in glass. These containers are reusable (we sell refills for several of the products) and recyclable at the end of their lifespan. Any exterior packaging will be paperboard that is recyclable (and perfect for gifting!). The only plastic included with a few of these products is the pump top which should be accepted by companies like Terracycle if you can find a local drop point.
Beyond the products packaged in glass, our Hand & Body Wash refills are closed loop. The 64oz bags can be easily cleaned and reused. We ask that folks rinse them out and collect three or more before requesting a free return label. Send them back to us and we'll take care of the rest!
For shipping, we don't purchase bubble wrap - instead we rely on paper padding which works wonderfully and is reusable and recyclable. If we receive bubble wrap from a vendor, we do try to re-use it as we hate for it to go to waste.
We also work with many refilleries so folks who would rather not ship and purchase additional packaging can pop into a store with whatever container they have on hand and buy refills by the ounce. Want to find a refillery near you? Use our stockist locator with the refill location tag turned on.
Lastly, we reuse and then recycle everything we can during production. We don't have recycling pickup at our production facility, so this requires sorting and trips to convenience sites, but it keeps our actual waste to a minimum.
Are we perfect? Absolutely not. But progress is more important than perfection, right?
We do still have a few items in plastic (and at least one that we know will likely stay in plastic for lack of a any alternative), but we are always keeping an eye out for new materials & ideas that will help us make more progress.
Have suggestions for us? We'd love to hear them! Email us anytime at bewell {at} whisperingwillow {dot} com.