Since we started Whispering Willow, we have always looked for ways to improve our sustainability. We review our choice often and look for opportunities to improve.
Our preference has long been to use distilled water in our products. Because we live in a fairly rural area, we don't have a water delivery service and we have relied on plastic containers of distilled water. We reused these containers as part of our processes for as long as we possibly could and then we would recycle them, but ultimately, we knew we wanted to move away from introducing plastic in the first place.
When we moved into our new space earlier this year, we had more room for the first time and the chance to make some big changes.
So, meet our new friend: Our very own water distiller!
While to many it may look like a very large piece of metal (which it definitely is!), it was on our wish list for many, many years and was such an exciting purchase! Now we can create our own distilled water for our liquid soap, bar soap, and linen spray!
We also changed our processes so we bottle directly from our equipment into the final glass pumps, 64oz containers, or 2.5 gallon containers, so we don't need any additional plastic.
As a result, our plastic usage in the studio has dropped dramatically. We re-use any bubble wrap we receive and are left with a few odds and ends (mostly received from our vendors) including the plastic that arrives wrapped around our pallets.
Are we perfect? Far from it, but this was a huge step we've looked forward to for a long time. And, as long as we continue re-evaluating and making incremental improvements, we can continue to be proud of our progress.