“The Earth is what we all have in common.” –Wendell Berry As a clean technology company, our mission is to build water technology that allows people to live with 50 L of water per person per day without compromise. Beyond saving water in showers, we want to highlight something that is oft-forgotten & rarely mentioned — shampoos and soaps. According to a report from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), our environment is threatened by the chemicals found in traditional shampoos, shower gels, soaps, and other cosmetic products. Most people aren’t interested or simply unaware as to what happens to their soaps and shampoos once they go down the drain. These chemicals often end up in our waterways and may pollute our drinking water supply given that some traditional soaps still use harsh additives, fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and more.
It’s time to make a change.
With the little changes to our daily lifestyles, they can yield big environmental results. So how does one go about moving towards sustainable and eco-friendly shampoos, shower gels, and soaps? Here are a few recommendations:
Less Is More
Use less shampoo & conditioner. The fact is most people use too much shampoo and wash their hair too frequently. According to Denise Baden, a professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Southampton, roughly 93% of the carbon footprint of shampoo, conditioner and other hair products are associated with heating water during use. The remaining 7% comes from their packaging. The solution here? Consider the use of a recirculating shower and limit the amount of shampoo and conditioner used (a little goes a long way!). You can also opt for dry shampoo or reduce the number of times you use shampoo per week (we recommend twice!).
Move Away From Plastic Packaging
The mass production of plastic began over sixty years ago, and businesses and consumers have latched onto it ever since. Just from the disposal of single-use shampoo bottles alone, over 550 million ends up in landfills on a yearly basis, sitting there for hundreds of years before it comes even close to decomposing. The truth is we consume and discard plastic at a significantly faster rate than it takes for these materials to break down. Plastic doesn’t have to be (nor should it be) the norm. Be on the lookout for shampoo and soap packaging that is plastic-free or at the very least, recycled plastic. You can also find packaging return programs such as Aesop’s, where customers can return 200 mL glass bottles to be cleaned, sanitized, and refilled. For more information about RainStick, be sure to visit us here. You can also reach us at hello@rainstickshower.com
