Creating Circular Initiatives for a Greener World
We recently stumbled upon a fascinating blog post from Fireside Ventures titled “Founder’s Guide to ESG”, which dives into a range of important topics around pesky plastic waste, its environmental impact, recycling and circular solutions that can combat these issues.
It is a thought provoking piece that pushed us to rethink how we approach the plastic that we repeatedly encounter in our daily lives. We implore you to give it a read too!
One of the important topics discussed in the blogpost is the sheer volume of plastic that each consumer now is being inundated with. A large chunk of that plastic waste that is accumulated at home stems from packaging, whether that be a large product or the tiniest little items, everything comes wrapped in layer after layer of plastic packaging. Before we can realise it, these pieces of plastic mount into a large heap!
No one consciously wants to collect large amounts of plastic that ultimately serve no real purpose. But as consumers, how do we tackle the massive flow of plastic that arrives into our homes everyday through various channels?
The solution that we find to be quite obvious, is to start by segregating waste. Ensuring that dry plastics are kept separate from wet, biodegradable waste is key. Mixing the two only results in smelly, unmanageable garbage that ends up burdening landfills even more. Once we’ve segregated it, the next crucial step is making sure that the plastic waste is disposed of responsibly by trusty waste collectors.
These simple steps significantly help to mitigate the impact of plastic waste we receive. But, hang on a second. What if we could stop the waste from being created to begin with?
According to the blog, India’s FMCG sector is expanding rapidly, with more than half of the country’s plastic waste stemming from this industry. In a utopian world, the companies would be held accountable for the waste that they produce.
Though we may not live in an ideal world, we can certainly aspire towards the same. If more brands began to think along these lines, we can see a shift towards innovative products designed to reduce waste from the outset.
By adopting circular models, businesses could focus on creating packaging that is either infinitely recyclable or entirely compostable. Imagine a future where product packaging generates value or, better yet, disappears without leaving a trace!
New types of sustainable packaging are being developed all the time. Super fascinating packaging material has now come up with seaweed!
A brand leading the change is Zerocircle, which is pioneering alternative packaging solutions through seaweed that are free from harmful chemicals like phthalates and volatile organic compounds. Their seaweed based packaging offers a sustainable alternative for food, takeout, and more, ensuring consumer safety while completely eliminating plastic waste.
Speaking of compostable packaging, at Bare Necessities we’re also committed to minimising and eradicating the creation of plastic packaging, by moving towards a sustainable packing paradigm. As a brand that prioritises sustainability, we wanted to reduce our customer’s packaging footprint. That’s why we chose to innovate with compostable packaging. Similarly, we chose to move away from PVA, a synthetic polymer which is often marketed as a lining that can be dissolved. However, studies show that 75% of PVA remains in our waterways and soil systems after being dissolved and requires extremely specific conditions to biodegrade. Hence, our no-fuss solution was compostable sachets that had vegetable ink printed on them, so they can completely disintegrate into the soil.
In addition to compostable packaging, we also use glass jars for many of our personal care products like lip balms, tooth powders, moisturisers, body scrubs, bath salts and tins for deodorants. Glass and tins are infinitely reusable, reducing the need for single use plastic packaging.
Circular principles extend to business models as well. In our case for instance, we have rolled out further circular economy initiatives further supporting our vision of a more sustainable business model.
Through our Return Your Jars & Tins Program, our customers can return 5 glass jars or 10 tins through a simple online form. We handle shipping and reward participants with a Gift Card based on the number of items returned, promoting sustainability through reuse.
Similarly through our Refill Program, customers can bring their own containers or use our glass jars to refill products at our headquarters, paying only for the weight of the product. Participants receive a 10% Gift Card for their next purchase, encouraging a zero-waste shopping experience.
Rethinking business models to carve out something that is actually sustainable that minimises waste, promotes recycling and contributes to a circular model can help us chart a path towards a future with less plastic and more innovation.