It’s no secret that plastic packaging is a growing problem for the planet, polluting our oceans, filling our landfill and endangering our wildlife. One glance at our Superdrug haul alone is all the confirmation we need that we’re getting through single use plastic at an alarming rate.
With 99% of all beauty packaging thrown out after just one use, and 120 billion units of packaging created by global beauty industry each year, the need for brands to stem their over packaging, as well consumers to curb the frequency of their consumption, is paramount. And though there’s a while to go before environmentally-conscious packaging is industry standard, certain brands are working in innovative ways to reduce their environmental footprint.
Take, for example, Beauty Kitchen, who are rethinking their relationship with packaging with the launch of the world’s first full circle, zero waste program for cosmetic products, ‘Return. Refill. Repeat.’
The brand was born when founder Jo Chidley decided to combine her love for natural ingredients and her knowledge as a qualified chemist to launch a sustainable cosmetics company. With a commitment to the planet built into its DNA, Beauty Kitchen’s mission statement is clear: use less packaging and produce less waste.
The ‘Return. Refill. Repeat.’ program is a scheme based on ‘cradle-to-cradle’ principles to make sustainability the industry standard at no extra cost to the consumer, raising awareness of our plastic consumption through its unique reusable initiative.
The premise is simple: once you’ve emptied your products, you return your containers to Beauty Kitchen, who will then wash, refill and return them to you. They’ll even pay for the postage and you can earn up to 50% off your next order.
Beauty Kitchen are kicking things off with the Seahorse Plankton Range, formulated with blue chamomile and sustainably grown microalgae to renew and protect your skin, which will be followed soon after by the Abyssinian Oil range, which uses sustainably grown plant seed oils for an intense moisture boost.
As companies re-evaluate their plastic policies, we also need to start making considered choices in our shopping habits – but with Beauty Kitchen, we can all take a step in the right direction.
