Sustainable packaging
Our conscious commitment against plastic!
We have always talked about a “conscious” way of living and creating cosmetics, and a global approach to leaving a light footprint on our beautiful Earth (of which we only have one!).
Today, our Planet really needs a U-turn and an effective helping hand. The problem of plastic in the sea - and indeed elsewhere - is a huge one, with a direct impact on all of us.
Here at La Saponaria, we strive to take a new step towards solutions every day, and we’d like to tell you about what we are doing and the challenges we face.
We reduce the amount of virgin plastic on the planet
Every day, we work on innovative new formulas that are as sustainable as possible, such as the Wonder Pop facial line and our solid shampoos and conditioners.
Our packaging is made from alternative materials such as glass, recycled cardboard and aluminium, compostable cellulose acetate and bioplastic.
We give new life to the plastic that is already on our Planet
We don't forget the millions of tonnes already on our Planet.
Giving a new life - or rather new lives - to plastic is just as essential to reduce the amount in circulation on Earth as far as possible: this is why it’s so important to sort waste correctly and to undertake to reuse it in a continuous cycle.
We are committed to ridding oceans and rivers of plastic
Plastic in the sea is a huge problem for our Planet, and should be of concern to even the least sustainable minds. It chokes the sea, destroys marine ecosystems and even enters the foodchain.
In 2023, thanks to the innovative materials used and our Zero Waste cosmetics, we avoided releasing 57.721 kg of virgin plastic into the environment, saving 214.722 kg of CO 2.
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57.721 kg
virgin plastic avoided
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214.722 kg
C02 saved
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94 %
green packaging
2021 vs 2022
This is an on-going commitment, and we are by no means perfect!
This is where we started last year and what we have reached... and we won't stop!
One of our main goals is to minimise virgin plastic in our cosmetics!
Our innovative and sustainable materials!
This is exactly how our story began: with soaps, simple cosmetics and totally Zero Waste! Our Planet asked us to go back to doing things the way we used to. It’s fair to say we’ve been listening for a while! Just think: our first solid shampoo has almost come of age.
Creating good solid cosmetics is not easy if you want to maintain the performance of traditional products with truly sustainable formulations; but with a pinch of innovation and a lot of testing, we’ve managed to achieve more than we ever believed possible.
Alongside the more revolutionary products, there’s still a place for the more traditional ones, contained in recycled aluminium or glass jars. Alternative materials that can be reused or recycled countless times.
Our bioplastic is made of polyethylene, a material derived from organic sugar cane. The crops, grown in Brazil, use a limited amount of water, and the whole production cycle has a low environmental and social impact.
Fundamental differences compared to regular plastic:
● not derived from petroleum
● no components of fossil origin
● derived from renewable sources
● absorbs CO 2 and does not release it into the atmosphere
In the presence of non-renewable sources (i.e. derived from petroleum and carbon), the CO 2 contained in the soil (which should therefore no longer be in circulation) is released into the atmosphere, together with other pollutants, contributing to the greenhouse effect and an increase in global warming.
Did you know that not all recycled plastic is the same?
Simple recycled plastic comes from industrial waste, and is often mixed with some virgin plastic to make it stronger and more durable.
Our bottles, on the other hand, are made from 100% re-bottle plastic, obtained by recycling and processing plastic from the recycling bin, so it’s a plastic we are removing entirely from the environment.
Our green commitment has been rewarded, and the re-bottle packaging of our beloved Pure Actives and Plant Oils won the EcoPack 2021 award!
If nothing changes, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the seas.
There is so much plastic in the sea that it even forms actual islands such as the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' in the Pacific and the 'North Atlantic Garbage Patch' in the Atlantic Ocean.
Our bottles of Mirtilla Cleansing Mousse and Sativaction Shaving Mousse help clean up plastic from our oceans and rivers.
The ocean plastic or sea plastic used to make our bottles is actually sourced from Indonesia, in Jakarta, one of the most affected areas in the world by plastic pollution.
We went to visit the fishermen and experienced the problem firsthand, seeing with our own eyes how they are trying to tackle it with a virtuous approach.
YOU CAN READ THE ACCOUNT OF OUR JOURNEY IN INDONESIA HERE
Recycling sea plastic is not a simple process: we have truly experienced it firsthand!
We were involved in the entire process: the plastic is collected with nets by boats traveling along the river, then we land on what the locals call the "Plastic Island," a highly polluted islet where a huge amount of waste arrives.
Each fisherman collects 300-330 kg of plastic per day, a limit set to ensure a good quality of life for the people involved so that they can maintain a healthy balance between work and leisure time.
The fishermen then take their collection to the storage center where the plastic is cleaned and sorted by color: it is a meticulous job that must be done with great care.
Once sorted, it is then compressed and taken to a new storage center where it is reprocessed: at this point, small plastic fragments are obtained, which can be further processed to become what we want, and in our case, we want ethical, green, and sustainable bottles from many perspectives.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SEA PLASTIC, YOU CAN READ THE IN-DEPTH ARTICLE HERE.
No-frills, multi-functional packaging
We never use secondary packaging if we can avoid it: no little boxes or other elements that are not essential or functional. No frills required!
Whenever possible, we try to suggest new uses for our packaging, such as the aluminium jars of our hand creams, or we give them a dual function ourselves, as in the case of the little Biocao and Maticao boxes that become bookmarks, or the little Christmas houses that can be used as lanterns.
Everyday life at La Saponaria
What happens in our laboratory? Our commitment is on-going, because these are things we really believe in! Here are some small actions through which we strive to be greener every day!
Our coffee machine does not dispense disposable cups: everyone brings their own!
No plastic bottles in our bins! We use tap water, with a purification system, and our own water bottle!
Only recycled paper for our printer!
As little plastic as possible in our warehouse! We protect your purchases using only paper.
We have installed an electric car charging station in our car park and all customers are welcome to use it!
We love to do our own special kind of team building, followed by a friendly drink!
Here we are in Fiorenzuola di Focara with our friends from Sea Shepherd, whom we’ve also chosen as our partner for our Blue Friday 2021!
We need you!
Help us in this battle and join the #solids team!
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Here we are at the port of Pesaro with the friends from Cleaners Team Pesaro, whom we have chosen as partners to celebrate our #plasticfreejuly 2023.
We have collected a huge amount of waste in a community-wide clean-up event!
