As part of our commitment to Earth via our Laudato Si’ Action Plan, we are inviting everyone who shares in our charism to take a monthly Eco-Challenge with us.
Ban plastic bottles from your bathroom
Have you considered buying bar soaps, shampoo and conditioner rather than liquid body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in plastic containers?
70 years of plastics innovation comes at an environmental cost. Did you know?
- There have been 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics produced since 1950.
- 70% of plastics have become waste, and 90% of plastics are still in existence.
- Plastic containers might be recycled, but more than likely, they will become plastic pollution that is seeping into our environment, causing harm to our health and environment.
- Packaging, including for items like body wash, shampoo, and conditioner, accounts for 45% of plastics and quickly becomes waste.
When we throw plastic away or even recycle it, it doesn’t disappear. If it is recyclable and makes it to a recycling center, it is usually downcycled- made into a less recyclable product. Most of it doesn’t get that far.
Just like with cancer, the plastics industry has known since 1966 that there was evidence of plastic pollution in animals. Since 2003, publicity about the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean has helped bring the harmful impacts of plastic waste into public consciousness. The manufacturing of plastic containers for cosmetics can create dangerous health hazards for those workers in the petrochemical plants.
Eco-friendlier options
Ethical companies produce a plethora of eco-friendly soaps, shampoos and conditioners available in bar form with zero plastic packaging. Our sisters and partners have been testing some out, and you can find a few they like on our Recommended Sustainable Products webpage. Of course, you can search the web and find myriad options for different hair types and preferences as well.
Bar products also make it easier to pack. You don’t need to put them in your little one-quart plastic bag and they weigh a little less than liquids, too.
I need to use what I have first. Have purchased bar shampoo. Always use bar soap – Ivory.
I use a shampoo bar from Trader Joe’s. I always use bar soap.
On another note, I have switched my toothpaste to Tom’s of Maine. They have a recyclable tube#2. I called Crest, Proctor and Gamble, to ask why they can’t do a recyclable tube. The response was that they will have one at the end of 2025. I nicely stated that I will be using Tom’s until Crest is in a recyclable tube. I did see the toothpaste “pills” in an Eco-challenge but find them hard to use. So i was very excited to find out that Tom’s has a recyclable tube!