As of November 2020, we are delighted to be replacing our 20g plastic pots with beautiful glass jars for our entire range of waxes and balms.
In a year that has caused many around the world to stop and reflect – not just on our own health, but the health of the planet – now feels like a fitting time to be introducing more changes to our packaging range.
Why have we made this change?
The simple answer is: to reduce plastic waste and offer packaging that is more widely recycled.
We have spent numerous years researching how we can make our packaging more sustainable, without reducing the quality of the products as a whole. Our first significant change was the introduction of our Ecotubs; our biodegradable, compostable and recyclable pots for larger Massage Waxes and Balms.
However, as a company who strives for absolute quality and transparency, we don’t settle easily. We have continued researching ways to improve our packaging’s environmental credentials and it was time to give our 20g pots some attention. As the smallest size in the range, Ecotubs were not practical for our 20g waxes and balms. The obvious choice was small glass jars with aluminium lids.
What impact will this have?
Replacing our 20g plastic pots may feel like a relatively small initial change, as the majority of therapists tend to purchase larger pots. However, context is key. Not only do we sell our 20g pots individually, but they also make up our Starter Packs, and are supplied to therapist training courses around the country. As such, we get through thousands of 20g pots every year. So, that’s thousands of pots that will now be more easily recycled each year.
The plastic pots we have used to date are in fact recyclable, but the recycling facilities aren’t necessarily available to everyone across the country. With our new pots, both the glass jar and aluminium lid are widely recycled, and can be disposed of in people’s usual household recycling waste. The only small piece of waste is the small disc inside the lid (known as wadding), which helps to keep a tight seal. When it comes to waste, we believe a small wadding disc is better than a whole plastic pot.
What about our other pots?
We know the majority of therapists prefer to buy our larger pots of waxes and balms, so this is just the first step in a longer journey.
Transferring all sizes of our waxes and balms to glass jars is not a straightforward solution for a number of reasons. Firstly, manufacturing all of our waxes and balms in glass jars would affect the price of the product, and have an impact on shipping costs (due to the increased weight of larger glass jars). Secondly, larger and heavier glass jars come with an increased risk of breakage if dropped by slippery hands post-treatment. We are also conscious that, while glass and aluminium is much more widely recycled, there is still a significant amount of energy required to repurpose used glass into something new.
So, that’s why we’re busy developing new sustainable packaging for our larger pots, which we believe will have less of an impact on the environment and also complement our new 20g glass jars beautifully. We’re excited to bring you these developments in the near future!
We hope you all enjoy these new 20g glass jars as much as we’ve enjoyed launching them. One of our favourite things about them is how they show off the all-natural colours of our waxes and balms absolutely beautifully; most noticeable in our Cooling and Soothing and Warming and Easing Balms!
As always, we love to hear your thoughts and feedback on our packaging and products. Please do get in touch with us if you have something to share.
