| Plastic? - Why There Has To Be A Question Mark |
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First of all, we have to say that Herbolution is going to be 99% plastic-free (currently 85%).
Why did we choose to go for it and make our business more complicated? Well... keep reading… So many things are made of plastic these days that it is very hard even to admit a thought about whether we could possibly live without it, or should reduce our “addiction” to it... We personally didn't ask ourselves that question until we started to come across various EPA reports of how much plastic is disposed each day in US and to see evidence of waste accumulation all over the landfills which becomes a problem for every country on the globe. But besides the “wastefulness” of plastic there is another issue that is VERY important for natural healthy personal care products – it is leaching property of many types of plastics. So the choice is only among the “safe” ones. The “Safest Plastics” according to Greenguide.com are:
  Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) containers are recyclable and generally considered the safest single-use plastic-bottle choice. But they are best not reused because studies indicate that after repeated use, porous PET containers may start to absorb bacteria and flavors or leach the heavy metal antimony (an eye, skin and lung irritant at high doses). (soft drink bottles, water bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars)Herbolution concludes: Not a good choice if we want to reduce amount of waste and promote reusing of containers. If we keep using and disposing it, our waters get even more contaminated with leached chemicals than they are at present time.
 High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is both durable and accepted by most curbside recycling programs. Alas, few reusable #2 containers are available.(detergent bottles, milk jugs) Herbolution concludes: It is the last resort acceptable plastic type for us. And it is not actually recycled but "downcycled" to lower quality products. If we have to use this plastic, we will try to choose recycled (downcycled) one to support recycling companies. Not a good long-term choice.
 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), like its cousin HDPE, is a food-safe plastic, mostly used to make food wraps and plastic bags. Recycle.com says "LDPE is recyclable, but it is very expensive to transport because it is so light. As a result most communities do not recycle LDPE."(dry-cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, and food storage containers) Herbolution concludes: this speaks for itself. Its bottom-line is in the landfill and if we use this type, it's going to be reused product that otherwise would go to the landfill.
 Polypropylene (PP), though less recyclable, has not been shown to leach any carcinogens or endocrine disruptors. Readily available in reusable containers. (straws, bottle caps, yogurt cups, cheese containers) (http://www.eartheasy.com/live_recycling.htm)However, the process of recycling plastic #5 is less efficient than other plastics, and the end result has little market value.(Plastic pails, car batteries, wastebaskets, cooler containers, dishes and pitchers) Herbolution concludes: Because after each “recycle” it get downgraded to inferior product, we are discouraged to use it. But Greenguide.com concludes with words that we totaly agree with: All plastics can leach chemicals under certain conditions. As a rule of thumb, do not subject even the most durable plastic containers to high temperatures (microwave or dishwasher; radiators; hot food or drink; direct sun on hot days) And that is one of major reasons why Herbolution chooses to be Plastic-Free!
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