Nothing feels more refreshing after a morning jog, Bikram yoga session or hectic day running errands than a nice hot shower. You suds yourself up from head to toe, cleanse your tresses with shampoo, massage in a little moisturizer, rinse it all down the drain and grab a towel. You feel great, but wait. Those plastic bottles are landfill-bound—there has to be a better way! (There is.)
Here's the problem with plastic
A few years back, Johnson & Johnson revealed that approximately 550 million bottles of shampoo ended up in landfills every year (in the US alone), which they estimated would fill up 1,160 football fields. Just as troubling, J&J research showed that while 70% of people said they recycle consistently, only about 1 in 5 people said they consistently recycle items from their bathrooms.
We’d venture to guess that we Canadians, who bear similar traits to our neighbors to the south, probably recycle bathroom items at about the same level. Recycling is great, if you do it, and if the plastic bottles you use are even recyclable in the first place.
The reality is: Most of the plastic produced in the world ends up in landfills—a whopping 79% of it according to one study.
Recycling only makes a small dent in our mission to save the planet
While it is getting easier to recycle, and global organizations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are funding recycling projects all over the world, some people will never recycle and others will only recycle when it’s convenient.
We need to rely less on plastic, and that’s something we take very seriously here at Urban Spa. In fact, our founder Jennifer Lewis was so distraught by the amount of plastic she witnessed littering the ocean as she sailed from the Bahamas to Florida as a teen, she couldn’t shake the vision from her head.
Becoming a mom sealed Jennifer’s destiny, she wanted to protect her daughter and the next generation from toxins in food and personal care products. Ultimately, her commitment to making meaningful change informed Jennifer’s mission for Urban Spa: empowering consumers to eliminate plastic with high-performing natural products.
Enter aluminum: A better, more sustainable way to store and preserve hair care products
Believe it or not, 75% of all aluminum produced—since 1888—is still in circulation. Unlike plastic bottles, aluminum is infinitely recyclable, which is why we use aluminum bottles for all of our hair care products. And we’re proud to say, Urban Spa uses 92% less plastic than any other hair care brand.
You know what else is cool about our aluminum hair care product cannisters? Lots! We use a modern dispensing system called bag-on-valve (BOV) technology that uses compressed air instead of chemical propellants (you’re welcome, Mother Nature). BOV cannisters are awesome because they’re non-flammable (less impact on the environment), dispense 99% of the product (less waste!) and have a longer shelf life than plastic bottles.
By the way, our aluminum cannisters also have a one-way valve that protects our sustainable, all natural, vegan hair products from water and air contamination. Take that plastic!
You can make a difference by changing shampoos (and conditioners and hair serums) today
Why buy plastic when you don’t have to?
Doing your part to save the environment doesn’t have to be a huge lifestyle shift – and you don’t have to give up the quality products you love either. Changing your shampoo and/or conditioner to a more sustainable, environmentally conscious brand is a small shift you can make that has a BIG impact.
What are you waiting for? Taking that first step to living an eco-friendlier lifestyle is easy with Urban Spa. Salon-quality hair products in earth-friendly, aluminum cannisters that are all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and biodegradable?! It doesn’t get much better than that.
Do your part for the planet and shop Urban Spa hair products today! We’ll ship them straight to your door.
