Table of Contents:
Introduction
1) What makes Personal Care unsustainable?
2) What is the Beauty Industry's Role In Sustainability?
3) Greenwashing vs Sustainability
4) How can you create a sustainable personal care routine?
Introduction
More and more people today are aware of how different industries, including personal care, affect the environment. The personal & beauty care industry deals with issues like excess packaging, unsustainable ingredients, and manufacturing processes that need a move towards sustainability.
But the good point?
There’s a growing number of new-age sustainable beauty and personal care brands that aim to minimise the impact of their products on our environment. These brands follow a green production and consumption lifecycle.
Therefore, choosing personal care routines from conscious brands like Pattern can effectively minimise waste generation and save our environment.
Here’s all that you need to know about eco friendly beauty and personal care.
1) What Makes Personal Care Unsustainable?
First thing first, what makes traditional personal care not so environmentally friendly?
> Packaging
Yes you read it right, it’s the packaging. The products often have non-recyclable plastic which can leave residue on our planet. Plastic is cheap and easy to ship, but here's the catch - After our personal care items have served their purpose, recycling poses a significant challenge.
The breakdown process releases harmful greenhouse gases. To address this issue, it's important to consider alternative and more environmentally friendly options for managing our personal care products.
> Ingredients
Many commonly used personal care products available easily in the market have ingredients, such as palm oil and animal by-products, which have severe environmental implications.
Palm oil production is linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss, while animal-derived ingredients contribute to unsustainable practices and harm to animals.
Other unsustainable ingredients include petrolatum, wood-based components, and bisabolol sourced from endangered trees. Though wood is “green” itself, its eco-friendliness can be compromised by unsustainable processing methods. These methods often use fossil-based materials, resulting in hybrids and composites that can't be reused or recycled.
> Production
The manufacturing process of personal care products can be resource-intensive, leading to overconsumption of water and significant waste generation. Such production practices contribute to environmental issues and carbon emissions.
2) What is the Beauty Industry's Role In Sustainability?
New-age personal care brands are recognizing the significance of sustainability by using environmentally friendly formulations and packaging. The industry is clearly making strides towards a greener environment in various important aspects.
> Carbon Footprint
Minimising carbon footprint stands out as a crucial element of sustainability. Personal care brands like Pattern are committed to a greener planet, use eco-friendly ingredients and adopt practices to minimize their carbon emissions.
> Recyclable Packaging
Personal care brands opting for recyclable packaging, including glass and aluminium containers, demonstrate a commitment to sustainability While glass is infinitely recyclable, aluminium is lightweight and easily recyclable. Additionally, plastics like Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are 100% recyclable.
> Refilling
Refilling personal care products reduces single-use plastic waste. By reusing containers, brands minimize the environmental impact of packaging production and disposal.
This simple practice helps conserve resources and promotes a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle.
> Brand Transparency
Truly sustainable brands prioritize honesty in their business practices. Just like Pattern, where we have been transparent bout our products, usage and benefits.
3) Greenwashing vs Sustainability
While there are sustainable personal care brands, you must be careful in distinguishing genuine commitment from "greenwashing."
Some brands pretend to be eco-friendly (greenwashing) by using catchy labels or claims, but they might not actually be as sustainable as they claim. It's like putting on a "green" disguise without truly helping the environment.
So, before choosing a personal care brand, please do your research and choose brands committed to sustainable and ethical practices. You can navigate through the brand’s website and read about them, their vision and products in detail.
At Pattern, we take pride in offering high-quality personal care products with minimal environmental impact. Environmental consciousness is becoming mainstream, prompting more people to understand and act on the environmental impact of their daily consumer choices.
Planting trees is one of the most sustainable activities. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and contribute to a balanced ecosystem.
For the same reason, at Pattern, for every Rs. 10,000 spent by you, we plant a tree in your name.
Know more about this initiative here -
Our Sustainable Products
As a part of our commitment to sustainability, all our products are sustainable. Here’s a list of our products:
1. Balancing Shampoo - or all hair typesF
2. Bounce up Shampoo - For fine hair
3. Color Care Shampoo - For coloured hair
4. Nourishing Conditioner - For coloured hair
4) How can you create a sustainable personal care routine?
You have the power to influence the sustainability of your personal care practices. Consider the following steps to ensure a more sustainable personal care routine:
> Repurpose What You Can
Opt for products in glass containers, allowing for easy repurposing. Repurposing is a sustainable practice, often better than recycling, as it actively utilizes the product.
> Cut Down on Single-Use Products and Plastics
Single-use items and plastic-based products contribute significantly to environmental issues. Explore sustainable alternatives such as reusable cotton for cotton swabs to reduce waste.
> Make Your Products Last
High-quality personal care products often require minimal usage. Using products modestly not only makes them last longer but also reduces the need for frequent repurchasing and excess packaging.
> Only Buy What You Need
Streamline your personal care routine with a few effective products. Minimizing purchases and sticking to products you love reduce unnecessary consumption and waste.
> Recycle As Much As Possible
When a product is empty, check its recyclability and clean it before recycling. Separate mixed materials, like glass and plastic components.Purchase refills to the extent possible.
> Read Ingredient Labels
Despite the complexity of ingredient labels, it's essential to check for unsustainable components like palm oil and petroleum jelly. Being an informed consumer ensures you choose sustainable products.
While saving the planet might seem a big task, it’s our everyday choices that can matter. So, next time, before you purchase that aesthetically packaged beauty product or heavenly fragrant personal care item, please know its consequences on our environment. Let’s protect our planet together.
Happy shopping!
