Why Switch to Refillable Bathroom Products? 10 Facts to Know

Why Switch to Refillable Bathroom Products? 10 Facts to Know

We know that living better is something that matters to most of us, but making sustainable choices isn’t always top of our list of things to do; time, availability and choice sometimes work against us. So, in case you need a bit more inspiration, here’s a list of reasons why we all should make easy bathroom swaps top of our to-do list. 

For people interested in living a more sustainable lifestyle, cutting down on plastic use is one of the best areas to begin. We all know that a careless attitude to plastic can be harmful to the environment: but even with our efforts to recycle, sadly, over eight million tonnes of discarded plastic finds its way into the oceans every year.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, only 9% of the plastic waste ever produced since the 1950s has been recycled. Of the rest, only a tiny amount has been reduced to ashes, while the majority has found its way into landfills. But with so many of the most used products, from beauty goods to home essentials, coming packed in single-use plastic, reducing the consumption of plastic is easier said than done.

Fortunately, many growing companies are pushing up their sustainable practices by creating biodegradable packaging, including more eco-friendly ingredients and/or products that can repetitively refill.

Do you know how helpful these refillable bathroom products are? Well, continue reading to know.

Research of LCA Centre says purchasing a refill instead of a whole new product can save up to 70% Carbon Dioxide (Co2), 65% energy, and 45% water. Plus, refills tend to be substantially more economical compared to the original purchase, so buying these can save on the pocket too.

With that in mind, we have noted down 10 of our favourite refillable and plastic alternative bathroom products, helping you choose those simple bathroom replacements:

Bower Collective: A collection of some of the best sustainable products on the market (and you’ll see us up there soon).

https://bowercollective.com/

The Seep Company: 100% compostable and plastic free cleaning tools.

https://theseepcompany.com/

The Fragrance Shop: Some of your favourite fragrances are also available for refill, find out how here.

https://www.thefragranceshop.co.uk/blog/2021/03/refill-your-fragrance-with-these-brands/

Charlotte Tilbury: Charlotte Tilbury’s beautiful range of make-up is now available as refills.

https://www.charlottetilbury.com/uk/products/refillable-makeup-skincare

L'Occitane: As well as sustainably sourcing their ingredients, L’Occitane have been offering eco-friendly refill pouches for their products since 2008.

https://uk.loccitane.com/

We Are Spruce: Not only plastic free, but also pledging low carbon and ecological footprint. Plus plastic free outer packaging which is fully recyclable.

https://www.wearespruce.co/products/bathroom-refills

koh: A simple cleaning system that gets delivered straight to your door.

https://uk.koh.com/

Who Gives a Crap: B-Corp certified, plastic-free and profits donated to building toilets for those without

https://uk.whogivesacrap.org/

We Are Wild: Sustainable plastic-free refillable deodorants. We love them.

https://www.wearewild.com/

Love Ocean: And us! Our subscription programme for both our Bubble Bath and Hair & Body Wash is designed to be easy, cost effective and delivered straight to your door.

https://loveocean.com/collections/pouches

Why Switch to Refillable Bathroom Products?

Based on an evaluation of more than 50 experts in the field, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has found three significant benefits of why we should switch to the refill products:

Cut Costs by Making Compact Products

Supplying refills for reusable, ecological dispensers in highly concentrated form reduces transport costs by 90%. You can take Blueland as an example; it offers window cleaning detergent in a tablet form, compact and easy to deliver. 

Meet Needs through Customisation

Some refillable products allow customers to personalise their purchases. For example, Pepsi Spire, a soda dispensing solution, lets users mix the flavours and personalise the packaging.

Reduces Plastic Pollution

According to London Waste Authority (NLWA), the ‘blue planet effect’ has resulted in 69% of people trying to help the environment by opting for refillable products. This way, they are making moves to reduce plastic pollution.

Why Do We Need to Reduce Plastic Use? Top Ten Facts:

Plastic excess is almost everywhere – shockingly, on average, people throw away 3 million plastic bottles every hour. And that does not even include any other plastic materials such as straws, shoppers, coffee cups, etc.

Here are the 10 staggering facts that may make you rethink your use of plastic (there are endless others!):

  1. National Geographic estimate that every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of putting five bin bags full of plastic on every metre of coastline around the world.
  2. Around 12 million tons or more of plastic are deposited into our landfills on a yearly basis. (Eunomia, 2016)
  3. Surfers Against Sewage estimate there are approximately 51 trillion microscopic pieces of plastic pollution, weighing 269,000 tons. That is equivalent to the weight of about 1,345 adult blue whales. And 500 times the number of stars in our galaxy.
  4. Plastics contribute 80% of all marine debris. (IUCN, 2020)
  5. Less than 30 per cent of all plastics in the UK is recycled. (PlasticsEurope, 2020)
  6. Producing a tonne of plastic generates up to 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide. (Material Economics, 2018)
  7. Around a million mammals and turtles are killed by marine plastic pollution yearly. (UK Government, 2018)
  8. Around 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been discovered per mile of beach in the UK. (Marine Conservation Society, 2016)
  9. About 90% of plastic is generated from fossil oil and gas. (Plastic Atlas, 2019)
  10. Plastic production has been forecast to increase by 60% by 2030 and to treble by 2050. (Centre for International Environmental Law, 2019)

How Can We Reduce Plastic Pollution? Top Five Tips for Help:

One of the primary reasons plastic pollution is such a problem is that it does not vanish: plastics are forever, it doesn’t disappear on its own. Instead, plastic debris breaks down into ever-smallest particles, known as micro-plastics, whose environmental impacts are still unknown.

Everyone can play their part to help solve the plastic pollution problem. In fact, billions of people are already taking action to reduce their use of single use plastic globally.

Here are a few ways that help you in making a difference, starting today:

Reduce Use of Non-Refillable Plastics

Plastic isn’t the enemy but the way we view it as a disposable material is the real danger. And we can change this!

Wherever you live, the most direct way to get started is by decreasing your own use of non-renewable plastic products.

Vote with your wallet and get your voice heard. Switch to reusable, refillable products, including make-up, utensils, coffee cups, water bottles, dry cleaning garment bags.

And when you refuse to use a single-use plastic product, help brands or businesses know that alternatives to single use plastic are much more welcomed.

Spread the Word

Stay informed on concerns related to plastic pollution to make a difference. Tell your friends and family about how they can be part of the solution, or host a viewing party for one of the many documentaries focused on plastic pollution like Garbage Island: An Ocean Full of Plastic and Addicted to Plastic.

Avoid Products Containing Microbeads

In recent years, tiny plastic particles, known as microbeads, have become a viable cause of ocean plastic pollution.

Microbeads are found in some face scrubs, body washes, and toothpaste through the sewer system and affect hundreds of marine species.

Avoid products using plastic microbeads by looking for Polyethylene and Polypropylene on the ingredient labels.

Stores like Selfridges have already banned them from their shelves.

Participate in a Clean-up Program

Protect the ocean by excluding plastic from getting there in the first place by joining in or organise a clean-up event of your local beach.

This is one of the most effective, hands-on ways to reduce ocean plastic pollution.

You can simply go to the beach and start gathering the plastic waste on your own with a bunch of quality friends or locals.

Our guest editor Lorraine Candy spends 5 minutes of every beach visit doing a quick tidy up (and if you read how often she swims, you can imagine the difference she’s made).

You can also join an organisation like CleanupUK to play your part.

Support Organisations Addressing Plastic Pollution

Many non-profit organisations are striving to reduce ocean plastic pollution in various ways, including Plastic Soup Foundation, 5 Greys, and others.

These organisations rely on donations from people like you to clean up the environment; even a penny can make a difference.

Love Ocean supports Plastic Bank as part of our on-going pledge to reduce plastic going into the cycle as well as removing discarded plastic before it reaches the ocean.

Why do we care? A bit about Love Ocean and our company ethos.

Imagine a world where every bottle of bathroom product you buy for your family removes the equivalent of one kilo of plastic from the rivers and streams that are feeding plastic pollution into our oceans – it’s here.

Love Ocean, the new family wellbeing brand, has been created to do just that.

Launched June 2021, Love Ocean is a range of bath-time products designed to be loved, refilled and reused – and to help to protect our oceans from plastic waste.

Founded by mum-of-two Gabi Jennings, who was inspired to address the disposable nature of children’s products, the brand’s signature whale tail bottle – designed by globally renowned design agency Pearlfisher – is intended to become a cherished part of every family’s bath-time routine.

Tactile and inspiring, it will serve as an ever-present reminder of the importance of ocean conservation, uniting parents and children in a conversation about living more sustainably with the world around us.

Love Ocean Community

The Love Ocean ethos is one of education and community and our entire website is designed to encourage and inspire just that.

Founded on the belief that we can only be successful in our conservation efforts when we change our behaviour as a society, busy mum Gabi understands the pressure of making better choices for your home and your children: ‘Running a home is full-time job on its own and sometimes improving our sustainability footprint falls to the bottom of the list. With Love Ocean I wanted to create a brand where doing the right thing is made easy – if we can all do one small thing like reusing and refilling the products we use on a daily basis, collectively we can make a big difference.’

How does Love Ocean Make a Difference?

Love Ocean has partnered with the Plastic Bank to fund the removal of the equivalent of 1kg of ocean-bound plastic with every bottle of Love Ocean sold.

Plastic Bank work with local plastic collectors in Haiti, Philippines and Indonesia. Individuals receive goods and services from Plastic Bank in exchange for the plastic materials they collect to help them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, and health insurance – a scheme that has revolutionised recycling eco-systems.

Why not visit our lifestyle blog for a catch up on the sort of things we get up to or browse our online shop to view our selection of refillable bathroom packs and bathroom product refill subscriptions.

And don't forget to claim your 10% discount code off of your first purchase!