Our Zero Waste values
Our philosophy led us to think about how our products affect the environment. 🌿
We can measure the impact of our production on the environment by looking at our carbon footprint, that means looking at how much carbon dioxide a person or a business emits into the atmosphere.
We want to make sure that by using our products, our customers have smaller carbon footprints compared to when they use industrial cosmetics.
That’s why we decided to go zero waste.
Here is how we go in our small business to diminish our impact on the environment. 🌍
OUR PRODUCTS ARE SOLID
We decided to make our products in a solid format, since solid soaps and creams don’t need jars, bottles, or pots.
That’s why our products come wrapped in kraft paper or cardboard tubes, to protect them when they are being delivered. The packaging we use is recyclable, biodegradable and reusable.
The label on each product is biodegradable and compostable.
📊 The proof in numbers
Consumers use on average 1 bottle containing 250ml of shower gel per month, per person. Often these bottles can’t be recycled or reused.
Our soap lasts about the same time as a bottle of shower gel and nothing is left once you have finished.
Everything gets used up and nothing goes to waste.
That means 12 bottles of shower gel have been spared per year per person. Do the math for your household.
That goes to show how Comme Avant soap has a much smaller carbon footprint compared to industrial equivalents.
The same goes for our other products 🛁
▪ 1 Comme Avant shampoo bar = 250ml bottle of shampoo
That means 4 bottles of shampoo per person won’t be thrown away into the environment
▪ 1 moisturising cream bar = 1 pot of face cream, 1 tub of body lotion, 1 lip balm
That means at least 4 plastic pots of cream, 6 tubes of lotion, 5 lip balm containers aren’t out polluting our seas, oceans, rivers and soil!
OUR REFILLS
Our toothpaste and deodorant have refillable containers. You can keep on using the container even when you’ve finished.
The toothpaste pot and deodorant tube are handy the first time you buy them, then you can either buy a refill or decide to put them in a glass/jar/other containers you might already have at home.
The refills are in brown paper kraft bags and are entirely compostable or biodegradable!
OUR PARCELS
We’ve also decided not to overpack our products and parcels. You won’t find an invoice, a bill or plastic-covered parcel. Just kraft paper that we sometimes put in to make sure your orders don’t get damaged. 📦
Small orders come in strong cardboard envelopes. We encourage our clients to order more than one product or to order with friends and family so the delivery has the smallest environmental impact possible.
📍We still have to fix the plastic strapping issue. The problem is, it’s necessary for security and prevents theft. We chose plastic straps for efficiency, we’re currently looking into a plastic-free alternative. All our parcels are cardboard boxes, so don’t forget to recycle them by putting them in the right bin! Or use them to send your own parcels or if you move house.
OUR SUPPLIERS
Reducing waste can also be done by working with your suppliers. We explain to our suppliers what we are trying to achieve and our zero waste goals. Some really understand and work hand in hand with us, some not so much. When looking for a new supplier, we make sure they are prepared to go the extra mile and understand our needs. It’s a new criterion when looking for a supplier.
OUR DAY TO DAY LIVES
In our workshop and in our offices we would love to be able to say that we are 100% zero waste. We are totally transparent so we must say that sadly we aren’t totally zero waste (in the office and workshop). It’s especially hard to be zero waste in an office and in society in general. That’s why we’ve made a concerted effort to try and limit our waste as much as possible. We have 4 recycling bins :
▪ Glass
▪ Cardboard
▪ Cans
▪ Plastic
We also have a compost bin. The organic waste from our staff rooms is then turned into compost and used for our permaculture garden.
We replaced our capsule coffee machine with a coffee bean one in our staff/break room. No waste to recycle as there’s no more waste!
The coffee grounds are reused in the vegetable patch or as a natural body scrub.
In the workshop we work with ELISE Méditerranée (French company), they help us recycle all our material. We are proud to work with them because they combine environmental protection and create jobs for people that are in the process of social reintegration.
Here is how much we recycled in 2020:
▪ 2 405 kg of paper and cardboard were recycled
▪ 41 trees were saved
▪ 55m3 of water was not used, the equivalent of 277 baths
▪ 12 469 kWh of energy was spared, that’s what the average household uses in 30 months
▪ 829 kg of CO2 wasn’t expelled into the atmosphere. That’s a 75 hours drive in your average car
And 24 hours of paid work for people that are in difficult circumstances.
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We concentrate on managing how much waste we produce while also making our products in the most socially and environmentally respectful manner possible. 🌱
We know that plastic is problematic and that many of you totally reject it, but we just want you to know that it’s hard to find a compromise and that we are really trying our best, we are looking for an alternative. 💪
We always like hearing your advice and tips, so please don’t hesitate to tell us how we could improve. 👨💻👩💻