SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
REDUCING SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
Annually Plaine Products reports on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate packaging waste, our community partnerships and more.
SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS
Reducing
Single-Use
Plastics
Most bathrooms are filled with plastic bottles that will only be used once before they head to the garbage or recycling can. While recycling plastic is always a good idea, experts agree that it isn’t a solution. Only 5 – 10% of plastic is reclaimed for recycling. Even when it is recycled, most plastic still eventually ends up in a landfill or in our lakes and oceans. Its so bad that in just a few decades, there might be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish. That’s because plastic never really goes away. It’s designed to last forever. It’s hard to imagine, but all of the plastic that’s ever been made is still here, somewhere on the earth.
While plastic makes life (and bottling) easier, we knew there had to be a better way. We decided to use aluminum bottles for several reasons. Historically, aluminum has proven to be a key material in successful recycling programs. Unlike plastic, aluminum is able to be completely recycled without any loss in quality at a fraction of the initial production costs and energy requirements. Plastic can only be recycled once or twice as it is downgraded each time it loops through the process. Our bottles are also strong enough to survive a number of trips. So they will be well worn before we recycle them. They are easily cleaned and sterilized, so we can ensure that our bottles are safe to use again and again.
EcoFriendly Packaging
We are currently working with the local office of Pratt Industries. Their award winning boxes are made from 100% recycled material and, because they are close to our headquarters, we’ve reduced our supply shipping footprint. Best of all, Pratt worked with us to develop boxes that eliminate the need for additional fill. They are strong enough to work for shipping refills and returning empty bottles to be refilled and reused. Because of their durability, we are able to use the boxes an average of five times before they are recycled. We use reinforced paper tape to seal the box to ensure they are able to be recycled when they can no longer be reused.
Circular Economy & the Environment
In the past it’s often been the environment versus the economy, but the Plaine Product’s model supports both. Plaine Products is designed to be part of the circular economy, which functions more like a natural ecosystem: nothing is ever wasted. Also, by cleaning and reusing our bottles Plaine Products is able to create jobs. Research indicates that reuse and remanufacture create 8 – 20 jobs per thousand tons of material compared to 5-10 jobs created per thousand tons of material by traditional recycling.
Circular
Economy & the Environment
In the past it’s often been the environment versus the economy, but the Plaine Product’s model supports both. Plaine Products is designed to be part of the circular economy, which functions more like a natural ecosystem: nothing is ever wasted. Also, by cleaning and reusing our bottles Plaine Products is able to create jobs. Research indicates that reuse and remanufacture create 8 – 20 jobs per thousand tons of material compared to 5-10 jobs created per thousand tons of material by traditional recycling.
ONLY 1 IN 5 PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY RECYCLE ITEMS FROM THE BATHROOM.
