Whenever we introduce a new product here at Outlaw, we put a lot of thought into all the sustainability considerations. As with anything, there are many sides to every decision, and every decision has impact.
The refill pouches are our newest effort in the journey in pursuit of greatest sustainability. They're great because:
- They deliver more body wash for every order, reducing the carbon footprint of the orders
- They're designed to extend the life of our aluminum bottles, and longer life packaging is better
- They are flexible, so we can fit them in a variety of sizes of boxes (which means we can ship them with other stuff without having a billion different box sizes)
- The price of the pouches isn't cost prohibitive, so we actually can afford to buy them
- They do not have to be customized so we can order components and make them according to demand (not a lot of overproduction)
- Ounce-for-ounce, the body wash ends up being about half the price
But they're still plastic.
Even still, we decided they were the best option available, when compared to:
- Cartons - not recyclable because of the coating required to make it waterproof
- Rigid plastic bottles - difficult to ship efficiently
- Glass - breakable, expensive, and heavy
- Bigger aluminum - difficult to ship, heavy, and expensive
- Biodegradable anything - gums up the recycling machines if not biodegraded
Technology is always changing and improving, and I'm always reading the newest issues of Beauty Packaging Magazine (seriously, that's a real magazine) for the latest.
As things come out, they tend to be very expensive (like the pulp containers that can be planted... cool, but $$$), and we have to walk the line of what people can afford. We always try to make our products at a price that are within the reach of the average person.
But over time, as more companies adopt sustainable packaging, the cost comes down. The only way companies find value in sustainable options is if YOU, the person buying the products, values sustainable options enough to buy them.
We've started with a limited selection of the refill pouches, but demand has been solid. If it continues, we'll add other scents to our line-up!
In the mean time, you can shop body wash refills here.
