There’s so much behind-the-scenes information and decision-making when it comes to sustainable packaging, and brands generally don’t share that with their customers.
But, as part of our brand value to be honest, we’re going to tell you everything we know and why we’re doing what we’re doing.
When we ventured into using sustainable packaging for our products, we evaluated so many options – refillable plastic bottles, refill pouches, even plastics made from food crops such as corn. The problem with these ‘solutions’ is that they come with their own set of problems; they’re not recyclable or in the case of the food-based plastics, they consume valuable arable land that could be used for food production.
When it comes to sustainability, there is no ‘silver bullet’ to take care of everything – it’s about trial and error, and doing as much as you can with what you have.
So we decided to reuse plastic that had already been in circulation and was ready for a second life. We originally planned to use 100% recycled HDPE (it’s one of the most recyclable plastics out there), but the cost is unfortunately still prohibitive for most businesses, like Unwritten, that are trying to do the right thing. This is largely because there’s not enough recycling infrastructure and recycling businesses offering this service to help build a competitive pricing scale in this market.
Right now our bottles consist of 30% recycled plastic, but things are evolving rapidly in this space and we’re confident that over the next few years, we’ll be able to transition our bottles to 100% recycled materials.
Watch below for more insight into Unwritten’s sustainability commitment and the pillars driving us towards a better tomorrow, or you can read more here.