The average person uses nine personal care products each day. Chances are one of the nine products is body wash. In fact, it’s estimated that 232.46 million Americans used body wash in 2017. Regular soap (now referred to as bar soap) has fallen out of favor, and some believe millennials are to blame. The consumer-research firm Mintel found that 60 percent of 18-24 year olds believe bar soap to be “covered in germs after use.” Germs aren’t their only passion point, millennials also claim sustainability is a shopping priority. How sustainable is body wash packaging? Assuming a 10-ounce bottle provides approximately 30 washes means the average person uses 12 bottles per year. It also means 2.7 billion bottles are likely destined for landfills every year. That begs the question: Can you have your body wash and recycle the packaging too?
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the answer is yes. The New Plastics Economy, the foundation’s three-year initiative, is a global effort to rework the plastic system by using circular economy principles. More than forty leading corporations, including the Coca-Cola Company, MARS, and Unilever have endorsed the global action plan aimed at reducing the use of plastic packaging.