When her career shifted to TV production and she had to travel, she kept a toiletry kit full of refillable bottles to cut down on plastic.
After doing some research, she decided to make her own toothpaste tablets–you pop one in your mouth, bite down on it, start brushing with a wet toothbrush, and it turns into a paste similar to one you’d squeeze out of a tube.
The products come with recyclable glass containers and aluminum lids, both of which can be reused, and refills are distributed in compostable pouches.
In 2016, Walmart announced a global goal to achieve 100% recyclable packaging for private brands by 2025, then expanded that to 100% recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable packaging in 2019.
The work they’re doing now is also part of planning for the future of packaging as the influence of younger generations grows.
Germany’s consumer-waste regulations go back at least to the 1990s, when the country made producers and distributors of consumer-oriented packaged goods responsible for collecting, recycling, or disposing of their product’s packaging.
Creating regulations is only half the process, and many countries have struggled with implementation and enforcement.
Tang Damin, plastic analyst at Greenpeace East Asia, said part of the problem is how top-down the initiative has been–plastic pollution can’t be tackled without consumers wanting to make an effort.
Alan Lowenthal introduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act in early 2020, which would have phased out some single-use products such as plastic utensils and required 80% of plastic beverage containers made in the U.S.
The bill stalled without Republican support, but faces slightly better odds now that Democrats hold a slim Senate majority.
It estimates that the 47 million unpackaged shampoo bars it’s sold in the last 15 years have prevented 3,400 tons of plastic waste.
More recently, the company has been exploring other options for taking liquid out of their products, said Katrina Shum, sustainability manager at Lush North America, making them lighter and smaller.
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