What Is Zero Waste Cosmetics And What Are Its Benefits?
Reducing the amount of waste that we as a society generate is of great importance for respect for the environment and sustainability. Small changes can have a relevant impact to build a better world.
What is zero waste cosmetics?
Today a large part of the population has become aware of the importance of recycling. The zero waste cosmetics movement promotes conscious consumption and reuse to promote care for the environment.
It proposes, in simple terms, extending the useful life of objects through reuse and recycling. Additionally, the movement calls for increasing the amount of biodegradable materials in each product.
Zero waste principles
The concept of waste reduction is based on 5 principles:
Rejection
It is based on rejecting all cosmetic products that contain packaging, packaging or any type of plastic packaging.
Reduction
The reduction covers both consumption and production and waste. For this, better quality products with greater functionalities are used.
Reuse
It is important, for zero waste cosmetics, to consume products that have the potential to be reused.
Recycling
Recycling is an alternative that should generally be left aside. It is suitable for products that cannot be reused.
Composted
The chosen cosmetic products must be compostable.
Benefits of generating less waste
Within the field of personal hygiene it is possible to make considerable changes in the world of zero waste. A large number of these products are usually packaged in single-use plastics and are usually not compostable.
It is more than easy to make a change and reuse instead of throwing away. In this way, less waste is generated and the environmental impact of your hygiene habits will be considerably lower.
It requires, however, a drastic change in mentality. Many brands have begun this transition by using reusable aluminum bottles that can be refilled up to 20 times.
In France, for example, there is the Lamazuna brand that offers reusable makeup remover products, menstrual cups, deodorants, etc. In Spain, on the other hand, the Bambú brand was born as a zero waste, natural and ecological alternative to products for shaving, dental care and others.
Other products available to increase the benefits of reduced waste generation are washable cotton makeup removers, bamboo toothbrushes and stainless steel shavers, among others.
Conclusions
Zero waste cosmetics consists of increasing awareness about what is bought and what is consumed and the impact that these products have on the environment. There are different ways to participate in this philosophy or movement, so you will surely be able to find one that suits your needs.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the paradigm must change towards a cyclical form of consumption where each product fulfills more than one function. If it does not comply, it must be able to be easily composted or recycled.
