Soap Bars Gain in Popularity as Consumers Aim to Reduce Plastic Waste

It was encouraging to read recent media reports that sales of soap bars increased in 2018 as consumers try to cut down on plastic waste. This is a great piece of news to start the new year.

According to the retail data collected by Kantar Worldpanel, sales of bar soaps grew faster than liquid soaps and shower gels suggesting that shoppers are entering a new conscious age.

Sir David Attenborough was speaking at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The naturalist and broadcaster has warned that human activity has taken the world into a new era and he admitted that even he has been surprised by the speed of the damage caused to the environment during his career. We simply can’t stand back and do nothing because we only have one world.

The message has started to filter through. Most of us are using eco-friendly versions of plastic shopping bags which have largely been replaced with bags for life and there is now a huge choice of reusable coffee cups for coffee lovers. Our attention has turned to other products and now bars of soap and shampoo bars are gaining in popularity because we want to avoid using plastic bottles; many of which are single use plastics.

The data makes sense too. If we are turning to more natural personal care products why wouldn’t we also want to reduce our impact on the environment?

Why is bar soap better for the environment? Well for a start liquid soap uses about five times more energy than is required to make a bar of soap and liquid soap uses far more packaging which is usually plastic.

You can buy bar soap to reduce your carbon footprint or you can go even further and make your own. Why not join one of my soap making classes and learn to make your own soap which is cruelty free, plastic free and palm oil free. So not only is this option much kinder to your skin it is also much kinder to the environment.

Achieving a plastic free lifestyle is a journey that we must all take together. For some tips read my previous blog Five Ways to a Plastic Free Life. Every small change makes a difference and in the words of one of my favourite conservationists, Dr Jane Goodall, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”   

So let’s lather up and show our love for the planet!

Reference:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/06/barred-soap-back-brits-avoid-plastic-bottles/