Sustainable travel: minimize negative ecological impacts
Travelling has not only positive aspects. Tourism can have a particularly negative effect on nature if the ecological aspects are not considered in holiday planning. Thanks to the low prices of airline tickets, exotic places can be visited at low prices. A trip to Australia, Maldives or the Far East can be booked as a bargain with a little luck. However, the cost of travel cannot be saved for nature and the environment has to endure the extra CO2 emissions of the aircraft. The growth of the travel industry not only damages the air, but aquatic ecosystems are severely affected by plastic and artificial materials. Although tourists usually have little concern about the future environmental situation of the places they visit, there are always several people interested in sustainable travel. The concept is based on the idea that restful places should be available for future generations. Therefore, travel should be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Our shampoo bars are the ideal solution for hair and body care during travels because shampoo and shower gel can replace optimally without generating plastic waste. Since they consist only of lyes and vegetable oils, our hair soaps are completely degradable and safe for aquatic life.
Travelers are not allowed to bring all the care products they normally use at home for a variety of reasons, either because airlines restrict the use of liquid detergents or because there is not enough free space in the suitcase.
The purchase of detergents directly in local supermarkets or drugstores not only costs more money (usually, prices in holiday resorts are more expensive than in local drugstores), but care products are usually only used and left minimal during the stay. Especially for the homecoming, care products have even less space available in the suitcase. Souvenirs and nice products from the local handicraft have priority and the liquid shampoos end up half full in the dustbin. The consequences for the environment are not the only concern that tourists have when they buy care products abroad.
In distant countries, the same regulations do not apply to cosmetic products as in the European Union and the use of harmful artificial substances, which are banned in Germany for health reasons, could be allowed in other countries. As a solution, various manufacturers of shampoos and shower gels also offer their products in travel sizes (with reduced contents) in order to transport the same products with less space on holiday.
The small bottles are approved in the aircraft cabin and contain only the amount of shampoo needed during the stay. The problem? Travel-size care products generate even more plastic waste. The contents of the small bottles are quickly gone, but plastic packaging can remain in the environment forever.
The adverse effects of plastic on the aquatic ecosystem
The waste of care products contributes to the increase of plastic waste in holiday resorts and is particularly harmful to coastal cities. The GESAMP study on ocean microplastics has clearly shown how dangerous plastic is for the sea. Microplastics mix with aquatic nutrients (plankton and phytoplankton) and are consumed by all creatures, from small crustaceans to whales. In the digestive system of dead fish and seabirds, plastic parts of various sizes are found, but the most common plastic (microplastic) found in the body of aquatic creatures cannot be seen with human eyes.
Where did the microplastic come from? Microplastic is added to the formulation of cosmetic articles for various purposes. These small particles cannot be filtered in wastewater treatment plants and are forced to land in the sea through the wastewater. Environmental associations criticize the cosmetic companies that add microplastics to their products and have published a list showing all articles that contain microplastics. The aquatic ecosystem is not only attacked by primary microplastics, but every piece of plastic in the sea is slowly broken down and transformed into microplastics. Microplastic is slowly generated from normal plastic, such as a plastic bottle or bag. Especially in beautiful places, which attract many tourists because of their beaches, disposable plastic packaging should be avoided. In reality, the GESAMP study shows how in tourist coastal cities, the environmental situation deteriorates because too many disposable plastic packages end up in the water. Not only plastic but also other synthetic materials can endanger aquatic life. The liquid shampoos contain so many different ingredients in the ingredients list that it is impossible to estimate their environmental damage accurately. Companies are constantly developing new chemical substances whose effects on the environment are not yet known. Our hair soaps help to reduce plastic waste on holiday and avoid the introduction of synthetic substances into wastewater.
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CERTIFIED NATURAL COSMETICS
