Shaftesbury’s First plastic free store

We don’t want to be throwing around the words plastic free without being upfront about where you can find traces of plastic. So here are the quick facts on how plastic free we are:

Out of all our products we are 97.6% Plastic free

For each product we worked out the percentages of plastic (or plastic derived materials), then we divided each percentage by all of our products and added up the total. This total was 2.4% (or 2.38% to be really precise). This is mostly due to the sanitary wear and nappies which have to be lined with PUL in order to be leak proof.

Packaging we send:

We never send any plastic packaging out with our orders. We use paper, cardboard and paper tape (and sometimes left over wrapping paper from christmas!). It is always recyclable and most of the time re-used. You may also recieve corn starch nuggets which can be dissolved in water and are totally safe and home compostable as we sometimes re-use the ones we are sent.

Packaging we recieve:

We do sometimes recieve bubble wrap from suppliers. In these cases we contact the supplier to see if they can change and in most of the cases they have. Any left over bubble wrap is donated to companies who can put it to good use.

Products that contain plastic of any kind:

Bamboo toothbrushes – our toothbrushes have nylon fibres (some with only 40% but it is still plastic based). We are always on the look out for a vegan and plastic free toothbrush but currently we haven’t been able to source one.

Loose tea packets have a bioplastic liner, it is certified compostable (7P0466 DIN EN 13432) so can be commercially composted and home composted in sophisticated set ups.

The biodegradable nappy sacks are a form of bioplastic which takes 2 – 5 years to break down leaving no residue.

Reusable breast pads, reusable period pads, nappes and waterproof bags have PUL liners which is plastic based to act as a barrier for moisture. We stock these as they are reusable and replace using the single use alternatives.

Some bamboo fabrics are mixed with around 10% nylon for the fabric consistency. This includes the bamboo flannels, bamboo terry wipes and bamboo makeup rounds. This is normal for ‘bamboo fabrics’.

The keep leaf bags have a polyester liner to keep it waterproof. We stock this product as it is reusable and replaces single use plastic.

Cosmetic product tins and glass jars often have a plastic liner under the lid in order to create a seal when tightened. It is also a legal requirement for cosmetic product freshness and integrity by preventing contamination.

The straw cleaning brushes have nylon bristles.

Refill containers

Our in store refill products come in plastic containers. The alternative could be stainless steel (as this wouldn’t create any chemical reactions with the products). However, stainless steel would largely increase the weight, creating more carbon on transportation.

All of our 15L and 20L containers are sent back to the suppliers with the SESI ones being cleaned with a peddle powered bottle cleaner and re-filled. Currently all the other containers are recycled.