PRODUCTS that rally environmental sustainability are off in a backlash - as much as they keep on saying that we should be friendly to the earth, their shelves are lined up with products in plastic bottles that are all ready to be thrown out as soon as they are empty.
However, it is not being hypocritical. A larger authority is preventing these companies from reusing or recycling these containers.
Human Nature's 5th 2018 magalogue issue, for example, explained that as much as it is conceded that refilling will highly reduce the number of plastic wastes in the future, public health safety policies would not easily allow them to implement such.
In their release, they said that they have already discussed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make the refilling of their products possible. Human Nature's products range from oils, creams, shampoos, cosmetics, and others.
However, FDA has implemented "restrictions in the refilling of personal care products to protect customers from microbial contamination of reused bottles."
Some personal care brands in the US and certain European countries already have stations for their products that successfully met standards to fight microbial contamination.
If this is implemented in the Philippines as well, we not only cut costs in the production and purchase of containers -- we can also curb the making and disposal of plastic wastes itself.
Human Nature also states that they are about to pilot test refilling stations for home care products in their main store in Quezon City.
Other cosmetic brands have also successfully made their refills sold in biodegradable packets such as powder refills.
For now, customers should understand that as much as it would truly be a great leap for the personal products enterprise to ditch plastic containers, formulating their products to become solid may compromise the quality of the merchandise and may harm the end users.
Much research is needed for products-not just home and personal care ones -- to allow them to no longer depend on non-biodegradable containers while still being gentle on the consumers. One of which is the prevention of bacterial contamination.
Human Nature would also like to persuade their patrons and other environment advocates to write to the FDA "to push for refilling programs - not just for Human Nature, but all of your household products."
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