EARTH SUDS
People Educated On New Career Skill
Plastic Bottles Diverted
Businesses introduced to Green Practices
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Seeing Opportunity
We dump over 8 million tonnes of plastic into our oceans every year, which is equivalent to dumping a full garbage truck into the water every minute. A large portion of this volume is made up of small format plastics which are plastics that are too small to go through the recycling system. Examples such as hotel shampoo and conditioner bottles virtually all get passed straight to landfills. In Canada alone, 750 million of these small format plastic bottles end their lives in our ecosystems, and we believe it’s time to change the process.
Taking Action
To address the millions of plastic amenity bottles that Canadian hotels send to landfills every year, EarthSuds creates and sells single-use tablets of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Their solid form eliminates the need for plastic packaging. These tablets are 2 cm cubed in size, they dissolve to liquid form under pressure and hot water, and lather more effectively than traditional amenities. The tablets sit in reusable tins on hotel bathroom counter tops, accompanied by an information card that teaches guests how to use the product. They are transported to hotels and stored using small cardboard boxes. The main benefits for hotels include cost savings on waste disposal, an elevated brand image, and an increase in guest satisfaction. Hotel guests also benefit knowing that they’re helping the environment while simultaneously making their hair clean and soft.
Enabling Progress
Our pilot sales took place in Hotel Laurier, and EarthSuds products reached over 100 consumers, with an average consumption of four shampoo tablets per customer. As a result of this elementary sale alone, we estimate to have prevented just over 30 lbs. of plastic from damaging our ecosystems. Over the past few weeks, the business has been in contact with six hotels interested in carrying the product as a trial run. Therefore, in the short-term future, we estimate to divert approximately 273,000 plastic bottles, which results in the diversion of 6,000 lbs. of plastic and the elimination of 36,000 lbs. of CO2 from our atmosphere. As for social impact, EarthSuds directly benefits the community by using profits to fund numerous organized pitches, which focus on inspiring young entrepreneurs to take their ideas to market.
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