Packaging is something that is at the very heart of Happy You, and always in the forefront of our brains. It’s one of the things we think about the MOST when it comes to creating new products, and we’re constantly re-evaluating it and looking for ways in which we can do better than ever before.
You might be thinking “Why? It is just a container after all.”
Yes, we totally agree, it is just a container, and it would be easy to choose the slickest looking packaging that makes our creations look super luxe, but we go a bit deeper than that. We like to think about the entire lifecycle of our packaging, and the impact it has on this crazy big planet of ours.
The thing is that when it comes to hair products, from an eco-friendly perspective there’s no perfect solution. There are plenty of packaging options out there and we’ve been through them all with a fine-toothed comb to make sure we’re using the best option to allow us to share our beautiful creations with you.
Whether it’s glass, recycled plastic, tin, or even cardboard, each type of packaging has it’s pros and cons. We have to factor in all sorts of things like:
- Is it easy to use? (no one likes glass smashing in the shower!)
- Does it keep our products safe and free from bacteria and mould?
- Is it heavy? (more weight = more expensive shipping, from a $$ and sustainability perspective)
- Where is it made? (sourcing packaging from Australia is definitely preferred to save shipping it around the world)
- Can it be recycled easily? (and in Australia?)
- Is it made from renewable materials?
- Can it biodegrade?
- … and more!
So as you can see, a lot goes into making our packaging choices :)
Recycled plastic bottles
Wherever possible it’s our #1 preference to use recycled plastic. Our reasoning behind this is pretty simple - if we can take rubbish and give it a new life (instead of seeing it end up in the ocean or as landfill) then that’s a massive win in our books!
Our white bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET plastic and are manufactured right here in NSW, not only supporting another small business in a carbon-neutral facility. We love this because it means we're saving resources by not importing packaging from the other side of the world.
Eco-friendly refills
We’re hopinh to release eco-friendly refill options in early 2021, so keep your eyes peeled for this! Think more compostable bags, larger post-consumer-recycled bottles, less plastic pumps… we’re incredibly excited!
Shipping your orders
Once we’ve put the lid on your favourite Happy You product we don’t stop thinking about packaging. It’s time to think about how we package your beautiful products so that we can transport them to you safely and with minimal impact on the environment.
When we’re packaging your orders you’ll notice we might alternate between shredded paper or little white packaging peanuts. There’s a pretty common misconception that our packaging peanuts are made from plastic but (good news!) they’re not - they’re made from potato starch and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Yay :)
We avoid other plastics wherever we can and choose biodegradable packaging tapes, and we even have an option at our checkout for you to choose a minimal packaging option, in case you’d like to opt out of receiving brochures and notes to save on paper.
Recycle with us and earn free products
If you haven’t already heard about our Happy Earth Recycling Program, it’s a program we’ve set up over on the Happy Skincare website to help “close the loop” when it comes to our packaging. It allows us to make sure our impact on the earth is a positive one, and there are discounts and reward points waiting for you if you’re like to take part!