The Nivea and Flora & Fauna Soap Pollution in Australia

All people are aware of that washing hands with soap and water is good for health, but packaging of liquid soap for all applications will almost surely come in a plastic bottle with plastic pump and plastic dispenser technology, add much more of disposable plastics that cause of plastic pollution waste to Australian environment. Most people are not aware that the metal spring found inside all pumps renders them unable to be recycled (Mulley, 2019). However, Plastic waste and what to do with it is becoming a huge problem for Australia After China, Malesia and Indonesia stopped accepting Australian plastic wastes. The crisis to our environment is getting too big to ignore (Koop & van Leeuwen, 2016) . The substantial damage caused by the consumption cannot be carelessness — harrowing reports flood our feeds telling us that by 2050 our oceans may contain more plastic than fish (Rosmarin, 2019). In addition, liquid soaps packaging impact in terms of environmental health. While this liquid soap packaging adds more impact on the waste cycles system and more responsibility at the individual consumer.

Millions of plastic bottles are polluting our environment -- but they do not need to. Container deposits can virtually eliminate littered bottles, also Plastics are choking marine life, our waterways, and our bodies (Australian Government, 2018 & The Story of Stuff Project, 2018). Moreover, around 95% of the plastic used in Australian houses end up in landfill where they sit for hundreds of years, adding to the 20 million tonnes of garbage added to landfill in Australia alone (Lambert, 2019). This massive number of plastic bottles impact fish with cling wrap and perhaps contaminating the water we drink. Thus, Sydney Water removes over one million plastic bottles yearly before they can get to beaches (Sydney plastic water bottles pollution, 2018). There are many factors that impact on how Liquid soap plastic bottles waste has and is being addressed. Some of these are detailed below.

Environmental

Australians believe it must protect oceans, wildlife and nature because these are critical to maintaining the balance of nature. For instance, 94 per cent of Australian sees that the most important thing is to protect Great Barrier Reef ocean of environmental plastic waste pollution (Woodward, 2019). Thus, substantial amount of discarded plastic wastes in landfills, oceans and natural habitats Australia, need to reduce the impacts by decreasing the use of the plastic in general and save our environment. The biggest two brands in Australia have already taken action to reduce the negative impacts of plastic bottles of soap on the Australian environment are companies as Flora & Fauna and Australian Natural product.

Social

Plastic bottles could affect human health when the fish ingestion of micro/Nano-plastics. For example, since microplastics have been detected in foodstuffs, such as seafood 95–97, sugar 98, beer 99, salt100, and honey98, and in drinking water64,93 the potential for human exposure is real (Rhodes, 2018). Therefore, plastic waste not only impacting our environment and animal, but it also ends up affecting human health.

Legal

Australian Government work with state, territory and local governments, and all industry national wide, to support and encourage the reduction of bottles plastic waste and litter. In April 2018, ministers agreed for the APCO to set the ambitious target of 100% of Australian packaging being recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. Also, the government is taking a huge step ahead to solve the issue of stopping millions of plastic bottles entering our oceans(intext). However, reduce the usage of the plastic bottles by sweeping to other product that is eco-friendly will help Australia to reduce this huge problem(intext). The Australian Government partners with other jurisdictions and industries to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic packaging through the Australian Packaging Covenant, the Covenant requires companies to come up with a new way to design more recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2019).

Economic

The Plastic Bottle Manufacturing industry has recorded a stronger performance, with revenue anticipated to rise at an annualised 1.5% over the five years through 2019, to $1.6 billion (Youren, 2019). Thus, Environmental concerns have prompted companies to focus on sustainability. The impact of plastic is huge, and the government is encouraging bottles manufactures to reduce the impact number of bottles supply and finding a substitutional eco-friendly product to decrees the impact on our environment within next five years.

Nivea and Flora & Fauna are two of the most popular brands in Australia that start changing their strategy to reduce the impact of the liquid soap packaging to Australian environment. Nivea is having star it a new packaging philosophy by a very environmentally motto “reduce, reuse, recycle” (World is our Skin, 2019). This new philosophy by Nivea start reducing the impact of plastic bottles waste to Australian environment and it saved energy, raw materials and emissions (Life-Cycle Analyses – Our Holistic Approach, 2019). Also, Nivea with the new plan made zero waste to landfill by implementing to all Nivea production waste to turned into new material or source of energy to reused again. On the other hand, Nivea also improved their packaging and changed to more eco-friendly material by designing a new lighter packaging of liquid soap bottles types (Same High Quality –Less Packaging Waste, 2019). For example, by decreasing the weight packaging wall thickness, Nivea reduces the weight of the bottles by 2g, this changes it saved around 20t of packaging materials with same High-quality packaging (Same High Quality –Less Packaging Waste, 2019).

Australian government required “companies that produce or sell packaging and packaged products to come up with ways to design more recyclable, compostable or reusable packaging' by (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2019). Thus, Nivea introduced refill packs for liquid soap. By refilling Nivea Hand wash liquid bottle from this pack instead of purchasing a new bottle, this refill packs had reduced the plastic waste by 75 %. However, Nivea as a part of Beiersdorf is aiming for 100% recycled all material in plastic by 2025 (packaging, 2019). Reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole life cycle, while increasing quality of life.Flora & Fauna is one of the most Australian Natural products that produce a natural of vegan beauty and lifestyle products and are constantly growing them to include even more makeup, vegan bags and soap with over 5000 products (Flora & Fauna, 2019).

Australian Government, along with states and territories and industry, is working to reduce the amount of plastic waste, increase recycling and decrease the impact on the environment (Plastics and packaging, 2019). This includes supporting industry to design more sustainable solutions before they enter the environment to reduce waste of plastic. Thus, Flora and Fauna have created a new path to reduce the impact of liquid plastic bottles on our environment by producing a bar soap. This bar soap comes in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper. The bar soaps are a sustainable, affordable and eco-friendly option, as the entire bar, including its post-consumer recycled paper packaging, is biodegradable (Telegraph & Evening Telegraph, 2019). However, Australian people are more aware than ever before about the crisis of plastic to our environment (Vince & Stoett, 2018). This product of Flora & Fauna was really loved by consumer because conveniently hold a bar of soap and is easy to use, long-lasting, and can generate copious amounts of aerated lather (REF). All those benefited provided by the new product of Flora & Fauna to attract the customer to switch from liquid soap to bar soap to save our plant and more benefit to the consumer. Therefore, the sales growth of bar soap had increased in the last 12 months by 3% in Australia, soaps are driven in part by environmental factors, but also economic ones, as the bars last such a long time (Environment News Australia, 2019).

Both brands have a great idea of producing high-quality soap and reducing the impact of plastic on our environment. However, there is some key point that gives advantage to one brand more than another. Nivea ideas are still using plastic refill packs for liquid hand wash. As mentioned earlier people are not aware that the metal spring found inside all pumps renders them unable to be recycled (Mulley, 2019). This pumps even will last long time but one day will end up in a landfill. In contrast of Flora & Fauna idea was to change from liquid soap to bar soap that comes in a wrapper pack, on top of this soap will last for long time also it is 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper (Flora & Fauna, 2019). In addition, bar soap would also lead to reduced economic and environmental costs as no plastic bottles will be required, reducing waste, recycling, and transportation costs (Caicedo-Casso et al., 2019). However, even with plastic only 1 in 5 people consistently recycle items from the bathroom. Also, liquid wash bottles are often recyclable, keep in mind that recycling is resource-intensive and causes pollution too. Not using plastic is always better choice.

Recommendations

Increasing Awareness Of Plastic Pollution Amongst Australian Consumers

Consumer should avoid using single soap bottled at all costs. Also, consumer must be aware of the complex nuances of which forms are acceptable (bottles or recycled wrapper?) and where they plastic bottles can be deposited. Incorporating ocean education, pollution, and waste management into schools through curriculum changes and events, could be highly valuable (Pettipas, Bernier & Walker, 2016).

Industry Packaging System

Many Australian people are set up to urge government to ban harmful single-use plastics bottles by 2023 (Petition, 2019). This plastic bottle are used for once and pollute environment forever (Petition, 2019).