Hello Beautiful People!
Today we're diving into the Āether to show you how we created the industry's first fully sustainable, #zerowaste eyeshadow palette.
Why does this matter? Waste and plastic pollution is a massive problem in every industry, but did you know that the cosmetics industry alone takes up 1/3 of all landfill space and produces over 120 billion units of packaging?
That’s why at Āether Beauty, we feel that packaging is JUST as important as clean and sustainable ingredients. Read on for all the details of our zero-waste palette!
All Āether Beauty Eyeshadow Palettes are made of 100% recyclable, FSC-Certified paper. FSC-certified means: the paper is sourced from wood suppliers who “prevent pollution, protect habitat, plant more trees than are harvested, and avoid displacing native peoples, and harming wildlife.”
Most cosmetic compacts and palettes are made of a combination of ABS/PE/PP plastics, metals, and unrecyclable hard plastics. While some of these materials are recyclable on their own, they are not recyclable when combined. They must be separated to their individual components before a recycler will accept them (which is impossible to do by hand). So, this packaging ends up in the landfill despite the good-intentioned consumer who tries to recycle them.
What happens then? The only way for plastic to break down is through photodegradation. When it's exposed to sunlight, it slowly breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic. In a landfill however, the plastic is buried deep in a pile and is rarely exposed to sunlight. Meaning, it may never break down completely.
The plastic that doesn't wind up in a landfill ends up in the oceans. Plastic plus other waste has created what is known as Garbage Island, a pile of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean nearly 600,000 sq miles in size. These floating plastics leach toxic chemicals into the water, get ingested by sea life, and cause massive destruction to the ocean ecosystem.
Our individual palette pans are made of recyclable aluminum. The advantage of aluminum is that it can be recycled and repurposed over and over indefinitely. Plastics on the other hand, when recyclable, can only be reused 2-3 times as the quality degrades with every reuse.
Glass is also infinitely recyclable so it's a great option to choose for your beauty products.
Every Āether Beauty Palette comes with a keepsake Tarot Card. We include these cards to give you some extra inspiration! To help illuminate your inner wisdom and awaken you to your unique purpose.
Once you feel this card has served its purpose in your life, either pass it on to a friend or recycle it. Like our palettes, these tarot cards are made of FSC certified paper and water-based soy inks.
Just like the palette itself, our box is made of FSC Certified paper with a water-based-soy ink. No plastics, no mixed materials, and nothing that will end up in a landfill.
Our quest for zero-waste includes the materials we pack and ship our products out to customers in. Separate the materials and recycle the box it came in!
What we use to hold our palettes shut: an elastic. How can you make use of this after your palette is empty? Use it as a hair tie! We know we’re always looking for an extra one.
Sustainability means looking at the whole picture, including ingredient sourcing and selection. We only use sustainably sourced, organic, and fair-trade options wherever possible.
Where sustainability begins in cosmetics: Palm Oil. Did you know that nearly every cosmetic product contains some sort of palm oil or palm oil derivative? In order to grow palm oil, growers burn down forests to clear the land. Animals lose their homes, communities lose their natural land, and air pollution levels rise from the smoke. Not to mention the worker exploitation and labor abuse that is rampant.
All our palm-oil derived ingredients are certified sustainably sourced. They include an RSPO certificate to validate that no deforestation, land burning, or exploitation of workers or local communities were involved.
So why does anyone use palm oil?
When grown sustainably, palm oil is a super-efficient crop - it's easy to harvest and has a low carbon footprint. It would be harder on the environment to replace with a different ingredient in all of the countless products it's used in.
Along with any palm-oil derived ingredients, the rest of our ingredient list is sustainably sourced, organic, and fair-trade wherever possible.
Coconut Oil - Fair-trade & Certified Organic
Shea Butter - Fair-trade & Certified Organic
Rosehip Oil - Certified Organic
Mica - Sustainably Sourced *read our full blog on mica*
Prickly Pear - Certified Organic
Sea Buckthorn Oil - Certified Organic
Moringa Oil - Certified Organic
Lavender Oil - Certified Organic
We've partnered with different charities for all our Āether Beauty product launches to give 1% of product sales directly to the cause. These charities were chosen for each of the elements: earth, air, fire, water, and aether.
Our charitable partner for the future is 1% For The Planet – this organization works with non-profits doing essential work worldwide in the areas of climate, food, land, pollution, water, and wildlife.
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We hope this post was helpful in your journey to #choosebetter beauty and lessen your impact on our earth. Your everyday decisions can have big impacts on this planet we call home. All the <3 to you all!
-Āether Beauty xoxo
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New Moons are a time for recharging, resetting, and planning for the month ahead. It’s a time of new beginnings and direction changes. With Capricorn in charge this month, we’re inspired to #makeithappen, achieve our goals, and lay the groundwork for our future.
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