Core Values || Sustainability

Let’s dive into the second core value of Searl Soap Company: Sustainability

To start, I want to go back to what drove me to begin this little company in the first place and read you an excerpt of a blog post I wrote a few weeks before launching Searl Soap Company. 

“I’m on a mission. My mission is not just fueled by glaciers melting, garbage patches floating in the ocean, sea creatures starving to death with a stomach full of plastic beads, genetically modified seeds growing food which seems to be creating a wide range of allergies and sensitivities, body wash and shampoos filled with chemicals that are messing with our hormones, top soil disappearing, ground water polluted by a melting pot of pesticides, or big box stores and online giants shutting down small independent stores. It's fueled by all of it, and more.

"Let's begin living sustainably in all aspects of our lives because they are all connected - our lives, our impact and our future.”

This sums up my heart behind sustainability still today. It’s a very broad area that can unfold in many different ways. So, I thought the best way to give you a snapshot of what sustainability looks like at Searl Soap Company is to simply touch on a variety of examples of how this plays out.

Big Picture Sustainability

There is a continual movement towards zero waste in production methods and beyond. I even collect garbage at markets to sort through appropriately once I get home. Our family of 5 with two home based businesses currently creates about a ¼ can of garbage per week. 

A great example of thoughtful production methods is a waste audit I did while making new molds for my dish soap pucks. Check out this Instagram reel on how it went. I surprised myself!

I always design my products to be as long lasting as possible while balancing an effective formula, user friendly size and functionality. I also aim to make every product as multipurpose as possible. Needing less products less frequently is a good thing in so many ways!

I work hard to educate my customers through every avenue I can think of on how to use the products, extend their life and discover their versatility so products are used effectively to the fullest, and not tossed aside or wasted.

Every product is designed to reduce waste and comes to you in plastic free zero-waste packaging. The goal is always to provide waste free alternatives, refillable when possible, for items you use every day without sacrificing quality or effectiveness. 

On that note, my stain remover laundry bar is a star! It has saved countless clothes—and more—from stains, helping to prevent these items from being thrown away, significantly reducing waste and the resources required for making replacements for these items.

Whenever possible, the ingredients chosen are organic and/or non-GMO because these are not just going to be better for us, but also the soil they grow in and surrounding environment.

Every product I make is not harmful to the environment, including when it goes down the drain. So many of my products - lip balms, loofahs, cloths, sponges - actually add nutrition to soil at the end of their life as they’re composted!

I only offer sustainable shipping, using reused boxes and packaging materials collected from family, neighbours and local small businesses, and a tree is planted for every order shipped to offset the carbon emissions and so much more for years to come.

I source my ingredients and supplies as locally as possible, some coming from my garden and local farmers within a few kilometers from my home-based workshop. All of my ingredients come from Canadian suppliers.

Day-to-Day Sustainability

For protection and to not leave fingerprints on soft soap, gloves are often required. I reuse gloves many times over, until they fall apart, before throwing them away. I bought a box of disposable gloves a couple of years ago and you can barely tell I've dipped into the box yet!

Many of my soaping dishes, utensils and containers are either repurposed household items or have come from thrift stores.

When it was time to find a more permanent solution than a portable cooler to hold local pickup orders, I held out for a small decommissioned fridge. The wait was long, and I was often tempted to buy something new, but the desire to repurpose an appliance that might otherwise end up in a landfill—and to avoid the environmental cost of new manufacturing—reminded me to be patient. Eventually, I found the perfect little fridge, and our daughter painted up beautifully for me. Now it's a functional work of art at our front door!

I'm still reusing pieces of parchment paper from more than 3 years ago!

Every bit of soap—whether flakes from unmolding or off-cuts from trimming—is saved and put to use. They become laundry soap, stain remover spray, scrap soaps, or are shared with the local homeless shelter. Nothing goes to waste!

Whenever possible, I work with my suppliers making specific requests in regards to their packaging methods so orders are packaged more eco-friendly.

I use very little paper towel as I have a stash of reusable rags from our family's old clothing to use for most of my soapmaking jobs.

I partner with other local businesses to reduce waste, such as working with a local brewery to use beer that would otherwise be thrown away for my shampoo bars. This has a double impact: the beer isn’t wasted and it avoids the extra resources and materials required in making and packaging new beer.

I could keep going, but I’m sure you can see how multifaceted my approach and commitment to sustainability is. I am constantly looking for big and small ways to make an impact!

That’s a quick overview of my second core value: SUSTAINABILITY. To learn more about the remaining two core values of Searl Soap Company—HEALTH and TRANSPARENCY—check out my other posts.

(As always, other than links to my own products, the links included in this post will bring you to more information, not where to buy a product.)