Saalt Wash in PCR tube.

Period Positive. Plastic Negative.

By: Cherie Hoeger, CEO & Co-founder

Happy Earth Day! 

Here are 3 ways we’re working to keep Mother Earth’s backyard plastic free.

Call us over-achievers, but we've never been satisfied with the status quo.

Here are 3 things we're doing this Earth Day to reduce our plastic footprint and double our efforts to clean up plastic waste and give it a second life through the circular economy.  

People:

1. Saalt is the world’s first period care brand to certify as Plastic Negative.

To celebrate Earth Day, we’ve teamed up with rePurpose Global to be the first period care brand to certify as Plastic Negative, which goes beyond just offsetting our own plastic footprint to be Plastic Neutral. Instead, we’re pledging to remove twice as much waste from the environment as is generated in our supply chain or the equivalent of 200% of their plastic footprint by funding the cleanup of low-value plastic waste that would otherwise be landfilled, burned, or flushed into our oceans every year. 

    And the best part? The funds benefit those that need it most by providing higher-paying jobs for waste workers and supporting recycling programs for impoverished communities most affected by plastic waste.  

    Products:

    2. Saalt Wash tubes are now manufactured with 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic.

    At Saalt, reusable and sustainable is our MO, which means we’re constantly looking for ways to improve the environmental sustainability of our products and supply chain. Although Saalt products are inherently sustainable because they are reusable, our Saalt Wash has been one exception that uses plastic because there are few safe and reliable packaging options for liquid gels. As a B Corp committed to reducing environmental waste, we were determined to find a more sustainable solution. Yet, what we found is that there are no easy answers in trying to go plastic-free. First, we looked at aluminum. Could aluminum tubes with internal linings even be recycled? And most options still required the use of plastic caps. Retailers also require aluminum tubes to be shipped within a box, which means extra packaging to protect them from being dented in transit. Aluminum tubes also don’t stand well on their own, so some retailers won’t carry them. In the end, we found that leaning into the circular economy by re-using existing plastic waste was a better alternative. We’re hopeful that as packaging technology improves, we can continue to source more sustainable solutions, but sometimes businesses have to take baby steps. We hope the net result is many small wins for our planet. 

    Planet:

    3. We are helping clean up plastic waste from Hawaii's beaches.

    Did you know that single-use tampon applicators are among the top items found on beaches?

    To celebrate Earth Day, we’ve partnered with Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii to sponsor large-scale cleanups of Hawaii’s beautiful shorelines and support waste diversion services.

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