Chandler's Soaps >> Environmental Sustainability

Environmental Sustainability

At Chandler's Soaps we try to be as "green" as possible, keeping our environmental impact low and our sustainability high.

Packaging

All our bottles and jars are made from recyclable plastics (PET or HDPE) or glass. When you are finished with the container, please rinse it out and recycle with other plastics or glass as appropriate.

Our soap boxes are made from paperboard, which also can be recycled.

Shipping Materials

We have set up a collection service in our town to collect peanuts from people who receive packages. So any peanuts you receive in your shipment are recycled from a previous use. That's why you might get different kinds and colors in the box.

We do purchase boxes for shipping your products. After some years of trial and error, we discovered that re-using a shipping box is questionable because the integrity of the box can be compromised in the first use and we want your products protected when they are shipped to you.

The boxes in which we receive our raw materials and products are all re-used when possible, or broken down and taken to a recycling center. Packing material is re-used whenever possible.

We're very proud of the fact that we have not purchased peanuts or packing materials (except for the little bubble bags we put the soap in) for nearly 6 years!

Raw Materials

All the raw materials we receive (oils, ingredients, etc) are used up, so there is no waste. The containers are re-used or recycled in the local recycling facility.

When we make soap, there are ends and bits that are trimmed off in order to make the bars square and nice. Those bits and ends become laundry soap for friends and family. None of it goes in the trash.

Garbage and Recycling Disposal

Our shop, where we make most of the product, is located on our family ranch. We don't have garbage pick-up, so everything has to be carefully taken care of. Anything that can be composted is composted for our garden (which includes most of the bits of product left in the bottom of the mixing containers). Paper and burnable items are burned and the ashes are used in the garden or spread in the local woods. All plastics, glass, and metal are taken to the local recycling center. What remains goes to the dump - generally the equivalent of 1 - 2 trash cans per month. We know this because we have to load it all up in our truck and take it there ourselves.

As a result, our environmental footprint is considerably less than most businesses. It would take us a year (or more) to fill up a typical dumpster!

Water

The water we use comes directly from a spring up the hill, where it gravity fed to the house and shop. For all the products we distill the water, removing everything but the pure water. That way we can ensure that nothing unexpected goes into the products.

Water for washing and cleaning also comes from the spring. Since we don't use any toxic products, and generally do the cleaning with our natural soaps, when it goes into the septic system it poses no threat to the environment.

Unlike city or town water systems, our water comes out of the hill, through the house where it is used, into the septic system which uses mother nature to clean and purify it, and by the time it has seeped back into the ground it is only about 500 yards from where it started.

Transportation

One of the down-sides to being in an out-of-the-way location is the fact that there are transportation costs connected with getting just about everything in and out. Wherever possible, we try to minimize those costs by ordering locally, combining shipments and increasing efficiency wherever possible. Just the fact that the office, administration and manufacturing are in or near our home makes it possible to remove the daily commute that would otherwise be necessary!

Summary

All in all, we're very proud of the small footprint we create with our business. It's nice to know that we are able to make natural products and do so without adversely effecting the environment around us or the world at large.