Multipurpose vs. Single Use - The Big Shift & Why it Matters
A historic Global Assessment study was released illuminating the negative impact that humans are having on our earth. And it’s bad. Cutlery like straws and plastic bags are being recognized as top offenders and many countries including Canada are beginning to ban them. Everyone is starting to wake up- but just because a product isn’t in or made with plastic isn’t the full story. We are missing a much bigger problem and opportunity.
Every day we go into our bathrooms and use products like lotion, scrubs, facial wash. When we get hurt, we reach for plastic bottles of Motrin or an expensive CBD rub or single topical pain patch. All of these are single-use products. They are designed to solve a single problem or serve a single function to a consumer and then be tossed. Nature doesn’t work that way. Modern society does. Nature is multipurpose. A single natural compound or ingredient can serve many functions to our health and bodies. That is why ANSHI is multipurpose. We feature a single ingredient in each rub, then whip it with a base carrier blend of oils and pink salt. 6 ingredients max and pretty simple.
The energy, resources, and materials used to make up every single-use product, package them, ship them- it all adds up to a lot of waste. Like the way your garage starts to look when you buy too many things online. Overflowing with empty, wasted boxes. That's modern society, unless we start thinking differently about the products we buy and sell.
Just because a product is organic, and doesn’t come in plastic doesn’t mean energy and resources aren’t being wasted to package, ship and supply that product to your doorstep. We could say the same for our line. And we currently are using plastic with plans to upgrade to hemp plastic very soon. But being eco-conscious is not just making sure all those single-use products are eco-friendly in the way they are produced and sold. It is about a total mind-shift, from thinking we need something different to perform different functions to discovering what nature has given us and using it many, many different ways to promote health and wellbeing in our lives and homes.
The point is, to better take care of ourselves doesn’t mean we need 50 different products laying around the bathroom or medicine cabinet. Maybe, if we all start finding more products that do many things, and cut down on individual single-use product buying we could have a greater net/net impact than simply removing plastic from product shelves. Think about that. When I can use a single bottle of Total Healing Turmeric Transdermal Rub for back pain, my kid's bite, my facial wash, my toenail fungus, my husband's bad neck, and as eye cream. Well, that is value, but it is also eco-friendly. Because instead of a clutter of plastic bottles and creams, one jar is all you need.
In the video above you just see how many products each bottle of ANSHI can replace. Our Classic Himalayan Salt Transdermal Rub has over ten uses including essential oil carrier, facial scrub, face wash, cuticle moisturizer, massage rub, shaving cream, aftershave, face lotion, hair mask, and bath soak. Can you imagine the money you would save at Target having just one product to buy instead of ten?! In our video we did just that - and the visual is impressive.
Do you agree a multipurpose approach also saves energy and waste? What are other ways you strive to be eco-conscious? Chime into the comments below!