100% post-consumer recycled plastic packaging – packaging becomes packaging again (bottles into bottles!) , it doesn't end up in landfills!

Dr. Bronner's exclusively uses 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) polyethylene (PET) packaging for all its liquid soaps and sugar soaps. We have been using 100% PET and PCR packaging for over ten years, long before it became common practice in the hygiene products industry.

By transforming used plastic packaging into new packaging and new products, we help conserve virgin resources, reduce landfill waste, and capitalize on the energy previously invested in producing those plastic products. Recycling one ton of PET containers saves 56.6 cubic meters of landfill space!

Bottle-to-bottle recycling , which involves recycling used packaging to create identical packaging again, is still a relatively uncommon practice! Most of the time, instead of being directly recycled, the collected plastics are sent to countries like China, where they are used to create synthetic fabrics for carpets and clothing, and then shipped back to the United States for sale. Bottle-to-bottle recycling helps close this loop while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Approximately half of all our recycled post-consumer plastic packaging is made with a resin called CarbonLite, which in turn is made from plastic collected from the streets and sidewalks of the state of California. This means that some of our packaging is made from 100% recycled post-consumer polyethylene (PET), and may still contain some old Dr. Bronner's packaging plastic!

Furthermore, we keep abreast of innovations emerging from research in the field of bioplastics. Bioplastics use renewable resources, such as plants and bacteria, to create plastic that would otherwise be produced from petroleum. This technology is still in the experimental phase and does not yet produce plastics strong enough for our intended use. Moreover, before adopting bioplastics, it will be necessary to ensure that the plants used in their production have grown sustainably, unlike genetically modified corn grown with pesticides, which is often used for these purposes. For now, transforming plants into plastic involves a greater energy expenditure than that required to recycle used plastic. Even so, there is hope that in the future this innovation will be able to completely change the industry.