Walnut Scrubber Sponges (2pk)

This brand is owned by a majority of women. This includes everything from a small one-woman shop to a larger company where more than 51% of women make up the ownership team.

The B Lab is a third-party, non-profit organization that certifies companies as socially and environmentally responsible. B Corps are businesses that go above and beyond traditional business models and aim to create positive change in the world through their practices. These companies must meet rigorous transparency and accountablity standards, while doing what is best for people and the environment.

Products that are labeled as BPA free do not contain Bisphenol A, a chemical commonly found in plastic products. Studies on BPA exposure have shown that high levels of BPA could lead to hormone disruption, effects on behavior and brain function, reproductive problems, breast cancer, heart disease, infertility, and more.

This brand works with Plastic Bank to measure, reduce, and offset their plastic usage by funding recycling and ocean cleanup efforts in underdeveloped communities around the world. This means that in addition to helping clean up our oceans, they’re also investing in recycling infrastructure in developing nations. A brand’s partnership with Plastic Bank involves offsetting various amounts of their plastic usage, from partial, to full (plastic neutral) or even offsetting more plastic than they produce (plastic negative).

Recycling is the process of taking an otherwise-discarded item or material and cleaning, sorting, and breaking it down into its basic form (such as fibers or pellets). This material is then used to produce new items. Recycling keeps useful materials from being discarded in landfills, prevents resource extraction due to the creation of new materials, and provides a new life for used items. Recycling can utilize both pre-consumer waste (materials left over from production) or post-consumer materials (used clothing, empty water bottles, etc).

Recycled plastic utilizes salvaged post-industrial plastic scraps and post-consumer products such as water bottles and other plastic containers, and transforms them into new products. The containers are sorted, crushed, and then heated to form resins, which are liquid plastics that can harden into new shapes. These resins can be molded and used to create anything from carpet to outdoor furniture. Recycling plastic lowers the amount of petroleum extracted and the production of greenhouse gasses associated with first-time plastic production. Plus, by using these existing materials, we’re benefiting from the original energy and resources spent to create them in the first place, while diverting waste from the landfill.