Every Friday I will have special posts that point out products or situations that frustrate me in my quest to go plastic-free. Many of these posts will be about products that use greenwashing–trying to look like sustainable, plastic-saving products but actually still using plastic, or trying to frame their plastic use in a misleading way.
There is nothing that frustrates me more than a product that claims “eco” that is packaged in lots of plastic. And the ECOTOOLS line of makeup tools is one of the worst offenders. Plastic pouches, plastic covered boxes, plastic blister packaging. PLASTIC, PLASTIC, PLASTIC. All disguised behind eco-friendly claims. Take this blurb from their website:
“EcoTools creates beauty and self-care products that check all the boxes: Great quality? Check. Smart price? Check. Planet friendly? That’s our thing! And it doesn’t stop there. Our latest packaging innovation takes our commitment to clean beauty and a clean planet to the next level. Along with a sleek, new look, our new packaging contains 88% less plastic.”
88% less plastic than they used to use. That must have been a lot of plastic, because almost all of their products, from makeup brushes to bath tools, are covered in plastic. That doesn’t seem too planet-friendly to me.
The sad thing is that some of these products are more eco-friendly than standard makeup and personal care items. The brushes have bamboo handles and are stored in recyclable metal trays. The beauty sponges are made from biodegradable material. But other items, such as the poufs made from plastic (recycled plastic, but still plastic) and all the plastic packaging prove that this brand is a greenwashing offender.
What should ECOTOOLS do instead?
- Forget the plastic window on the paper boxes. With a smaller window, you might not need the plastic to hold the brushes in
- Do not wrap products like the Dry Body Brush in plastic clamshell packaging, and ditch the plastic blister packaging. Why not use paper boxes to package all of your products?
- Do not use plastic to hold the bristles in the Dry Body Brush or the Facial Cleanse & Prep Kit
- Skip the plastic poufs–the natural loofahs are a great plant-based solutions.
Truly plastic-free products, packaged without plastic would make ECOTOOLS a truly “eco” brand.