Facilities Management & Cleaning / Sustainable Products /
BECO. Shampoo Bar from social enterprise, CLARITY & Co., a first for Waitrose
Feel Good – Socially Enterprising – Better Considered
Selected Waitrose stores nationwide are stocking the all-new BECO. Shampoo Bar that helps fight plastic waste, saves water and creates employment for people in the UK with disabilities. This latest addition to the BECO. product range proudly features the ‘The Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark’ from anti-plastics visionaries, A Plastic Planet. It is also available online from these stores.
This will be the first time that Waitrose will have sold a shampoo bar. Waitrose has selected the BECO. Honey Blossom fragrance for the roll out, (RRP £3.75 – 90g).
“The BECO. shampoo bar is the first to carry the Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark; giving shoppers the confidence to buy BECO. without the guilt we all have buying our personal care products in indestructible plastic. We congratulate Waitrose for choosing such an innovative product and making it available to so many people. This is the start of a real plastic free revolution for our bathrooms; for the many not just the few,” says Sian Sutherland, co-Founder of A Plastic Planet.
To date, sales of the wider BECO. range in Waitrose stores have created 500 days of employment for people with a range of disabilities and long-term health conditions at CLARITY & Co. – one of the UK’s oldest social enterprises. BECO. stands for Better Considered – better for those that use it, those that make it and better for the environment.
Studies have shown that 88% of Millennials and Generation X believe that brands need to ‘do more good’ rather than just ‘less bad’ – (Source: Harvard Business Review ‘Predictions for the Luxury Industry: Sustainability and Innovation’) – so CLARITY & Co. sat up and listened. Putting real social change in the hands of people across the UK, the BECO. Honey Blossom Argan Oil Shampoo Bar is designed, developed and packed at the social enterprise’s East London semi-automated factory creating invaluable jobs for a workforce of whom 80% are visually impaired, disabled or disadvantaged.
The BECO. Shampoo Bar is a response to the trend for anti-plastics products demanded by a new generation of conscious consumers. It is also biodegradable, vegan, cruelty-free, hypoallergenic and free from sodium laurel sulphate. The BECO. bar’s ultra-gentle pH balanced formulation matches the pH of human skin, meaning that it won’t strip the skin of its natural oils – an everyday luxury purchase at a purse-friendly price. Gram for gram, a BECO. Honey Blossom Shampoo Bar lasts far longer than conventional liquid shampoo, making it that much more eco-friendly – and saving on valuable water.
The compact size of BECO.’s Argan Oil Shampoo bar also means it takes up less transportation space compared to traditional plastic shampoo bottles, thus significantly reducing its carbon footprint. What’s more, the smart unzipping carton uses FSC certified paper – promoting sustainable forestry worldwide.
Additionally, the Shampoo Bar carries the names of three different team members involved in BECO.’s creation – from product development through to customer services – like Shane, whose name appears on the new Argan Oil Shampoo bar packaging. Shane has suffered from severe anxiety since childhood.
Diane Cheung, CLARITY & Co. Marketing Manager commented: “Pushing the boundaries is what BECO. is known for and will continue to do. We all need to play our part fighting plastic pollution and reducing water usage. If we can do it whilst providing employment for people with disabilities, it’s a real win-win. Rich in Argan Oil, vegan and hypoallergic, the new ultra-gentle BECO. shampoo bar is perfect for the whole family and we are proud to be partnering with Waitrose to launch the first shampoo bar into the UK retail environment at a family-friendly price”.
Camilla Marcus-Dew, Head of Sustainable Growth, adds: “High-five to David Attenborough for spreading the word. Consumer pressure is now there for brands to change but we’ve had a plastic-free range from Day 1. We will do our bit to clean up the oceans, and the BECO. bars are just the start! A huge thank you to Waitrose for supporting us and making sure customers can shop and buy products with purpose.”
