How we are creating a culture of “Accidental Environmentalists”
“To affect real change, you have to convert the skeptics and in our case, elevate how shampoo bars are perceived (especially in the hair industry). It’s a disservice to everyone when a product isn’t exceptional. It only adds to the waste problem and won’t shift behaviour long term. People will try something because it’s trending and move on when it doesn’t work. We are creating accidental environmentalists, by creating a culture where people use the products because they love the way it makes their hair look and feel, and they can rest easy knowing that they are investing in a company that is going the extra mile to safeguard the environment for the future generations.”
Amy Hamilton, Founder & Creative Director The High-End Hippie
Our efforts go far beyond mitigating plastic pollution. We are addressing climate change, deforestation, soil degradation, biodiversity, water conservation and plastic pollution. Read more to find out how we are paving the way for you to become an "Accidental Environmentalist".
Climate Change
I could write an entire article about Hemlock and all their different sustainability projects. Hemlock happens to be the only Green-e certified printer in Canada. What does it mean to be “Green-e-certified?” Companies that are certified must contribute Renewable Energy Credits towards cleantech projects every year. The ultimate goal is to make energy consumption more sustainable across North America.
Additionally, green e-paper certification is only applied to paper manufactured at mills using 100% renewable energy. As well, to use the Green-e logo on a project, the printer stamping the packaging must also be Green-e certified (and be able to prove that its printer was powered using 100% certified renewable energy).
Currently, Hemlock contributes credits towards the Persimmon Creek wind farm project in Oklahoma, USA. This project is providing renewable energy to the community (vs. traditional fossil fuels). As well as fostering more local energy resiliency to communities, these projects also create jobs!
We participate in their Carbon Neutral program, which was developed in partnership with Offsetters. This partnership enables The High-End Hippie to neutralize our carbon footprint by investing in renewable energy and cleantech projects. The Great Bear Rainforest Carbon Project in Haida Gwaii, BC, is one such project!
The bars themselves: are lighter than traditional liquid shampoo, resulting in fewer emissions from the shipping of bars to customers or retailers.
Did we mention all ingredients are vegan!
“Animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.”
- Cowspiracy
Deforestation
The High-End Hippie has been in partnership with TreeEra since January 2021. TreeEra is a Canadian-based social venture that works with businesses and individuals to plant trees in BC, Ontario, Africa, and Costa Rica. For every two bars purchased, one tree is planted!
Through Hemlock’s partnership’s with Forest Stewardship Council and Canopy we are protecting the world’s ancient and endangered forests and using post consumer paper waste to create carbon neutral paper products.
Soil Degradation & Biodiversity
The High-End Hippie only uses ingredients that are either organically farmed, sustainable, COSMOS-standard/ECOCERT, or readily biodegradable. Why is this important? Traditional farming practices use tons of pesticides, which negatively impacts microbial communities and reduces biodiversity.
Water Conservation
Shampoo bars are a concentrated solid product, significantly less water is needed to manufacture the bars compared to bottle shampoo. Many customers report needing to wash their hair less often, once making the switch to The High-End Hippie. Reducing shower time and saving precious freshwater resources.
According to a Nasa-led study, many of the world’s freshwater sources are being drained faster than they are being replenished. Researchers predict global water demands will increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050. Due to global population growth much of the water demands will be needed for agriculture and food production.
Plastic Pollution
According to WWF, one dump truck full of plastic waste enters our ocean every minute, this is the equivalent to 8 million tonnes of plastic every year which is having a massive impact on our sea-life and humans. Microplastic have made their way into our food chain, water supply and bodies fueling hormonal driven diseases.
In case it wasn’t already abundantly clear the bars are plastic-free 😉 replacing upwards of 2 – 250mL plastic bottles of shampoo and helping to mitigate plastic population.
For more information check out my interview with Ryan Cope, Ocean Lover, Anti-Plastic Pollution Advocate and a Sustainability Consultant from Seven in the Ocean.
This article was written by Amy Hamilton and Ryan Cope