Plastic-Saving Metrics

We can generate a quantitative baseline for our emission reduction based on our desired amount of students using the resource and how many ounces are in an average plastic bottle of each of our products. Using that generated number of saved bottles, we can then calculate the amount of CO2 emissions saved from creation in landfills. For instance, our ideal traffic for students would be 300 students based on both our physical and pop-up locations and interactions that come from offering free everyday hygiene necessities.

Our monthly allowance of products per person will be 16 oz (not including our non-liquid items), and if half of our ideal population (since most students will come on a rotating basis for when their supply ends)  comes monthly, that's 2,400 ounces a month. Knowing that the average ouces in a shampoo bottle is about 16 ounces means if we divide our used ounces by 16 we will get the number of bottles saved of shampoo per month in this case, it would be 150 (this will need to be done using the average ouces per product). 

The carbon footprint of a shampoo bottle is 2.5kg CO2e so 150 bottles times 2.5 = 375 kg CO2e saved in a month using our plastic-free service. 1,125 CO2e saved in a quarter using our plastic-free service over the full three-month duration of our pilot program.  For the nonliquid items, we would just have to quantify the equivalent oz associated with the hardened form and then use that number to complete the same calculation. 

Addressing resource insecurity is also particularly important to us, as low-income students with limited to no family contribution. We experience firsthand the financial burden of regularly purchasing hygiene necessities while also striving to be sustainable. A significant challenge we face in college is reconciling our role as environmental majors with the need to support sustainable practices that are often more expensive. While we recognize that individual contributions may not carry the same weight as large-scale corporate efforts, we firmly believe that personal action fuels the environmental movement by motivating oneself and others.

We postulate that if we are to be spending our hard-earned money on hygiene necessities, we’ll invest in sustainable products because we believe in the power of individual purchasing decisions. Yet, that means we are making the limiting decision of a submitting to a higher price tag.

As mentioned previously there is often an inflated price tag that comes from a product being labeled sustainable and as you can see from this infographic it's about 75- 85%. If you look closely health and beauty are the most inflated sections of the sustainable market which encompasses various hygiene products. 

This shines some light on the severity of sustainable accessibility, especially regarding basic needs products such as hygiene. However, by providing these resources to students at no cost, we can effectively reduce financial burden and increase the accessibility to sustainable modes of consumption.