An Alternative to Plastic Bottles in Your Bathroom with Lindsey of Plaine Products

It can be hard to find good products that also have great packaging. 

Several years ago, I started using a great set of products with amazing packaging that gets specially delivered. 

I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach, and I have Lindsey McCoy from Plaine Products joining me today! Plaine Products is a company with a unique delivery system for sustainably packaged vegan bath and body products!

Plaine Products 

Lindsey and her sister started Plaine Products in 2017.  

About Lindsey

Growing up, Lindsey wanted to save the planet. Back then, business was not the way to do it, so she joined the non-profit world and spent the next twenty years working at various non-profits. 

Environmental education

Her last non-profit position was doing environmental education in the Bahamas. She was not an environmental expert at that point. She only knew what recycling was, and she had heard the term zero-waste before. 

Plastic

Lindsey spent time with many scientists and environmental experts on the island. While showing them around, she kept on seeing plastic piling up everywhere. She did not want to add to it. So she started using reusable bags and water bottles and tried to buy less. 

Starting a company

In May 2015, when she and her husband moved back to the US, Lindsey asked her sister to help her start a company to help people accumulate fewer plastic bottles. They launched their business in February of 2017.

A subscription system

Lindsey and her sister created a subscription system where they send out bottles of bath and body products with pumps. When their customers run low, they send out refill bottles. They pay for the return of the empty bottles, which they then wash and reuse.

Finding the right manufacturer

Lindsey’s sister is picky, so she made Lindsey go through several manufacturers before they found one they both liked. 

Ingredients

They had to learn a lot about ingredients! They settled on using only clean vegan beauty ingredients in all their products. Before that, Lindsey had no idea how bad most of the bath and body products she used were or what was in them.  

Connection

Many people tend to miss the connection between their health and the health of our world.

Poor communities

The plastic problem is worse than we realize. Most plastic gets recycled in places with poor communities. The people living there have to breathe toxic air and plastic fumes. 

We have a choice

Many people know that plastic can be bad for their health. Yet they continue to use it because it is so convenient. Fortunately, we have a choice. Even though millions of dollars have been spent convincing us that we should value convenience above all else, we can still decide how we want to live.

Reducing waste 

There are many solutions out there for reducing the amount of waste that gets produced.

Word of mouth

Hearing from someone you trust has been proven to be the best recommendation for trying new products. Hopefully, people will also learn from others how to make more mindful decisions.

Why is there so much plastic?

Plastic is a by-product of fossil fuels and is very cheap to produce. In the US, fossil fuels are subsidized. That makes plastic even less costly to produce. 

Plastic has many good qualities. It is indestructible, durable, and can get molded into any shape. Still, it does not make sense to use something that lasts for hundreds of years for five minutes and then throw it away. 

Cancer

Plastic is one of the first things most people with cancer eliminate from their lives because there are too many health questions surrounding it that are just not worth asking.

Recycling plastic

Plastics can get recycled, but the process is complicated. One of the biggest problems is that most cities do not have the facilities to recycle more complex types of plastic.

Metal

Metals are infinitely recyclable. That means that the aluminum bottles used by Plaine Products never need to be thrown away. 

The Plaine Products system

Plaine Products has a circular approach. They try to create as little waste as possible in every aspect. After making something, they send it out to be used. Then the packaging gets returned to be washed, refilled, and reused. Even their cardboard boxes were designed to be reused many times over. 

No perfect solution

There is no perfect solution to the plastic problem. Lindsey gets frustrated with organizational nit-picking and finds the term zero waste a little intimidating. She prefers to simply do the best she can with whatever comes up each day.

Their products 

Plaine Products strives to make fewer products that can do lots of different things. All their products are chemical-free, so they are safe for everyone to use, including children. The products are all aloe-based and super-thick. You only need to use very little, so they last for ages!

New products

At Plaine Products, they do their best to respond to whatever people ask for without creating any extra items to be thrown away. Lately, they have been embracing more hair products. Their newest products are a deep hair conditioner and a styling gel, and they will soon be adding a scented handwash.

Environmentally friendly products

Environmentally friendly products have come a long way! There are some excellent products available today. Remember that by supporting businesses that support your values, you are helping support our planet for the future! 

Have a great green day!

 

Links and resources:

 

Links and resources:

Plaine Products COUPON CODE GreenHomeCoach

Plaine Products - GHC Trusted Brand 

Sustainable Products and Packaging 

Circular Economy, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Designing Out Plastic Pollution 

Hear Lindsey's first podcast episode on the Green Coach Show

 

Recommended book:

Cancer as a Wake-Up Call by M. Laura Nasi