(Credit: Lush)
Cosmetic company Lush says it is the first company to have developed “carbon-positive” packaging. According to an article on Environmentalleader.com the biodegradable cork pots the company will begin buying for its products are not only sustainable and regenerative, but also require that trees be planted in order for the bark to be harvested for the pots. Furthermore, to reduce carbon emissions from transporting the pots, Lush is working with New Dawn Traders, experimenting with having them delivered via sailboat; earlier this month, the company received its first shipment of 6,000 pots in this manner, reports The Telegraph.
In addition to being biodegradable, cork – made from the inner layer of bark from the cork oak tree – is anti-bacterial, fire-retardant, and water-resistant. Cork is harvested by stripping the bark off the trees in a rotating system that does not harm the trees. Cork grows back over the course of nine years when it is ready to be harvested again, a process which encourages natural wildlife to flourish, according to Lush.
This cork pot is part of an upcoming, exclusive “swag range” of shampoo products, the company says.
Lush says it will buy half a million cork pots for its products over the next year; in order to ensure that it is purchasing from forests in a sustainable manner, the company says it is buying at a premium in order to cover the cost of restoration and regeneration.
