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There’s no denying WE ALL LOVE PACKAGING, those pretty little boxes and labels that draw us to certain products. I for one would have to admit most of my non-essential purchases in the past were based 90% on aesthetics! Pretty beauty products in the isles of department stores, you know the ones!
But, times have changed. On a recent trip to Singapore Zoo with my 8-year-old, I sadly had to explain that yes, that endangered sign on one of his favourite animals, the Rhino does mean that his future children may never see a Rhino up close. At the current rate, models predict Rhino’s could be extinct by 2036. Why? The main threat is poaching & habitat loss. As more and more land is cleared for agriculture there is less available space for rhinos to thrive in.
Land clearing contributes to land degradation, damage to coastal marine zones, species extinction & greenhouse emissions. So why is it done? With the growing population, farmers have to produce more food than ever before. This means searching for more fertile land, but the main culprit is industrial farming of crops like palm oil. Palm oil is found is around 40% of products on super market shelf's, both food and non-food.
Palm and palm kernel oil product ingredient names
Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palm olein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hydrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol, Laureth-7, Steareth-2, Cocamide MEA (fatty acid-derived) Cocamiede DEA (fatty acid derived), Stearamidopropyldimethylamine, Cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, Isopropylmyristate, Caprylic/capric Trigylceride, Fatty Isethionates (SCI), Alkylpolyglycoside (APG), Laurylamine oxide
Now whilst the story of the Rhino and its loss of habitat is due mostly to the search for more fertile land for crops, this highlights how much we rely on Earth’s natural resources to meet our consumption needs. Sadly, the demand is depleting raw materials faster than they can be regenerated. The aggressive search for more raw materials has endangered ALL wildlife habitats, and the environment is increasingly being polluted by improperly disposed waste.
Buying eco-friendly products and eliminating single use plastics is important. However, sometimes it’s impossible to avoid waste. Another small way you can help make a big difference is by recycling in order to ensure garbage stays away from our ecosystems and, as a result, away from our endangered species.
We reuse most of the packaging our products and our household deliveries arrive in. This means your items will not arrive in fancy branded packaging, but reused poly mailers & boxes. By purchasing from us you are contributing to the ZWPI. We don’t believe in excessive packaging, which is why our larger products such as silicone beach sets and suction dining sets are packaged in our produce bag. Everything is 100% reusable!