Everything You Need to Know About Plaine Products
I went behind the scenes at Plaine Products warehouse and I’m here to tell you EVERYTHING about them: how do they refill the bottles? Do they cover shipping costs? What about all those shipping emissions? Are they really low waste? Let’s get into it!
Plaine Products are on sale for Black Friday 2023 from Nov 24-29!
What is Plaine Products?
Co-founded by sisters Lindsey and Allison Delaplaine (haha, get it?), their story is quite similar to my own! Lindsey lived and worked in the Bahamas for 10 years (I lived and worked on the island of Okinawa for 3 years) and saw the true nature of our plastic crisis. Plastic was washing up on shore, the island had limited to no room to deal with plastic waste, and plastic in other areas like road ditches and Lindsey was sick of it. Like me, she took matters into her own hands and started making swaps in her own life. But, she couldn’t find bathroom products she really loved and decided to create her own.
Thus, Plaine Products was born! They now offer over 14 bathroom swaps (regular or travel size) that come in aluminum. But, they don’t stop there. While aluminum is fully recyclable and infinitely recyclable, the folks at Plaine know it’s better to reuse than recycle, so since day one, they’ve been taking their bottles back to refill and ship them back to you!
What Makes Plaine Eco-Friendly?
Materials
As I briefly mentioned, Plaine Products has always chosen to use metal. They used stainless steel to start out but realized aluminum would be lighter and therefore reduce shipping emissions. Metal is fully recyclable, commonly recyclable, and infinitely recyclable. You can learn more about what that means in this video.
As for their pumps, they are made out of plastic. But, guess what? You reuse them! While pumps are made mostly of plastic and are very difficult to recycle, it all comes back to their refill model which we will talk more about in a moment. But, the refill model reduces more waste than just bottles, it reduces pump waste as well by consumers reusing what they already have.
Even at the end of the bottle’s life when it becomes too dented or too stained from hard water it can still get recycled at the end of its life.
Packaging
Honestly, their packaging may be what most impressed me (and their refill model is already super cool so that’s saying something)! When they use new boxes, they opt for recycled cardboard to reduce emissions and resource usage. But, they sure do try their hardest to use reused boxes as much as possible. Those boxes you send to them with your empty bottles? They reuse them if they’re clean! Any packing paper you put in your box? They reuse that too!
But, since metal is not breakable, there is no need to include (for the most part) any extra packing paper or bubble wrap-type materials.
Even their tape is paper!
I also love that they pack their boxes so that there is no empty space left. Order one bottle, your package will be the size of just one bottle. Order a few bottles? Your box will be bigger but likely won’t have empty space. Not only does this cut down on packing materials, but also saves space in mail cars, semis, and trucks which means they can pack more in during shipping to reduce shipping emissions.
Refills
Their refill system is easily what makes them the most eco-friendly. I know, some of you are already screaming “But what about the emissions?!” We will talk about that later, cause I had the same questions!
We will talk about exactly how it works (on both the consumer and company end) in a moment, but first, let’s talk about how this is eco-friendly.
First, it greatly decreased the number of new bottles that have to be made. By consumers shipping their empty bottles back (in good condition), Plaine has fewer bottles to order/create.
As mentioned, this also reduces the number of non-recyclable pumps that have to be made, too. You as the consumer keep your pump and order a new product sans pump and reuse the one you already have as long as possible.
“Reduce, reuse, recycle” is in that order for a reason; recycling should be the LAST resort, not the first. Recycling alone is not eco-friendly and I’m glad that the folks at Plaine understood that from day one. They realize the importance of using what we already have created and using it over and over and over again.
Ingredients
Of course, packaging and shipping are not the only things to consider when making an eco-product but also how the ingredients will harm or not harm the environment when washed down the drain. Plaine also takes the time to make sure its ingredients are good for our bodies and the planet.
They prioritize premium clean, non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free, and biodegradable ingredients the main ingredient is aloe which really helps nourish the hair and skin and is natural and biodegradable. Other ingredients include seed oils, seed butters, vegetable glycerin, fruit extracts, essential oils, and other natural products. You can learn more about their full ingredients here.
More Eco Things
Other things I noticed in their warehouse were:
Their electric forklift! Should they need to move anything large or heavy, they can do so in an eco-friendly manner.
Any random bits of plastic they receive/use (stickers, sticker wrappers, plastic from take-back boxes, etc) get donated to a local zero-waste craft store for reuse.
Recycling on site! Of course, not every bottle or box they get back is going to be a tip-top shape for reuse/resale, some of it has to get recycled and they actually do recycle those items.
They use commercial washers/dryers which use much less water than washing by hand.
The warehouse itself was second-hand and even used to be a site that was polluting local water sources. It’s so cool to see what was once a harmful site be turned into one that is so much better for the planet.
Plaine even takes back broken pumps and recycles them through Pact Collective to prevent them from going to the landfill. Just send them back with your empties next time!
They truly do think about every little detail within their business model to reduce as much physical and invisible waste as possible and I love to see that!
How does the refill program work?
Step 1: You order from Plaine Products
They will pack your order in a box the appropriate size, package it plastic-free, include a pre-paid shipping label, and send it out the next business day. If this is your first order from them, be sure to order a pump! If this is not your first order from them, make sure you ask for NO pump (unless you need one for a new product).
Step 2: Use your product until it’s all the way gone
It may take a few weeks/months to get through it all, but use your product until it’s absolutely gone! Be sure to open the pump and check to see if you got it all. Not only will this get you the most bang for your buck, but it also reduces waste since they will be washing that extra product down the drain.
Note: your bottle comes with a lid (see below). Save this lid! You’ll need it for your returns.
Step 3: Wash and dry
Wait…don’t they wash and dry the bottles? Yes, but washing it at home helps them save time and energy and it’s just courteous. If you can’t wash it at home for one reason or another, don’t sweat it! But again, if you check the bottles yourself, you might get to use the last bit of product, too. Be sure to dry completely!
Note: some bottles will not be resold. Bottles with large dents (greater than a quarter) or with lots of stains from hard water and generally not accepted. Have questions? You can email them!
Step 4: Package it for return
Hopefully, you also saved the box they sent it to you in originally and you can send their box back to them to be reused AGAIN! If not, use any box you have lying around. Put the bottles with their caps back in the box. Put the lid on nice and tight (not too tight so that they can’t get it off, though) especially if you didn’t rinse the bottle out and there is product left in it. They let me in that sometimes bottles leak which leads to boxes not being able to be reused!
Close the box, tape it shut (one piece is enough, no need to overdo it), and place the pre-paid shipping label on the box.
Step 5: Send it
If you’re going to the post office, they will gladly accept it there. But, you don’t even have to do that! Since it’s pre-paid, USPS will accept it right at your door. If you do want to go send it in person, know that the label is pre-paid for USPS, NOT UPS, FedEx, etc.
Step 6: Back in their hands
It’s hands-off for you now as the customer but what happens to your bottle now? Plaine will receive your box, reuse it if possible, and begin the process of reusing the bottle. First, it gets hand-rinsed to get the majority of any gunk out. Then, it’s machine washed and dried to ensure sanitation. After that, it’s packaged and sent to their manufacturer in Florida. Here is where the product is made and filled/refilled. It’s then shipped back to the Ohio warehouse where they process your orders and ship them to your door.
Step 7: Order again!
You can now start the process over and over again. Do your best to be careful with your bottles and boxes and don’t lose them. This ensures that more product gets reused and recycled than made new. While businesses like Plaine are doing wonders for the planet, we have a responsibility, too! Help them help the planet :)
What about the emissions?
No brand is perfect, but in my opinion, Plaine Products certainly comes close. They acknowledge that they are not perfect and never will be, no brand ever will be. The important thing is to do what we can.
They are aware that their shipping model isn’t perfect, but they do their best to make it minimal.
Only half of the shipping involved includes full bottles, meaning half of the shipping done is lightweight boxes.
They also choose a box size appropriate to the order and pack it as full as possible to maximize how much is shipped at a time. It would be very wasteful to ship one bottle in a box the size of a pillow, so they don’t do that. They put it in a bottle-sized box.
They also reduce emissions in other ways. Reusing boxes and refilling bottles IS reducing emissions by reducing how much new product is created.
In the end, Plaine’s main goal is to reduce physical waste and they are still making strides in the right direction to reduce emissions/invisible waste too. No one can do it all, so they chose their specialty and I think they’re doing that very well.
And, to offset their emissions, they partner with We Are Neutral who do carbon offsetting projects such as planting trees. You can learn more here.
Final Thoughts
I have been obsessed with Plaine Products since I discovered them watching YouTube several years ago. I was impressed with them before I even went to their warehouse to hound them with my questions and I found out I love them even more after that.
What they are doing for the planet is incredible. But they’re also doing it in a way that makes it so easy for us as customers. I see time and time again brands saying their product is recyclable or eco-friendly in a certain way, but they make it so difficult for customers to act on it. Not Plaine. They make it literally foolproof.
Of course, I should also mention, that their products actually work (why else would I use them for years and years). They smell lovely but aren’t too strong and as someone with chronic migraines, that is essential for me. My hair and skin are always left feeling soft and healthy and I love that I can take care of my body while also watching out for the planet. Our wants and needs shouldn’t come at the cost of the planet and its people.
Thank you, Plaine Products team, for letting me tour your warehouse and ask all of these popular questions!
A reminder, Plaine Products are on sale for Black Friday 2023 from Nov 24-29!
And thank you all for reading along. I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something about Plaine today. I highly recommend them for yourself but they also make great gifts this holiday season and all year long.
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
