Kind of heavy, huh? Sorry about that. But the time for beating around the bush has come and gone. Climate change and its effects are putting humanity’s survival at risk. And the beauty industry is one of the largest contributors. Good news, though—it’s not too late to get our act together. But it means businesses everywhere need to re-evaluate their priorities. And consumers need to hold them accountable. Our role is to patronize eco-friendly brands and commit to our own sustainable journey.

We’re all beauty and skincare enthusiasts here, but it’s important to acknowledge that the cosmetics industry needs to become more sustainable if it wants to reduce its impact and also help our planet stay livable for longer. A 2020 report done by the British Beauty Council notes the essential role of the beauty industry in mitigating the effects of climate change. Fortunately, recent trends show that beauty brands are leaning towards sustainable beauty. Some due to their brand values and ethics and some due to consumer demand and more rigorous industry standards.

We at TLB are holding ourselves accountable to the impact we make. The reality is, starting to aim towards being a carbon neutral business shouldn’t take 30 years, because it’s possible today. We get it—talk is cheap. And lately, it seems like there’s a lot of it, without much action. This is why we looked into:

• What is the largest contributor to TLB carbon footprint?
• How can we make the biggest positive impact?
• How can this impact create positive ripple effects, not just in our clients lives but in our industry and country as a whole?
• How can we put pressure on all around us? 

It became evident that the use of the single-use plastic razor was our biggest culprit. Not only that, most people shave. Most men and woman shave. People start shaving in their teens. We did the math. There are 60 million people in South Africa alone. If half the population shaved it means 30 million shave regularly. The American Academy of Dermatology states that one should change their blade or throw away disposable razors every five to seven shaves. This will help minimize irritation and the spread of bacteria. Lets say 30 million people use a disposable razor a week. That’s 120 million razors a month. That’s 1440 million razors a year! And it takes 450 years for plastic to degrade!

Think of the music that plays during a thriller scene, the frightening eek, eek, eek… These are the dreaded sounds you should imagine when you are tossing that rusted old blade from your shower or bath after use. Eek, eek, eek. Where does that razor and millions like these land up? They land up in our precious oceans, rivers, lakes and they dumped in landfills. They are not recycled. How do we know this? Because we wanted to recycle our single use razors and there are no recycling plants, in the whole of Africa,  that accept single use razors. No plant will remove the metal blade from the plastic handle. Plastic can only be recycled if there is nothing else attached to it.

The blades are not even the problem. They will rust away into nothing, leaving behind the plastic handle and casing for hundreds of years. The sad reality is that at this time, there is simply no straightforward way to dispose of plastic razors in an eco-friendly way.

A horror is a understatement! Is panic starting to set in? When we thought this through, we started to panic too! This is just one example of a product humankind use regularly that is destroying planet earth. Why did we not think this through years ago? Why are most organisations not worried about their carbon footprint? Why are they not making drastic changes and quicker? 

According to the official Stats SA website, 90% of an estimated 59 million tonnes of general waste produced in South Africa in 2011 ended up in landfills, while only 10% was recycled. Studies reported in 2016 showed that as little as 12.9% of households recycle compared to one year before of only 5.2%. With the chaos of Covid, what are the chances that these statistics have improved?

Although in recent years certain municipalities initiated some kind of recycling program, the municipalities struggled with the implementation due to a lack of capacity or infrastructure, that means that South Africa is running out of space for waste disposal despite the small acts of recycling introduced. 

This is all scary stuff but now that we have rambled on quite a bit about the problems, let’s get to a solution every single one of us can be a part of because there is hope, if we all do our part. Strength in numbers.

SMEs and individuals like you and me can make change, demand change and put pressure on each other and large companies to make necessary changes. It takes one viral video, one viral tweet to create a domino effect of positive ripples that will be felt globally. 

To make a difference we need each and every one of us to take responsibility and live consciously. Take the initiative to do better, be better and create a better world for future generations. We challenge you as a human, a business owner, employee or student. No one is too young or too old.

Unlike most plastic disposable razors, this razor comes with one handle and boasts 3 replacement triple blade heads. Have you noticed how most disposable razors don’t come with changeable heads? Why? We believe it’s all bottom line driven. The companies that manufacture these disposable plastic razors can make more profit selling more plastic. They would rather sell more razors regardless of the negative impact on the world.

Looking at BeauRaze, you would never know that this razor is made from 100% degradable wheat material. So let us all welcome Beautique Brands BeauRaze with open arms. Say hello to a natural shaving solution. Beau-Raze has the following benefits:

• 100% biodegradable
• 3 premium blades
• 3 replaceable razor heads
• Natural and comfortable non-slip grip
• Bio-material from wheat straw, used for the handle and blade holder
• Cost is not much more than a non-degradable plastic disposable razor

Lets not kid, there is nothing sexy about single use plastic, but this nifty razor is certainly impressive and we can all help (s)have our planet one razor at a time. Best of all the BeauRaze will not only be used at The Laser Beautique but will also be retailed to Beauts and Beauties and Beautique Group is wholesaling BeauRaze to other laser clinics, home salons, medical institutions, pharmacies, and other retail stores. 

We aims to start a revolution with our social media campaign. Plastic razors is the New Plastic Straw! We ask all to share blogs to encourage everyone to not just achieve an eco-friendly shave regimen but to eliminate single use plastic in their homes. We ask followers to like, share and add hash tags of South African giant retailers to stop stocking single-use plastic razors and only stock 100% biodegradable disposable razors. Whether its BeauRaze or other brand off degradable razor