Why I'm Ditching the Reusables

After preaching reusables for almost eight years, I’ve made the decision to ditch them!

Well, not literally ditch them, but I will no longer be stocking them on the Healthy Clean and Green stall or in the online shop.

I know, it doesn’t really make sense to me either, which is why I actually made the decision about twelve months ago but have procrastinated taking any action on it until now.

Let me explain.

When I’m looking for a better choice product to purchase for myself or for HC&G to stock, there are several things that I take into consideration. It can often take me months to decide on something because I dig as deep as I can to make sure the product I’m promoting, really is a better choice.

In no particular order, some of the things I look at include:

  • Who owns the product, where is it made & how is it made

  • Fair trade, fair work & fair labour standards

  • Where the raw materials that the products is made from are sourced

  • Ingredients

  • Travel miles – from sourcing ingredients/materials to the finished product

  • Cost

  • Company transparency

  • Is the product as green as the company says it is

  • Is the company as green as it says it is

  • Product performance & longevity

  • End of life options

There is no perfect product out there and nothing ever gets a gold star in all the things I look at but that’s why I preach about choosing ‘better choice’ and not ‘perfect products’

Unfortunately, most consumers don’t compare apples with apples.

As legitimate environmental awareness has increased, so too has the ‘eco-friendly’ marketing campaigns. So many companies have jumped onto the ‘eco-friendly’ bandwagon that it’s now possible to pick yourself up a reusable water bottle, insulated food jar or drink tumbler almost anywhere and often for around $10.

So a person might purchase a stainless steel water bottle for $10 and pat themselves on the back for making a better choice AND for getting a bargain! “Wow! Check this out, ten bucks! They’re like forty bucks at that Healthy Clean and Green stall!”

And right there is where the problem lies.

Technically, the person HAS made a better choice. After all, the water bottle is reusable and they no longer need to purchase single use plastic bottles of water. (Unless of course they are like the teenage girl I regularly serve at the high school tuckshop who purchases two bottles of water every day to fill her reusable bottle! But that’s another story altogether.)

But here’s the thing, or the comparing apples with apples part..

How many gold stars would the $10 water bottle earn on the above list? I’m quietly confident that compared with the products I’ve been selling, the $10 water bottle would be an inferior product that has been marketed to consumers as better choice for big company profit and not in any way for positive environmental impact!

It makes me angry, sad and frustrated all at the same time. And unfortunately as a small business, I cannot compete with the big companies. I refuse to carry a product that I don’t believe in just to make a sale but from a business perspective, I can’t afford to stock a product that is super slow to sell and so, that is why I’ve made the difficult decision to ditch a large selection of reusables. I literally feel like I’m letting the planet down, because I know that most of the cheaper products available are not as good for the planet, but I can’t compete with conglomerate pricing and I can’t force people to purchase what I offer.

So, what does that look like for my customers?

Things I am not restocking have been heavily reduced (some below cost) on the website.

When the markets return in 2025, the reusable section will be significantly smaller.

For my loyal customers who do compare apples with apples – I cannot tell you HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU! Big, big hugs!

Anything that I have stocked WILL still be available to order, so as always, if you're looking for something but you don't see it in the HC&G store, PLEASE ASK! If you are happy to wait a few days, there is a very good chance that I can source exactly what you are looking for and if not, I can probably point you in the right direction.

Together we can make a difference, so always choose better choice and please, if you don’t already, be sure to compare apples with apples!

 

 

Wendy Steindl