Over the past decade, more companies have been reducing the amount of plastic they use, and they're proud to say that they've always been at the forefront of the movement. It's been 10 years since they launched their first eco refill – Liquid Verbena Soap, enriched with softening shea butter and the delicately alluring lemon fragrance of verbena leaves. Today, they have 26 eco refills available, with plenty more planned.
Eco Refills Save the Day
In 2018, L'Occitane were able to use 124 tonnes less plastic material thanks to their eco-refills, an amount weighing more than a blue whale. This is also almost twice as heavy as a space shuttle – NASA's Endeavour weighed 71 tonnes. Each eco-refill you purchase prevents the equivalent of roughly 50 plastic cups, 300 straws or 3,000 cotton buds from entering our oceans.
Recycle Your Empty Beauty Products
Their partnership with TerraCycle® means your retired beauty packaging doesn't need to be sent to landfill – or a millennia-long voyage around the Atlantic – as it's transformed into new products. Simply drop into selected stores with your old packaging (as well as plastic, some stores will also accept aluminium waste like lip balm tins as well as metal cases such as lipstick tubes). It doesn't have to be a L'Occitane product – you'll receive 10% off on a L'Occitane like-for-like product no matter which brand's packaging you give them.
Our Small Changes Make a Big Difference
At L'Occitane, they treasure nature – from the nourishing properties of African shea butter to the uniquely relaxing fragrance of Provencal lavender. Preserving the environment is in their best interest and as such they've never used plastic bags, disposable cups or straws.
They're replacing their cellophane with a biodegradable version and will be using eco-spatulas for their in-store samples. They're also going to remove spatulas from each pack, to keep single-use plastic to a minimum.
Saving Money as Well as the Environment
Their eco refills are also cheaper to buy. For example, their Shea Verbena Liquid Soap Eco-Refill is $36 for 500ml, while it costs $42 to pick up the Shea Verbena Liquid Soap with its refillable dispenser. This saves you $6 on each purchase, so you'll keep your wallet happy and feel financially thrifty as well as environmentally friendly.