The Laundress is cleaning up its packaging materials to better care for the planet. Co-founded by Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd in the early 2000s, this lifestyle brand and maker of upscale cleaning and laundry care products announced new sustainability enhancements, including what it calls “bold changes” to drastically reduce its use of virgin plastic and a commitment to carbon offsets. Two years in the making, the plan includes the transition from virgin plastic bottles to 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic – with the goal of eliminating the use of more than 130,000 lbs. of virgin plastic within the first year.
 
This month, The Laundress embarks on a five-month transition of its heritage #1 PET clear bottles to 100% PCR plastic, beginning with bestselling products. The full changeover for the entire collection is targeted for mid-2021, said officials.
 
The sustainability enhancements are part of Clean Future, a sustainable innovation program recently announced by parent company Unilever.
 
But The Laundress was eco-minded prior to joining the Unilever fold last year.
 
“Preserving homes, wardrobes, and the environment has been at our core from the very beginning—long before sustainability became a way of life,” Whiting told Happi. “In our mission to bring back the lost art of doing laundry and eliminate toxic dry cleaning from our lives, we launched in 2004 with concentrated, plant-based solutions packaged in highly recyclable #1 PET plastic bottles, which was unheard of at the time. We’re glad there is now a shift in the market and in the consumer’s mind and we look forward to empowering our community to clean more sustainably.”
 
Whiting told Happi that making the change wasn’t easy, but is well worth the effort.
 
“It was surprisingly difficult getting suppliers on board to transition our #1 PET bottles to 100% PCR. We were unwilling to compromise for less but few were willing to take on the challenge,” she said.  
 
“Progress isn’t easy—it takes dedication and perseverance to overcome obstacles to make it happen, but we were steadfast in our vision and finally succeeded. PCR is also yet to be widely used, so as a prestige brand we felt there was an opportunity (or rather responsibility) to shift the paradigm by embracing the smokey appearance of our chic, new bottles,” Whiting said.
 
During the next year, The Laundress will eliminate all unnecessary virgin plastic packaging such as shipping material and poly bags, while focusing on reusable packaging.  
 
The firm has already made progress; its e-commerce shipping material has transitioned from virgin paper to 100% recycled paper boxes and fill, which is saving some 1,300,000 feet of paper weighing 6,000 lbs. and 43,000 gallons of water annually. Shoppers at The Laundress New York City flagship store are handed 100% reusable cotton canvas  instead of bags made of virgin paper and plastic.
 
The Laundress offers carbon neutral delivery through “UPS Carbon,” a program that focuses on reducing carbon emissions and investing in reforestation, methane and landfill gas destruction, and wastewater treatment. Through direct-to-consumer UPS shipments alone, The Laundress will offset, through the UPS Carbon offset program, an estimated 300 metric tons of CO2 equivalent within the first year. 
 
 In addition to actively reducing its carbon footprint, The Laundress will purchase the first supply chain carbon offset against its 2020 carbon impact, with the end goal of becoming carbon neutral from production to consumer, through the Arbor Day Foundation.
 
“We believe sustainability is an ongoing journey, and this new initiative is a very natural next step for us,” said Whiting.  “Our team passionately worked to see these improvements come to fruition, and we will always be innovating better ways to care for you, the things you love, and the world we live in.”