Sustainability of Zimtlich Liebevoll
Based on my research from each of all the ingredients in this recipe (which you can read about by clicking on each ingredient in the ingredient list, or by browsing the ingredients page), I have created the following summary table. (🟢= sustainable ingredient; 🟡= unsustainable, but has many positive factors; 🟠= unsustainable, concerning; ⚫= very unsustainable.)
Remember: these are my ratings, other, potentially less honest people may give more favourable ratings to certain ingredients.
|
Ingredient |
Rating |
The good |
The bad |
|
Bio Mangobutter |
🟠 |
Upcycled ingredient. It is produced from the kernel (stone), which is otherwise waste from the fruit industry. No extra land needed. |
Processing the hard stone requires energy/machinery. Refining the mango butter requires a lot of energy. Mostly imported (carbon miles). |
|
Bio Bienenwachs |
🟢 |
Lowest Carbon Footprint. Transport emissions are near zero. Supports local pollination ecosystems. |
None. |
|
Bio Mandelöl |
⚫ |
Trees sequester carbon. |
Water Thirsty. Requires massive irrigation (mostly grown in drought-prone regions). Commercial pollination stresses bee populations. |
|
Bio Jojobaöl |
🟠 |
Great for soil stability; native plant (Peru); pesticide-free. |
Water stress. Grown in desert regions where aquifer depletion is a major crisis. |
|
Bio ätherisches Sussorangenöl |
🟡 |
Major Upcycling. Derived from the peel, a byproduct of the juice industry. Extracted by cold-pressing (very low energy). |
High carbon miles (often shipped from Brazil/Mexico/US). Monoculture farming of the fruit. |
|
Bio ätherisches Zimtrindenöl |
⚫ |
Cinnamon farming (tree bark) can be sustainable if bark is harvested carefully. |
Deforestation Risk. Demand can lead to non-sustainable harvesting or conversion of native forest to plantation. Requires careful sourcing/certification. |
|
Bio ätherisches Vanillenöl |
⚫ |
High value crop for developing nations (Madagascar). |
Extremely labor-intensive (hand-pollinated). Crop is very sensitive to climate change. |
It is important to note that this is a simplification of the many complex and often interrelated issues 🤯 when it comes to assessing the sustainability of a product, and that for most ingredients I can only make generalisations as, despite my best efforts, 🔎 I don’t know much about the exact provenance of my ingredients. Nonetheless, based on my research, the almond oil is clearly the most problematic ingredient in this recipe, as the quantity used is much higher than the few drops of vanilla and cinnamon essential oils used to give the body butter its gentle scent.
What about the little bag? 🛍️
Zimtlich Liebevoll is a solid product which therefore doesn’t need a container, but I sell it in little coloured bags. These unfortunately come from very far away (China) and I don’t know much about how they are produced. They are made of jute or linen, both of which are renewable, 🌱 but the sustainability of how the material is produced depends on the agricultural practices. The dying process could also be mildly harmful, depending on the dyes that are used. And of course the transport emissions are very high. 🚢💨
What can I do to make it less unsustainable?
As noted above, the almond oil is the most unsustainable ingredient in this recipe. I therefore plan to remove this ingredient or replace it with another vegetable oil.
I also plan to switch to unrefined organic mango butter (instead of refined). 💡This will significantly reduce the environmental impact of this ingredient as much of the energy costs associated with its production come from the refinement process. These changes will affect the texture and smell of the lotion so several tests will need to be run. Watch this space, or subscribe to my mailing list to be the first to hear how it all goes! 💌
I will also look for a replacement for the little bags which come from a more local source. 🛍️
What can you do to make it less unsustainable?
As with everything, sustainability starts with using only what you need and not wasting. Therefore, please use your body butter fully before buying a new one. 🙏
The small bag that it comes in can be reused for other purposes. ♻️If you can’t find a use for it, and it isn’t damaged, you can of course return it to me, along with your empty glass jars, and I will use it for the next batch of Zimtlich Liebevoll.
Want to do more?
Together we have done a lot to reduce our environmental impact when it comes to this body butter! 🥳 But if you really want to do more, you could offset the impact of your body butter by donating a few francs to one of these NGOs:
- Waterkeeper Alliance: 🌊 targeting water scarcity and pollution (problematic for almond oil production).
- Rainforest Alliance: 🐸targeting tropical deforestation (problematic for cinnamon essential oil and vanilla essential oil productions)
- WWF: 🐼 targeting nature conservation worldwide.
