Organic Essence- Biodegradable Jars! Oh My!

I have been writing on organic and non- toxic alternatives to beauty products. Despite the content, the packaging of all those products still hurts the environment. But now- you can buy Shea Cream and Butter- in a biodegradable Jar! Please read the following press release!  Do you know how rare that is! This is very exciting

Biodegradable Jar is Here

Crescent City, CA., Oct 8, 2008 /SOAPWIRE/ — Organic Essence is pleased to announce the introduction of Pure Shea Cream and Pure Shea Butter in completely biodegradable and compostable paper jars. “This ultimate ‘green’ package represents a new opportunity for consumers to enjoy the highest quality skin care while also doing the most they can to protect the environment” says Ellery West, one of the founders of Organic Essence “even the label is biodegradable – you could actually plant the entire container in your garden. Whether or not you have a garden, this new jar will actively help the environment.”

Building on decades of body care experience, Organic Essence makes only USDA Certified Organic body care products because it’s the only meaningful organic standard. It is an organic standard for food that has the virtue of eliminating all of the questionable body care chemicals. “Health is the main reason for organic and the basis of real beauty.” says West, “Americans are coming to realize that we are exposed to hundreds of chemicals on a daily basis. Most are safe for most people, but not all are good for everybody, and sometimes people are harmed. In my view, better health is not about living forever; it’s about feeling more alive while we’re here. The health of our surroundings affects us in the same way, too. Whether or not climate change will threaten humanity, it’s clear that we are trashing our environment, and by extension, our health and everybody’s future. So now people are looking in their stores for solutions to help the environment. With our purchasing decisions, we want to choose better health and a cleaner world.”

“Plastic bottles and jars don’t break down and pretty much last forever, and only 25%, ever gets recycled. Glass has many of the same problems plastic does in terms of persistence and recycling, with the added carbon cost of moving the extra weight around. We needed an authentic green jar, so I went to the major packaging expos looking for alternatives to plastic and glass. Like everywhere else in our culture, there’s a lot of green hoopla, but the industry is just getting started on being ecologically responsible, so there wasn’t much to see.”

West realized that he needed to innovate a genuine biodegradable jar. Paper tubes were the natural place to start because they are inherently biodegradable and lightweight. It was important to make the jar leak proof and sturdy enough to perform to peoples’ expectations. “People shouldn’t have to give up quality for environmental responsibility; I think we can improve our standard of living while also lightening our footprint at the same time. Asking consumers to peel off a label to make a package truly biodegradable is an inconvenience and lowers the overall green quality. So we print our label with pure soy ink and developed an organic biodegradable adhesive and varnish that gives the jar its soft, high-end finish.”

“The fact is that most body care products could be made to USDA Certified Organic food standards, and be even more effective than current offerings. As the market grows, the availability of more organic raw materials will enable many more offerings that are not currently possible. Fortunately, a growing number of people care about their health and the environment. They are demanding real organic products and genuine green packaging.”

“Early on, the organic movement suffered because products did not live up to quality expectations, and tarnished the overall ‘organic’ brand. The ‘green’ movement is in a vulnerable early phase where quality is often overlooked in favor of promotion. Our goal with these products is to set the quality standard as high as it can go, health, function, and environmental. Our work is not just a good idea that sounds good, it must be tangibly better, where anybody can tell the difference.”

Pure Shea Cream is a powerful moisturizer designed to replenish dry and stressed skin. A tiny amount moisturizes hands and body because of its high shea butter content. Also use as a make-up remover. Use more for a top quality long lasting massage that has great glide and doesn’t pull hair. Available in refreshing and relaxing scents: Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemongrass Mint and Vanilla Orange.

Pure Organic Shea Butter is the most effective natural moisturizer for dry and troubled skin. Pure, unscented and creamy. Known for stimulating skin capillaries and promoting the skin’s natural balance, shea butter is gaining widespread popularity. This is the active ingredient found in a growing number of skin care products.

The Organic Essence biodegradable jar functions just as well as glass or plastic, but will break-down without a trace in short order when you are done with it. It’s a blueprint for all sorts of products. The public is looking in their local stores for products to help them solve environmental problems while preserving the quality they expect. “I am actively encouraging other manufacturers to copy our biodegradable jar design, because if they do, the environment and everybody in it, wins.”

Organic Essence Pure Shea Cream and Pure Shea Butter will be available in stores this October, or at http://www.orgess.com/. this September.