Committed in Bezzia Since we are going to continue sharing information, ideas and tricks to change our habits for more sustainable ones, it occurred to us that it might be interesting to interview Residuo Cero, a benchmark company in the sale of products for a waste-free and sustainable life.
To our surprise, they kindly agreed to answer all our questions, sharing with us in addition to their motivation to create the Zero Waste online store, some essential products from your catalog to take care of both our body and our home. You can discover them in our conversation with Barbara its founder:
Who is Zero Waste and what led you to create this project?
Since I was little I have been a very environmentally conscious person and I have always tried to spend few resources and recycle a lot; But when I discovered the Zero Waste movement I realized that that was not enough and that there were many other things I could do to take care of the planet. This is how in 2018 Xavi and myself, Bàrbara, created the Zero Waste Online Store. We started by storing and shipping the products from our own home and our objective was none other than to publicize the Zero Waste lifestyle and facilitate access for anyone to more sustainable, plastic-free and natural products.
Over time and thanks in part to the popularity that the Zero Waste movement is gaining in Spain, the online store has been growing, to the point that we are currently 7 people who make up the Zero Waste team. The first to join was Mar, in charge of managing all the part related to the photographs and creatives that we share on the web and social networks. Later, Lia joined the project, who is in charge of the administration and customer service part, Edu, who places the orders, manages the warehouse and the stock of the products, Coni, who takes the communication part with the suppliers and Cintia, in charge of writing the content of our social networks and our Blog.
How does your project differ from the many inspired by a Zero Waste lifestyle that exist today?
At Zero Waste we really care about offering products without plastic and of the highest quality to our clients. Thus, we not only make sure that the packaging of the products is plastic-free, we also pay close attention to their quality, how, where and by whom they are manufactured, what ingredients have been used and also how they will reach us. .
We ask our suppliers to deliver orders to us without plastic and we prepare our packages without using this material; even the adhesive tape we use to close it is made of paper. Inside we use the minimum possible packaging, much of it is reused, everything we can deliver in bulk and if necessary we use recycled and recyclable paper strips to protect some products.
To be consistent with our values, we try as much as possible that our suppliers are local and that the products are manufactured in Spain or Europe. Not only because its carbon footprint is lower, but because in this way we support the local economy.
What are your star products?
We currently have more than 500 Zero Waste products, the vast majority without plastic, sustainable and designed to facilitate the transition to a life without waste. Among all of them, the solid natural deodorants from Kutis Skincare stand out, which stand out for their effectiveness; the solid shampoos of the Inuit brand, without plastic, handmade and with an irresistible aroma; Georganics toothpaste stick for its innovative format; Amazinc's natural sunscreens that respect the planet; the luffa scourer, a staple in any Zero Waste home; and the solid soap from Marseille, multipurpose soap par excellence.
Many of us have replaced the shower gel with a solid one, but we have not yet done the same with the shampoo. With which shampoo do you recommend us to start and how should we use it?
First of all, it should be mentioned that, if you have never tried a solid shampoo made with natural ingredients before, your hair will most likely need a few days (or weeks) to adapt. This is because your hair is used to the chemicals in conventional shampoos and when making the change, you need a 'detox' time. But once this detox phase is over, your hair will look better than ever.
La Inuit solid shampoo range It has 7 different types, one for each type of hair or capillary need. What we like the most about this brand is that it manufactures all its shampoos by hand with natural ingredients, without water or preservatives and they are 100% free of parabens, silicones, sulfates, petroleum derivatives, animal fats and palm oil. Its pleasant perfume comes from the essential oils used. Our favorites are number 7, with Castor oil, pink clay and Geranium essential oil or number 4 with Keratin, although all of them are wonderful.
All shampoos are used in the same way: only you have to moisten your hair and shampoo and rub it on the hands or directly on the scalp to create a lather. Then you just have to massage, wash and rinse with water. Without a doubt, it is a simple change in our bathroom routine that allows us to save a lot of plastic waste on the planet.
Among the featured products you have also mentioned solid toothpaste. What are the benefits or advantages of these compared to other cream products?
Georganics Solid Toothpaste comes packaged in a biodegradable and recyclable cardboard tube, so from the outset it is already a better alternative to conventional toothpaste tubes (very difficult to recycle, by the way).
This toothpaste does not contain synthetic glycerin, so it allows the teeth to absorb the nutrients without covering them, favoring their remineralization and nutrition. In addition there is made only from natural ingredients like organic olive oil or cocoa butter. It also contains essential oil of peppermint so it will leave you a refreshing and very pleasant touch in the mouth.
The advantages of solid toothpaste compared to conventional ones are numerous. First of all, you are using a biodegradable product that will not pollute the environment either when using it or when disposing of the container. On the other hand, its chemical-free formula is much more respectful with our body and its innovative format makes it last much longer than a conventional toothpaste: Up to 6 months or more! Another plus point is that as it is solid, it is not subject to the liquidity restrictions of the airlines, which means that you can carry it in your travel bag without problems.
You have a very wide range of solar products. Thinking about the summer, which ones do you recommend to put in the travel bag?
Our entire range of sunscreens is incredible. They are from the Amazinc brand! Skincare, which manufactures sunscreens with natural ingredients and using mineral filters such as Zinc Oxide. Mineral filters, unlike chemical filters in common sunscreens, are free of nanoparticles, oxybenzone and any other toxic ingredients.
The 50 SPF protection liquid sun cream is very easy to apply and is kind to the skin: it hydrates it while protecting it from UVA and UVB rays. But if what you are looking for is a practical sunscreen to take on a trip, then sun shortening with SPF 30 packed in aluminum can it is very convenient.
In addition to taking care of personal hygiene, you also provide in Zero Waste numerous options to take care of our home. What are the most versatile cleaning products? How do these help us to minimize the generation of waste?
At home we use many products made of plastic, some of them are very harmful to the planet and we are not even aware of it. For example, the scouring pads for washing conventional dishes are 100% synthetic and every time we use them microplastics are released and go down the drain, directly polluting our seas and oceans. It's so easy to find your alternative! We recommend our loofah scourer for crockery, But really, the luffa will help you clean the home in general and you can even use it as a sponge for the shower.
Luffa is a fruit of the zucchini and squash family that is grown and allowed to dry so that only its fibers remain, from which sponges, scourers or even exfoliating facial discs are made. Therefore it is 100% biodegradable and there is no risk of contaminating the waters with microplastics after use nor that there are remains on the dishes which we can inadvertently ingest
Another very versatile and multipurpose product that we always recommend to have at home is the Marseille soap. This traditional soap is made with olive oil and coconut oil, is hypoallergenic and is used for many things: to wash clothes by hand or machine, as shower soap, to make homemade detergents, you can even use it as a repellent of insects! In our Blog we already explained the many uses that can be given to this handmade soap.
To finish and look back, how has the general interest in zero waste products evolved since you opened the online store?
Over time we have come to realize that more and more people are interested, not only in Zero Waste as a movement, but in living a more conscious and sustainable life. Fortunately, more and more people are trying to live polluting less and the objective of Zero Waste is to facilitate the work of all those people who are starting to be or who are already aware.
However, there is still a large part of society that does not even know what Zero Waste is and that is why our other great work is the de spread this lifestyle, both in our networks and in our Blog, but also in talks and events.
We encourage you to follow Zero Waste on the networks so that living a sustainable life is easier for you. And we thank, once again, Barbara for answering us so kindly and Mar for answering each of our messages.