Oat So Simple Water Cream Packaging Choice

You may or may not have been around for and involved in our packaging source journey for Oat So Simple Water Cream. We’ve been on a hunt to find the best packaging option with sustainability (like closing the product loop), the environment, recyclability, practicality, and convenience in mind.  It was a toughie, and there were a lot of pros and cons for all the many different options.

Airless Pump

Our initial choice for packaging, as you may have seen on our IG, was to go with an airless pump. However, the metal spring in the pump makes the pump not easily recyclable, thus making the entire product not fully recyclable. And thus, despite being a high contender amongst our community and even the team, we decided not to move forward with the airless pump to prioritize recyclability and closing the product loop.

Metal/Aluminum Tube 

This was a big contender for us since it’s lightweight and can easily be recycled (!), but then we learned from suppliers that there have been instances of torn or wrinkled packaging that could possibly pose injury or discomfort to customers. Until we can conduct our own research and look into this further to ensure there is no harm to our customer experience, metal or aluminum tubes have been put on the sidelines for future consideration. 

Glass Jar

Although a glass jar may seem like the best option because it can be reused infinitely, we had to consider the logistics and the entire supply chain map. Glass containers weigh a lot more than other packaging options and would, therefore, produce a large carbon footprint and take more energy to transport, especially since all of our products are manufactured in Korea, shipped to the US, and then to your front door. This was essential for us to consider since reducing our carbon emissions is a starting point for us in our sustainability efforts. 

What We Decided and WHY 

After reviewing and researching all the many options, we ultimately decided that PET plastic jar packaging would make the most sense for our brand at this time in our sustainability journey. PET is the most environmentally friendly option that we can provide at this time, and it also has a higher chance to close the product loop and can be easily reused. Another decision was to forgo using a matte coating because that would make the packaging unrecyclable - and therefore, definitely not an option for us!

We’re not here to say that the packaging we choose is better than any other. It may not be -- and there are positives and negatives to all of the options we’ve been thinking about which is why it made this process so difficult. But ultimately, we decided that this packaging would be the best for right now based on our current operations. 

We’re always open to feedback and ideas because we’re constantly looking to do better for ourselves and our planet and to make the customer experience the absolute best for our community. Please reach out to us for any and all questions, comments, concerns regarding sustainability, or anything else! We love to talk with you guys and hear all of your suggestions.