More people are finding ways to ditch plastic razors and swap them out for a more sustainable option. Environmentalists say the timing couldn’t be any better as more than 2 billion plastic razors end up in landfills nationwide every year.
At barbershops across the country, the traditional shave is the standard. Everything is included: shaving cream, warm water, and a single razor.
It’s a classic combination that Mark Herro, the owner of the shaving review site Sharpologist, believes works best. He said one reason he chooses a single-blade, over all the disposable multiple-blade razors on the market, is environmental.
“One advantage of the old school safety razor is you have a single blade, uh, by itself that you can simply, uh, toss out or recycle as a fully metallic item without any plastic,” Herro said.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates every year some 2 billion disposable razors are tossed out. That’s more than 63 razors going into landfills every second. It can take 100 years for that plastic to break down.
Now several companies are selling a simple solution, old school razors that don’t get tossed. That includes Karen Young’s company, ‘Oui the People.’ The razor set the tone for everything else we did to be even more sustainable.
Her razor is completely plastic free and launched a sustainable skin and body line now found in retail stores nationwide. “Starting with the razor really set a foundation for the business that I actually hadn’t quite known was possible,” Young said.
Opportunities cut from simple concepts that Young hopes make a lasting, environmentally friendly, impact.
