More than 300 million tonnes of plastic are used globally each year. Around 50% of that plastic is used for single-use purposes only, and eight million tonnes of it are dumped into our oceans each year.
Sunscreen tubes play a big role in the plastic pollution crisis but what's inside sunscreen poses another threat. An estimated 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen ends up in our oceans worldwide every year and most off-the-shelf sunscreen blends are a chemical concoction of toxins.
The chemicals found in sunscreen are harmful to our precious marine life. The ingredient oxybenzone leaches coral of its nutrients and bleaches it white, and it also damages the development of fish and marine wildlife. Oxybenzone has been found in sea turtle eggs and the fish we eat, so this is no longer just an issue for our oceans - it's an issue for our food chain and our health too.
It's a problem SunButter Skincare set out to solve in 2016 with their reef safe sunscreen (an Australian first), but founders Sacha Guggenheimer and Tom Hiney wanted more than just good ingredients. SunButter Skincare is also packaged in zero waste, plastic free, reusable and recyclable tins.
Adding to their list of eco firsts, SunButter Skincare is now the world’s first Certified Palm Oil Free sunscreen company. SunButter have removed palm oil from their entire supply chain to ensure their range of sunscreen and skincare products are free from palm oil or palm oil derived ingredients.
For SunButter, becoming the world’s first Certified Palm Oil Free sunscreen company is about so much more than just a label, and it’s a step towards raising awareness about the use of palm oil in the cosmetic industry.
Make the switch to sustainable and natural sunscreen and shop SunButter’s vegan, reef safe and palm oil free sunscreen range here.
The Fashion Advocate x
