Blog
How We Renovated our Warehouse…Sustainably
“Reuse” is a major part of our business model here at Plaine Products. Not only do we reuse our aluminum bottles over and over, but we do our best to incorporate the value of reuse into every step of our operations. From boxes to labels to bottles and now…an entire warehouse! Plaine Products has grown a lot over the last few years, and we realized we needed more space for storage, bottle washing, and fulfillment. Co-founder and COO Ali found an abandoned building for sale that had the space necessary for our operations. Thankfully, Ali and her husband (and warehouse manager) Chris are very experienced with remodeling projects, and so the journey began. Without their vision for the building, and the importance we place on reuse, it’s easy to see how we could have ended up demolishing the building and starting fresh. But Demolition creates a huge amount of waste, so we chose an existing building that met our needs and took the time to redesign and renovate it sustainably. We sat down with Chris to learn more about the building, the renovation, and the journey it took to get here. What’s the history of this building? The Plaine Product’s building was originally the home of the Milford Burial Vaults Company. Concrete burial vaults were manufactured on site starting in 1950. Later, the building was used as overflow storage for the Baker Feed and Seed Company located next door. How did the team approach the renovation? Did the building’s original structure inform the new designs? The building was divided into multiple spaces. The two largest spaces fit our warehousing needs perfectly. These areas were provided with heat only. The two smaller spaces fit our office and pack and ship needs. These smaller spaces were fully insulated and provided with heat and air conditioning. We were able to add in space for our bottle washing operation amongst the storage. What were you able to save from the old building? How are you using it? The exterior envelope of the building was saved with some minor changes and major repair. The interior was very simple and the configuration of work areas and warehouse spaces did not need to be changed. What did you do with the things you could not reuse? Are there any community partnerships you utilized to rehome those materials? The original building was an open warehouse with no insulation and only a small office space. In general there was not much to remove. All of the original steel windows were replaced and all the old steel was recycled. Old doors were recycled as scrap metal. We tried to separate used materials as best as possible. All metals were separated and sent to a local recycler. Some structural steel was reused in creating new openings in the concrete block exterior walls. Are there any special features about the new building that make it more eco-friendly than others? We had the HVAC contractor source some High Efficiency heaters that are not commonly used in warehouse spaces. For other heat and air conditioning components, we selected units that were higher efficiency than is standard. Lighting is all LED which makes energy use low. What are the main waste products you deal with now that the building is renovated? Because we recycle so much, our trash output at the warehouse is very low. We recycle: Cardboard (much is reused but some is recycled) Regular curbside type items, like containers and paper Damaged aluminum bottles that can’t be reused We also donate pallets to a small local operator who reconditions them and sells them. Good ones are reused in our own shipping. Things that can’t be recycled in curbside recycling or donated are taken to the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse HUB, like pallet wrapping, plastic strapping, LDPE bags and sheet plastic, and HDPE items like broken buckets. Tape and labels from the reuse of our own boxes is the main contributor to our trash. Even with that, typically our entire warehouse produces just 1 bag of trash per week. Do you have any future plans for making the warehouse even more eco-friendly? Yes, absolutely. There are portions of the storage warehouses that were not insulated in the original project. We look forward to adding more insulation as we move forward to reduce the energy needed to heat and cool the buildings. —- We’re so excited to be in our new (to us) warehouse space, and can’t wait for many more years of reusing and refilling here. Make sure to follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss out on our “Texts from our Warehouse Manager” series, where we show you even more behind the scenes looks at our warehouse!
Learn more
Retail Partner Highlight: Fillgood, San Francisco Bay Area
Plaine Products partners with over 270 retail stores and refill shops across the USA to make our products more accessible for you. We are pleased to share with you one of these stores, Fillgood, to tell you more about them and their history. Read on to learn more about Fillgood, what they carry and their hopes for the future. (And if you are looking for a retail store near you, search here.) What inspired you to start Fillgood? I was inspired to start Fillgood when I took a class about recycling in San Francisco in 2016. I was shocked to learn how much plastic we throw away each day and the fact that recycling is not a viable long-term solution. From the oil well to the landfill, plastic is polluting our air, water, and land, and having a major impact on low-income communities. It's an environmental justice issue. These communities are exposed to toxic chemicals and other environmental hazards related to plastic manufacturing. In addition, we now know that less than 5% of plastic is actually recycled and that almost every piece of plastic ever manufactured still exists. Each of us even ingests the equivalent of a plastic credit card every week! All this made it very clear to me that reducing our plastic consumption, especially single-use plastic packaging, was crucial. These plastics are not designed to last and we throw them away, replacing them with new ones, which only leads to more waste and more resources being extracted. I created Fillgood to show that there is an alternative to this unsustainable cycle. Tell us about the early days, how did you get started? When Fillgood first started, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to switch to refillable packaging, so I created an online store with home deliveries - a bit like a modern-day milkman! At the beginning, the website only had about 30 products (now we have over 400!), with a focus on home, bath and body products, no food. We would deliver once a week in 3 different areas. We still offer this same service today: our customers get their orders in a reusable bag, the liquid and powder products are packaged in glass jars, and they can return their bags and empties at the next delivery. It was important to me to also provide safe, non-toxic products to our customers. That's why we carefully screen ingredient lists before introducing any new product, to ensure it won't have any potential negative impacts on health or the environment. What do operations look like now? Two years after launching, I opened a store in Albany – the first refill store in the East Bay! It was a hit with customers who wanted to bring their own containers and refill them in-store. A year later, in August 2020, during the pandemic, we moved to a bigger location in Berkeley with high foot traffic. Now we're a team of 6, running our brick and mortar store and home deliveries. We offer 400 products, including over 100 in bulk, and serve customers all around the Bay Area. It's been an incredible journey and we're looking forward to continuing to serve our community! What are you most proud of? I'm incredibly proud of our closed loop partnerships with brands like Plaine Products! When I started Fillgood, it was difficult to find companies willing to take back their empty bulk containers or jars/bottles to be cleaned and refilled. Putting these containers in the recycling bin didn't fit with our mission either. Now, while the number of companies offering closed-loop is still limited, it's growing. Every time we join forces with a new closed loop partner, it's a huge victory in the battle against single use plastics. What has been the most challenging? Besides finding closed-loop partners, there's also the public perception of zero waste stores, which can be discouraging. Many folks believe that zero waste products are too expensive and only accessible to wealthier people. When we receive feedback like this in the store, we try to explain that you can actually save money in the long run with many zero waste items. For instance, a stainless steel razor will last a lifetime and each new blade only costs 30 cents, which is cheaper than a disposable plastic razor. Solid dish soap is also a great swap - a single brick can replace 2 to 3 bottles of liquid dish soap. But living a low waste life is not just about buying new products. Most of the time, you actually don't need to buy anything at all to reduce waste, you can reuse, repair, or get the things you need for free thanks to groups like Buy Nothing. It’s a very creative journey! We hope that this perception of zero waste stores will change quickly, because reducing single-use plastics requires a collective effort in order to make a real, systemic change. What are your most popular products? Our most popular products include laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, and hair care products - all the essentials people use day-to-day that are usually packaged in plastic bottles. We absolutely love seeing people bring their own bottles and jars for refills or swapping for solid products - it's a huge win for the planet! What are the hardest zero waste items to find? Some zero waste items can definitely be a challenge. Right now, I would love to find a fully compostable toothbrush that works well. I'm still on the hunt for one! Another zero waste item I would love to see is a refillable floss pick - it would be particularly helpful for kids, and would replace millions of the disposable picks out there. If you know of any companies that make these products, please let me know - I'd love to hear about them! What are you excited about for the future? The recent UN conference about a Global Plastics Treaty is giving me hope. It's an amazing effort to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that is damaging our planet. It shows how plastic pollution has become such a worldwide issue that it's time for countries to take it very seriously and regulate this industry. This treaty is designed to create a framework for countries to cooperate and create policies to reduce the production and consumption of single-use plastics. In the meantime, single-use plastic bans across the world are on the rise. These bans are a positive step in the right direction to reduce the amount of plastic waste and an important way to put pressure on companies to create more sustainable packaging solutions. But bans cannot cover every single-use plastics, that's why we must continue to find ways to drastically reduce our plastic consumption, for the sake of our home planet, our children and our health.
Learn more
The Styling Gel That Loves Your Hair (and the Planet)
Our eco friendly Styling Gel is a multipurpose, light styling aid for all hair types. It perfectly blends the shine and hold of a gel with the softness and manageability of a defining cream. Like all of our products, we've carefully formulated our Styling Gel to be versatile. You can use it on wet, damp, or dry hair
Learn more
How to Use Hair Repair Spray
Generally,Plaine Products' Hair Repair works to smooth the hair shaft by filling in breakage and mending split ends. It helps detangle by reducing friction between hair strands-making it easier to get through stubborn tangles, also repair split ends and works as a heat protector.
Learn more
2 New Hand Wash Scents!
We have added 2 new, seasonal scents to ourhand wash line and they are helping get us in the holiday spirit!Our hydrating hand wash is now available in Cherry Almond and Sweet Orange Patchouli, in addition to our current best sellers, Citrus Lavender and Rosemary Mint Vanilla. The essential oils used in our hand wash will make your hands smell good without adding harsh chemicals to your soap.And just in time for cold and flu season! Did you know that only 19% of people wash their hands after using the toilet? We can do better than that!Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs. When you wash your hands with soap and water, you’re “actually annihilating the viruses, rendering them harmless” as the soap dissolves the very structure of the virus. And yes, you need to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Scientific studies show that you need to scrub for 20 seconds to remove harmful germs from your hands. The lather is important too. A good lather forms pockets that trap and destroy the germs, washing them away as you rinse your hands.Why Choose Plaine Products Hand Wash? Not all hand washes are created equal. Plaine Products offers an aloe-based hand wash that’s safe for you and your skin! It gently washes away germs and bacteria without the use of harsh chemical detergents to dry your skin.Unlike most mainstream hand washes our first (and main) ingredient is aloe. Not only does our hand wash effectively kill germs, it contains antioxidants and more than 75 nutrients, including minerals and essential amino acids that provide hydration to the skin. Even when you are washing your hands multiple times a day our soap won’t dry your skin as other hand soaps do. Plus, our variety of pleasing scents will leave things smelling so good every time you scrub up!
Learn more
Help for Static Prone Hair
While it's hard to know exactly what is causing your static hair, the colder weather of winter is certainly not helping. We have a few suggestions for helping to combat the static in your hair. What Causes Static Hair? When the weather gets cooler outside and we turn our heat on indoors, the dry air can dry our skin and hair and cause static. Your hair is literally building up an electric charge that makes the strands of your hair repel each other. This can leave your hair frizzy and standing on end. What can I do to prevent it? We turned to our resident hair expert, Krysia, for her suggestions on getting the static out of your hair. Here's what she had to say: A humidifier in your house can help add some moisture back into the air. Try using a cotton t-shirt instead of a towel when getting moisture out of your hair after the shower. Sometimes a towel can roughen up the hair cuticle and cause frizz and static. A wooden or metal comb is better than plastic because plastic is non-conductive and causes static electricity when you comb your hair. Skipping hot tools and opting for air drying your hair can also help. Can Plaine Products help? Try a deep conditioner treatment with Plaine Products deep conditioner. Both our Cherry Almond Shampoo and Deep conditioner contain sweet almond oil, which is especially nourishing and helps to combat frizz. It also promotes shine and can help prevent hair breakage. To use, shampoo your hair as usual and then apply a small amount of Deep Conditioner to wet hair, focusing on ends. Leave on for 5 minutes and rinse thoroughly. For extra hydration or for damaged hair, leave the deep conditioner on for 5-30 minutes with a shower cap before rinsing. This will add some extra moisture to your hair. Spritz the ends of your hair with Plaine Products Hair Repair before blow drying as a heat protectant, to detangle, seal in moisture and repair split ends. Plaine Products Hair Repair replenishes moisture in the hair and can be used in place of a conditioner on fine hair, or after conditioning as a detangler for thick or curly hair. Simply spray on damp hair focusing on the ends and air dry or blow-dry as usual. Plaine Products Beauty Oil can be used on damp or dry hair, before using hot tools or to let hair air dry. Run it through damp curls to define and tame frizz or dab a bit on dry hair to tame fly-aways and avoid static. Lighter than Argan Oil, this oil is a hydrating blend of Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, squalene (olive derived), and Simmondsia Chinensis (jojoba) seed oil and can be applied to the ends of hair to tame flyaways, frizz, and bring the shape back to curls. Plaine Products Styling Gel is perfect if you like a slicked back look or want to tame flyaways. It's a lightweight gel that will tame your static without weighing your hair down or making it look greasy. For even more winter hair care tips, be sure to check out this blog post:Winter Hair Care Tips for Healthier Hair this Winter
Learn more
Plaine Products are Gray Water Safe
We often get asked if Plaine Products are gray water safe, and we're happy to say the answer is yes! Whether you're using Plaine Products in the shower, in the bath, or to wash your hands, you can collect the runoff for other uses safely.What is Gray Water? Gray water, also known as greywater outside the US, refers to wastewater from sinks, showers, baths, washing machines, or dishwashers. i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from toilets. (Wastewater from toilets is known as blackwater.) Gray water can also be water collected from the rain in water barrels. In addition to being fecal-free, gray water also shouldn't have any heavy grease or toxic chemicals. As long as it meets these standards, gray water is safe for reuse for things like toilet flushing, landscaping or crop irrigation, and other non-drinking uses.As the news continues to remind us, global water resource supplies are worsening. Droughts in the Southwest and California have increased interest in water conservation. Reusing gray water is one good way to help solve this problem by reducing the demand for water supplies.What Can Gray Water be Used for? The simplest way to reuse gray water is to water plants or gardens. This can look like anything from keeping a bucket in the shower for excess water, to having arain barrel outside to catch rain, to configuring your plumbing to pipe gray water to where you want to use it.Depending on where you live, recycled gray water from showers and bathtubs can be used for flushing toilets, but you're going to have to investigate further if that solution is of interest. It's legal in most European and Australian jurisdictions but only on a state-by-state basis in the US.New ways to use gray water are coming online all of the time.IKEA is prototyping an easy-to-install shower system that would cycle water for reuse, reducing water consumption by 80 percent and energy consumption by 70 percent. They've been working on it since 2020 and it should be available soon.Why are Plaine Products Gray Water Safe? Plaine Products are made fromnatural ingredients which means that when they are washed down the drain, there are no toxic chemicals or toxins in the water to create problems. Detergents, like sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureate sulfate (SLES) that are in many mainstream cleaning and personal care products mean that water contained by those products would not be safe to water plants or gardens. In general, you want biodegradable personal care products, like Plaine Products, for any gray water uses.
Learn more
Get “Halloween Unready” With Plaine Products
You’ve slayed your Halloween makeup look, and now it’s time to take it all off! Costume makeup can be tough to remove and harsh on the skin, but we’ve got everything you need to get your skin back to its pre-Halloween beauty. Here’s how to get Halloween Unready with Plaine Products: Step 1: Beauty Oil Our Beauty Oil is extremely versatile and works well as a makeup remover. The formula can break down any oil or waxes in your makeup, and is the perfect first step of any unready routine. Use a cotton round and a few pumps of the oil and apply to the skin. Step 2: Face Wash After using the Beauty Oil to break down your makeup, follow up with our Face Wash to gently cleanse skin while removing dirt, oil and impurities. With daily use, it can even help refine skin’s tone and texture and fight the signs of aging! Step 3: Face Toner After all that scrubbing, reach for our Face Toner. Its unique green tea formula acts as an anti-inflammatory to soothe and calm skin irritations, reduce redness, and shrink pores naturally. Step 4: Moisturizer Lock in all the nutrients you just gave your skin with our Face Moisturizer. It’s blended with potent antioxidants and nutrients, and traps in moisture. Softer skin here you come! Share your best Halloween makeup looks with us onInstagram ,Facebook orTikTok !P.S. For a DIY, natural makeup remover using some simple ingredients, including Plaine Products’ face wash. be sure to check out this post!
Learn more
Sustainable Sleep Routine
Looking for ways to green your sleep routine? We’ve got you covered with eco-friendly tips to make bedtime the best (and greenest) part of your day. Try a Sustainable Sleepy Time Tea If you have trouble falling asleep, try an herbal tea like magnolia, lavender, or chamomile. But make sure those tea bags are plastic free! We love Higher Living Teas, or you can try making your own loose leaf tea. Sleepy Skincare Getting into a routine can help your body understand that it’s time to slow down. Try committing to a sustainable skincare routine to help your body and mind slow down: -cleanse with Plaine Products Face Wash -improve look and feel of skin with Plaine Products Face Toner -hydrate with Plaine Products Face Moisturizer -add in a few drops of Plaine Products Beauty Oil for added hydration Sink Into Sustainable Sheets Turn your bed into a sustainably soft oasis with a good set of sheets. We love American Blossom Linens— their products are grown, processed, finished, and shipped in the USA, drastically reducing their carbon footprint. The organic wool and cotton will help you drift off to a peaceful sleep. Bonus, we got you a 20% off code - use PLAINE20 for new, sustainable sheets! Shut Off The Tech We know it’s tempting, but turning off your technology before bed is one of the best ways to ensure a good night’s rest. Unplug your devices, put away your phone, and enjoy the sweet solemnity of bedtime. Sweet, green dreams everyone! xoxo
Learn more
