It's Earth Day 2022, and there are things to be concerned about. Big things. Overwhelming things. It can be easier to cover your ears and eyes to the obvious facts of climate change and pollution than to face it, and consider ways you as an individual might be part of needed changes rather than an impediment to them. As a business owner, this is something I think about, feel discouraged about, then sit back up and consider with every business decision I make.
Before mentioning the things we do in our business to be as environmentally conscious as possible, I want to point out that we put an unfair burden on consumers and small businesses to somehow be the solution to climate change when governments and CEOs have the power to make sweeping change and simply choose not to for the sake of their own wallet. It's that greed that's killing us, in particular communities in the global South. One way we try to help is by donating to mutual aid funds and supporting unions and worker-owned businesses, because the kind of revolutionary change needed in this crisis has historically has never come from the top. Empowering workers is essential, and so is helping those harmed by our current economic system. We do our best, knowing it isn't enough.
We also use refillable bottles and primarily aluminum, glass, and bamboo packaging. When we use plastic, it is refillable and reusable. We've been doing this since the beginning of our skin care line, many many years ago. We're not new to the minimalist packaging game. We also try to educate our clients about how to avoid wasting their time on products that likely won't work for them (i.e., ones with irritants) so that the cycle of buying and trying blindly can stop. Science-based advice is crucial to cutting back on waste in the beauty industry. The market is currently flooded with ineffective and even potentially harmful products that aren't well-regulated. We aim to make decisions easier for people, whether they buy from us or not.
Speaking of which, we believe in sharing information with others and collaborating with other brands who are have the same vision as we do: to provide science-based, high quality, effective products and services. We provide our formulas and formulary advice to anyone who asks. We believe if you've got information that can help people, you should share it freely. The best innovations we've had in our businesses have come from feedback from our clients. We've grown slowly and deliberately, introducing new products as demand dictated, and updating them as needed instead of outsourcing their manufacture. We love having control over our process. We do not believe in growth for the sake of growth.
Growth for the sake of growth is clearly not sustainable. Human-centered, Earth-centered, collaborative business practices are. Thank you for your support on this Earth Day and every day. -Julie, founder of Flower Cloud Beauty
