How many times have you just let the tap run while you brush your teeth?
Or didn’t even consider water waste while letting the shower run for a minute or two to heat up before hopping in on a cold morning?
There are plenty of obvious ways we can cut back on our water consumption and waste—but have you ever considered how much water is actually inside the products we use at home every day? Canada is home to some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world—which make up 7% of the world's renewable fresh water—which often means we can easily take access to it for granted.
Why concentrated is more planet-positive
Turns out most household and beauty products aren’t that water friendly and can be a large factor in our overall daily water consumption. The average Canadian uses 329 litres of water per person, per day according to this study by McGill University. This number could be drastically cut back by just paying attention to the ingredients labels on the things we purchase and use daily. (Want to know how much you consume in a day? Check out this water footprint calculator).
Not so sneakily labelled as “aqua” on most ingredient lists, there’s a whole lot of it in our the products we use daily. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, many of the cleaning products we buy are mostly water with only a small amount of active ingredient. For example, a typical bottle of household cleaner is 90% water and less than 10% actual valuable ingredients.
Not only do liquid products contain, well, water, they’re also packaged in plastic—another huge water waster thanks to production and shipping which both contribute to global-warming carbon emissions, increase costs, and create more recycling. So not only are we paying for water, but the planet is also paying for it.
Easy (and smart) concentrated product swaps
Tru Earth laundry detergent strips are one of the most sustainable options available when it comes to holistically saving water while washing your clothing, with a dramatically smaller eco-footprint than liquid and powder detergents. The only water you’ll find inside Tru Earth strips is residual. And although washing dishes is one of the least water-wasting tasks at home, accountable for just about 2% of home water usage, it adds up over time. Try No Tox Life dish soap blocks that can be used in place of regular water-based dish detergents, and can be used for cleaning throughout your home, naturally. In the shower, swap your large plastic containers of expensive water-based products for Bottle None shampoo and conditioner.
Concentrated (aka dehydrated or waterless) products are, simply put, better for the planet. Even if you’re consciously choosing products that are labelled as eco-friendly and bio-degradable (a definite step in the right direction), they are likely not very water conscious. So next time you stock up on your favourite products, pay attention to the ingredients listed on the containers and packaging—it could end up saving you a lot of money, and lowering your carbon footprint and water consumption all at the same time.