Last week, New York City councillor - James Gennaro - introduced a bill to ban something we've been talking about since 2019.
Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA / PVOH).
"This bill would prohibit the sale of laundry and dishwasher pods, as well as laundry and dishwasher sheets, that include polyvinyl alcohol."
We were considering PVA for our own products in 2018, until I came across this study out of the UK that appeared to show it was acting like other micro plastics, landing in the bellies of the deepest sea creatures; meaning, despite claims that PVA is biodegradable, it wasn't biodegrading fast enough, if at all, once it got into our Oceans.
I was worried that "if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then... IT MUST BE A FLIPPIN' DUCK."
So in early 2020, I wrote a blog about it, and asked for comments and got a lot of feedback like this:
So in early 2020, I wrote a blog about it, and asked for comments and got a lot of feedback like this:
In light of this, I think we should scrap the term 'green washing' and just get more comfortable having uncomfortable conversations.
It works in therapy right?
Rather than 'shaming' brands for claiming something is good for the planet, when maybe it's not, I think we need to encourage more discussion, share more research and work as a collective to always improve, while simultaneously holding corporations and the law makers that influence them personally accountable for their actions.
It works in therapy right?
Rather than 'shaming' brands for claiming something is good for the planet, when maybe it's not, I think we need to encourage more discussion, share more research and work as a collective to always improve, while simultaneously holding corporations and the law makers that influence them personally accountable for their actions.
PVA is a perfect example, because I still don't know if it really is 'BAD', I just don't like that it's being flushed into our Lakes, Rivers and Oceans before it biodegrades, because once it's in our water, we really lose control of its impact.
New research will always come out, and if more consumers support businesses that are trying to learn and evolve, I think we'll all be in better shape.
So on a closing note, I wanted to leave you with this great Chat GPT response to the question: "describe a world where the power structures are reversed..."
So on a closing note, I wanted to leave you with this great Chat GPT response to the question: "describe a world where the power structures are reversed..."
Something to aspire to, right?
