Recycling Soap Scraps with Eco-Soap Bank
Have you ever wondered what happens to our "ugly" soap - the scraps, the failed bars, the soap ends? For many businesses, they end up in the trash but at Crooked Creek Birch our failed batches embark on a second journey. We send them to Eco-Soap Bank, an incredible non-profit organization that turns our waste into a lifeline for families in need around the world.
Soap making is an art, but it is also a process that naturally creates leftovers. When you slice a loaf of soap into bars, you are left with ends. Sometimes, a batch seizes up, the bars are uneven when we cut them or they just don't meet our standards for selling. Meanwhile, hygiene-related illnesses remain a leading cause of death for children in developing nations.
Who is Eco-Soap Bank?
They are nonprofit organization that employs women across Africa and Asia to recycle soap scrap into new bars and distribute to people who need them. They saw the same problem we did: too much soap going into landfills while too many people lacked access to basic hygiene.
Their mission:
- Save soap from landfills.
- Provide jobs to disadvantaged women.
- Improve hygiene to save lives.
Since 2014, they have provided soap to over 3.5 million people. They don't just hand out bars; they create a sustainable cycle of health and economic empowerment.
The Impact on Global Health
The simple act of handwashing with soap is one of the most effective ways to prevent disease. According to the CDC, handwashing can reduce diseases by roughly 30% and respiratory infections by about 20%.
In many of the communities Eco-Soap Bank serves, soap is a luxury item. Families often have to choose between buying food or buying soap. By providing free, recycled soap, Eco-Soap Bank removes that difficult choice.
Empowering Women Through Hygiene
One of the aspects of Eco-Soap Bank that we love most is their employment model. They employ economically disadvantaged women in developing countries to serve as hygiene ambassadors. These women are trained to sell the recycled soap at a fraction of the market price and provide hygiene education to their communities.
This model does two things:
- It provides a livelihood: Women gain financial independence and skills.
- It builds trust: Education comes from a neighbor or community member, making it more likely to be adopted.
A Cleaner World, One Scrap at a Time
Every time you buy a bar of soap from Crooked Creek Birch, you are supporting this cycle. Your purchase allows us to keep making soap, which generates the scraps that fuel this incredible mission.
Sometimes mistakes aren't mistakes at all.
