Since the start of Christina May, we have always prided ourselves on our philosophy towards sustainability, and continue to strive to improve our products, packaging and working methods, to reduce our carbon footprint, and make the planet a better place.
Please click here to read our palm oil statement.
As we manufacture all our products at our farm site in the heart of the Sussex countryside, we never buy our finished products from anywhere else, be it in the UK or abroad. Not only does this give us greater control over the quality of the product, it also helps reduce our carbon footprint.
We always look to source our raw materials and ingredients as locally as possible. This reduces our carbon footprint as well as supporting the local rural economy, two things that we are passionate about. Examples of locally sourced materials include our paper packaging, perfumes, brochures and our corrugate.
We endeavour to be sustainable in everything we do. We are proud to say that all soaps made by us are in completely plastic free packaging using either paper wraps or board both of which are fully recyclable.
We recycle as much as possible. This means we will buy ingredients and raw materials that are recyclable whenever possible. We reuse packaging material. For example, rather than bring in additional material to pad out online orders we will reuse what we already have. When cardboard is no longer suitable for use, we arrange for it to be collected for recycling.
There is much talk of palm oil in the media and its use in products. It can be found in nearly 50% of the packaged products found in supermarkets, and is commonly used in the beauty industry. The use of palm oil in human society is complex, and a broader understanding of its use and how it can and should be used is necessary.
We are proud to confirm that the palm oil that we use is exclusively sourced from from members of the RSPO (Round Table of Sustainable Palm Oil).
There are two main reasons for palm oils popularity: versatility and production efficiency.
It is odourless and colourless, and does not impact on the fragrance of cosmetics or the flavour of food. It is semi-solid at room temperature, and resistant to oxidation which gives the products a longer shelf life.
Palm oil is a highly versatile edible vegetable oil, derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms, primarily the African oil palm Elaeis guineensis. It is grown in wet, tropical locations around the world. Indonesia and Malaysia are its biggest producers.
Palm oil produces a bar of far higher quality than alternative oils. Palm oil-based soaps are longer-lasting and create a great lather making it highly effective at cleaning.
Finally, it is less resource-hungry to produce, making it more environmentally friendly than its alternatives.
Palm oil is an exceptionally efficient crop, it produces more oil per hectare of land than any other equivalent vegetable oil crop. Thereby satisfying 35% of the world vegetable oil demand on just 10% of the land. Soaps made from rapeseed and sunflower oil are often marketed as being environmentally friendly by virtue of being palm free. However, both oils require almost 5 times as much land to produce the same bar of soap. Soy, another alternative, requires over 8 times as much.
Switching to a different oil would not only be shifting the problem elsewhere but it would also be severely amplifying it by threatening other habitats and specials. Additionally, many small farm holders in developing countries depend on producing palm oil for their livelihood.
There are many organisations such as the RSPO (Round Table of Sustainable Palm Oil) who focus on sustainable palm oil production. All palm oil used in Christina May soap bars are sourced from RSPO members.
