When you think of carbon emissions, your mind probably jumps to cars, planes, or factories - not your handwash. But the truth is, the everyday liquid soap sitting by your sink carries a hidden carbon footprint.

From production to shipping, traditional handwash bottles are far from eco-friendly. Fortunately, there’s a simple switch that can make a big difference: refillable handwash concentrates.

The Problem with Traditional Liquid Soap

1. Shipping Water Around the World
Most liquid handwash is up to 90–95% water. That means every time you buy a plastic bottle of soap, you’re paying (and polluting) to ship heavy water unnecessarily.

2. Plastic Packaging
Single-use bottles are rarely recycled - most end up in landfills or incinerated. Even if they are recycled, the process still requires large amounts of energy.

3. Higher Transport Emissions
Because of the weight and bulk of bottled handwash, shipping generates significantly more emissions compared to lightweight concentrates.

How Refillable Concentrates Reduce Carbon Emissions

This is where powder-to-gel handwash refills (like Blackmarket’s eco-friendly refills) change the game. Here’s why:

• 95% lighter to ship → drastically lower carbon emissions during transport.

• Plastic-free sachets → no bulky bottles in landfill.

• DIY mix at home → you add your own tap water, instead of buying it pre-mixed.

• Reusability → one glass or aluminium dispenser lasts for years.

👉 Curious about the future of handwash? Read: Plastic-Free Handwash: Why Refillable Options Are the Future

Why This Matters

Switching to refillable handwash might seem like a small step, but consider this:

• If one household saves 12 bottles of soap a year, that’s dozens of plastic bottles and kilograms of CO₂ emissions avoided.

• Multiply that across hundreds of thousands of households, and you’re looking at a huge environmental impact.

Your soap is more than a bathroom essential—it’s part of your carbon footprint. By switching to refillable handwash refills, you’re cutting emissions, reducing plastic, and supporting a more sustainable future.

Ready to make the switch? Explore Blackmarket’s eco-friendly handwash refills and start reducing your impact today.

👉 Looking for affordable ways to go green? Don’t miss: 5 Sustainable Home Gift Ideas Under £25.