THIS CHRISTMAS, CONSIDER SUSTAINABLE GIFTING
It may be the happiest time of the year, but it is also the season that sees the most accumulated amount of trash. And we’re not trying to steal Christmas here, we’re just stating a widely known fact.
“When we happily celebrate the season, let’s also be mindful. Let’s make sure that we don’t create more trash that will destroy the planet. Let’s make this our gift to Mother Nature,” said Watsons public relations and sustainability director Viki Encarnacion at the launch of Watsons Holiday Sustainable Gifting at The Podium.
The health and beauty chain is encouraging shoppers to opt for sustainable gifts that are not only good for people but beneficial for the planet, as well. It has classified its products under four categories—Clean Beauty, Refill Reduce, Better Ingredients and Better Packaging—so shoppers will have an easier time picking out what kind of presents they want to give this Christmas.
Clean Beauty features skin, hair, personal care products and cosmetics with no unwanted toxic ingredients. These are guaranteed to be truly safe for people and the environment.
With Refill Reduce, Watsons is bringing more refill packs to its shelves to allow shoppers to save more as well as reuse old containers. “We have realized that our customers are now more consciously purchasing these items,” explained Zyra Tinio, Watsons senior category manager for Beauty.
Refilling stations
Early this month, Watsons launched its first Naturals by Watsons refill station at SM Megamall. It hopes to encourage shoppers to pick up the habit of refilling, whether it’s for homecare products or personal care. “Refills are 30 to 40 percent cheaper than the regular pack, so you’re not only saving the planet, you’re also saving your pesos,” added Encarnacion.
Better Ingredients are products with reduced plastic content and those that contain ethically sourced palm oil or paper. Toothbrushes with bamboo handles, Watsons Milk Salt Scrubs, Watsons Tissues and Antibacterial Biodegradable Cleansing Wipes are just a few examples.
Better Packaging, meanwhile, are those which use sustainably sourced paper, bio-based plastic or postconsumer recycled plastic. Examples of these are shampoo bars that have no packaging at all or at least come in paper packaging only and Naturals by Watsons personal care products.
Other brands that offer sustainable gift options are Quick FX, Garnier, L’Oreal, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Palmolive, Herbal Essences, Dove, Bioten, St. Ives, Zenutrients, Curls, Moringana, Gluta C, The Body Shop, BLK and Sekaya.
“You can also help reduce your own carbon footprint with one simple act,” said Encarnacion. “This season when you go shopping, please bring your reusable bag because you can lessen the production of unnecessary shopping bags that add to the waste in the environment.”
She said that in 2021 alone, Watsons consumed 25 million bags of plastic for its customers. “That doesn’t even include our paper bags yet,” she added. “If you were to connect all the 25 million bags, you can actually go to the moon and back 10 times. That’s how much plastic we consumed last year.” Watsons hopes to lessen that number by urging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags whenever they go out to shop.
“What I like most about this season is seeing the kindness of Filipinos,” said Watsons marketing controller Sharon Decapia. “At Watsons, we would like to encourage everyone to extend this kindness by doing good for our community and our planet.”