It’s definitely something many of us don’t think about, but about a billion people (that’s 1 in 8 of us) don’t have access to clean drinking water. In the beauty industry, it’s not uncommon for skin care products to contain upwards of 90% water. And on top of that, a lot of those products need you to use your very own tap water to make them work.
Think of all that fuel used to transport all those skin care products containing all that water to all those stores. Think of all your water and all the money and energy used to heat your water to use all those skin care products every day. It may not seem like much, but over a lifetime, it definitely adds up.
La Fresh makes products that contain only a little water per use. And most of their products don’t require any extra water to make them work. Their products are light, so they don’t require so much energy to ship (or carry around for that matter). And they are introducing new products made of biodegradable materials so they give back to the earth responsibly.
Fresh water is indeed a scarce resource; its annual availability is limited and demand is growing. The water footprint of humanity has exceeded sustainable levels at several places and is unequally distributed among people. There are many spots in the world where serious water depletion or pollution takes place: rivers running dry, dropping lake and groundwater levels and endangered species because of contaminated water. The water footprint refers to the volumes of water consumption and pollution that are ‘behind’ your daily consumption.
In 1990, 30 states in the US reported ‘water-stress’ conditions. In 2000, the number of states reporting water-stress rose to 40. In 2009, the number rose to 45. There is a worsening trend in water supply nationwide. Taking measures at home to conserve water not only saves you money, it also is of benefit to the greater community.
As a consumer, you can reduce your ‘direct water footprint’ (home water use). It’s easier than you think!