How Big a Problem Are Synthetic Hair Ties?
Do you ever wonder what happens to your hair ties when they vanish from your wrist? They’re absorbed into our ecosystem, or consumed by birds and fish and deposited directly back into our soil. Conventional, plastic hair ties aren’t made to last — that’s why they come in packs of 10 or 20. Manufacturers treat them like they’re disposable when really, they’re one of the least disposable products on the market.
Plastic now contaminates every corner of our planet — from the deepest trench of the ocean to the highest alpine peak. The average American throws away 185 pounds of plastic every year, but only a quarter gets recycled. The rest goes straight into landfills, oceans and the entire ecosystem across the globe.
We’ve entered an age scientists call the Anthropocene: a geological era where humans have begun to have a massive impact on the environment. With ever-increasing production, we’re altering our planet’s biodiversity in a negative way. There’s now so much plastic in our food chain, forests, oceans, and landfills, that we’re literally consuming and living in garbage.
Hair Ties: The Underestimated Culprit in the World’s Plastic Problem
It’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for many; when they toss a plastic bag or bottle in the trash, they never think about it again. Same goes with hair ties — but did you know your run-of-the-mill, synthetic hair ties take approximately 500 years to break down?
By our estimates, American women spend $2.5 billion on hair accessories each year. A huge chunk of this is on hair ties that barely get any use before breaking or disappearing. If you consider that the average 24-pack of hair ties costs $6, that’s 550 million hair ties purchased every year (about 15 million every day). If we assume that the same number of hair ties are discarded or lost daily, that’s 20,000 pounds of elastic — or the equivalent weight of a city bus — dumped into our planet each day.
Organic, Plastic-Free Hair Ties Could Change the World
Inspired to make a change, we asked ourselves: what if there was ethical alternative to generic hair ties? We searched everywhere to see if a solution existed but came up empty-handed. That’s when we realized we had to make one ourselves.
Our Organic Hair Ties are the first high-performing, organic, plastic-free hair ties in the world. They are made from certified organic cotton and natural rubber, both of which are 100% biodegradable. They are hand cut, sewn and dyed by family-run businesses in North America. They last longer than conventional hair ties but take significantly less time to break down (just seven years in your compost!). They're currently available in 20 color options. Read about our limited edition special charity collaboration with Sea Shepherd, a world famous ocean conservation organization. Let us know if you'd like to see this pack again!
It might not seem like a big deal when you throw a single hair tie in the trash. And you’re probably right: one tiny piece of plastic won’t destroy the earth. But we can’t ignore the impact of the global plastic problem as a whole. Fortunately, consumers are increasingly realizing the importance of sustainability: Americans now recycle more and make more ethical shopping choices than ever! With our plastic-free solution, we’re striving to convert the world to a more sustainable lifestyle — one hair tie at a time.
