.png)
In an international township deep inside a lush rural area overlooking the Bay of Bengal, you’ll find a project working for clean waters and innovative rural development while creating livelihoods for people from the surrounding villages. The project is a part of Auroville, a self-sustaining community in rural India with people from all around the world working together to promote sustainable development, inclusion, peace and diversity.
Waterways around the world are increasingly being polluted by harmful chemicals and unwanted bacteria stemming from residential sewer waters and polluting industries. This often ends up in the oceans or larger water bodies, either directly or only partly cleared from harmful toxins with devastating effects on ecosystems and animal life.
Our probiotic technology partner in Auroville used decades to research how probiotics could reduce potentially harmful bacteria and chemicals, and clean the waters. Most of their work is focused on implementing probiotics in farming, aquaculture and river cleaning. Yet, they are also making cleaning and personal care products with the intention of enabling all people to be a part of helping reverse water contamination around the world. By providing people with probiotic products in their everyday lives such as soaps, shampoos and residential cleaning products, individuals are empowered to be a part of a solution to water pollution and contamination. As the products wash down the drain, the probiotic microbes consume unwanted chemicals and bacteria in the waterways, resulting in cleaner waters where ecosystems can thrive.
Probiotics are not only great for waterways, they are also amazing for our bodies and health. As personal care products, they help fend off and even consume unwanted bacteria and chemicals on the skin. As cleaning products they help you maintain a clean and healthy home, without the use of potentially harmful chemicals, and promote an environment with good bacteria, which is essential for our health. Read more about probiotics and their benefits here.
Raw material
All raw materials used in the hygiene and cleaning products are natural and vegan. These include coconut oil, essential oils, botanicals and probiotics. The main ingredient, cold-pressed coconut oil, is harvested only 20 km from the production facility from a local coconut farms that use natural and traditional pesticides, such as neem oil and garlic, to produce their crops
The essential oils and botanicals are sourced from the local area and from around India. The probiotics are made in-house by the producer. The producer is strictly vegan and does not use any animal-derived ingredients or animal testing in their production. In addition, strictly no palm oil is used.
No Parabens | N sulphates |100% natural | Vegan | Zero-waste | Soothing and rejuvenating | Fully cleansing | Microbe technology
Production
The soap bars and other hygiene and cleaning products are all handmade with the utmost attention to ecological protection. Unity and equity are key tenets of the Auroville community and all employees are treated and paid equally regardless of their role. The producer has several social benefits schemes for their employees and works to provide their employees with the empowerment needed for long term growth. Many of their employees are working on projects related to replacing pesticides and antibiotics using probiotics. At their cosmetic unit, mainly women from the surrounding villages are working. Here they receive skill training, stable employment, a fair wage and various social benefits.
To make a soap bar the lye and water is first mixed together before it's blended with the oils and probiotics. The soap starts its curating process in high-quality silicone moulds for a few days before they are placed on the drying shelves for a few weeks. During this time the soap is going through the natural chemical process. The probiotics mixed into the soap bars makes this process unique compared to normal soap curating. The end result is a soap bar more sensitive to the skin and scalp, full of tiny microbes ready to nourish and defend you from pollutants and toxins such as unwanted bacteria and chemicals in water and air.
The producer seeks to minimize packaging initially with an initial, achieved, goal of zero-plastic packaging followed by removing packaging altogether. Any raw material packaging is recycled through Auroville's own recycling facilities, and the production does not result in any harmful chemical emissions.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The probiotics used are effective cleaning agents for removing unwanted chemicals and bacteria and contribute to cleaning waterways as they washed down the drain. Additionally, the producers partner with large and small corporations in their own communities to help reduce the use of harsh chemicals, and promote the use of probiotics to improve water quality for all. In addition, the producer strives to reduce waste by focusing on using compostable materials and using local recycling facilities.
UN Sustainable Development Goal
By utilizing probiotics to clean waterways and replace potentially harmful chemicals this producer is working towards target 6.3 "improve water quality by reducing pollution."
SOCIAL IMPACT
This production team directly help provide employment opportunities to people from the surrounding villages. The producer is also linked to various projects promoting education in sustainable and ecological practices, increased effectiveness of organic farming for the benefit of the smaller farmers, and more. Many of the ingredients are sourced from local and regional independent farmers.
UN Sustainable Development Goal
By being part of a planned community designed to promote sustainable communities this organization specifically contributes to target 11.3 "enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management."
Livelihoods Impacted: 20 people, mainly women from the local villages.
Comments