| This is an interesting history story, and tells us a lot about how we became such a plastic world. The reason you think you need deodorant was invented by an ad agency in 1919, and how it became packaged in plastic This a post from Go Green. The reason you think you need deodorant was invented by an ad agency in 1919. And how it became packaged in plastic. Before the 20th century, body odor wasn’t considered a social problem. People bathed less frequently, sweating was understood as a natural bodily function, and nobody was selling a product to fix it because nobody had convinced the public it needed fixing. That changed in 1919, when a struggling product called Odorono hired the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency to save its sales. What followed was one of the most effective and consequential marketing campaigns in history.The ad, titled “Within the Curve of a Woman’s Arm,” ran in Ladies’ Home Journal and was so explicit about the social consequences of body odor that the magazine received over 200 letters of complaint. Sales went up 112% the following year. The campaign didn’t just sell a product. It manufactured an entirely new social anxiety that didn’t really exist before the ad ran. Within a decade, the deodorant industry was established, and within a generation, daily deodorant use had become a hygiene standard in the US. The original Odorono came in a glass bottle. But as demand exploded through the mid-20th century, packaging followed the same pattern as almost every other personal care product. It went plastic. Plastic was cheap, lightweight, and easy to manufacture at scale. Like most packaging decisions of that era, nobody was thinking about where it would end up. The good news is today we have alternatives. Plastic-free deodorants in cardboard tubes, refillable metal cases, and compostable packaging are now available, while the natural deodorant within them that didn’t work as well in the past has largely been solved by modern formulations. The history of pre-modern deodorant use teaches us that there are better options to using plastic. Coming SoonThis story is one of 25 chapters in Life Before Plastic, a book I’m writing on the history of everyday products, what came before them, how and why they are now made of plastic, and what the best modern alternatives are. |
Look for deodorant that is packaged in cardboard or in glass.
Believe it or not, plastic particles called microplastics have been found in countless food items. Marine animals routinely mistake tiny microplastics for food. When we eat fish, shrimp or shellfish, we may eat the plastic these animals once consumed.1Plastic isn’t only in seafood. Microplastics are contaminating soil, and plants may absorb them through their root systems. This means that plastic may be finding its way into carrots, lettuce, potatoes and other common vegetables that we eat.2
Microplastics are tiny. So tiny, in fact, that they can easily bypass standard water filtration systems. Studies have detected microplastics in tap water samples from cities all over the world.3If you think bottled water is plastic-free, think again. A single liter of bottled water may contain an average of 240,000 detectable plastic fragments, largely shedding from the bottle itself and the capping process.4
Because microplastics are lightweight, wind easily sweeps up plastic fibers from car tires, degraded trash and even polyester clothing. These airborne plastics can travel thousands of miles, settling in city streets, parks and everywhere in between. And when they’re airborne, people unknowingly inhale them.5We already have plenty of plastic. But they keep making more and more.If current trends hold, 1.2 billion tons of plastic could be manufactured each year by 2050. To put this number into perspective, the cumulative total would be enough to completely cover the U.S. in a layer of plastic that’s ankle-deep.6At PIRG, we refuse to let this become our future.We’re urging grocers to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging and petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to enact meaningful limits on microplastics in drinking water. And by raising public awareness of plastic’s problems, we’re working to generate the groundswell of support that’s necessary for meaningful change.But we can’t do it without you. Our work relies on the dedication of members like you who refuse to let the plastics industry dictate the health of our families and the future of our planet.Thank you for standing with us,Faye Park
Choose a new reusable plastic-free swap each day or stick with one that works for you. Whether it’s refilling your coffee cup, reusing containers for takeaway food, or shopping packaging-free options—every swap counts.
Health4earth 