Hi everyone,
So! Social Media, there is no escaping it, it’s a big part of our world, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram……Lot’s of variety for every user, 7.3 billion people in the world and of that, 3.17 billion have access to the internet in some way or another, and of that, 2.3 billion are active on Social media with the average person owning 5 – 6 different accounts.
Now, why am I banging on about social media? I’ll tell you. Social media gets lots of bad press, Cyber bullying, A false sense of connection, No privacy etc but it can be used as a very effective tool! And I have the perfect story to show you how!
I use male grooming products from a company called ‘Wingman’, more specifically I use the Face Scrub. I noticed that the scrub contained some form of roughing agent to exfoliate the skin and with the impact some of these exfoliating agents have on the environment I was curious to find out what exactly they was, so, using my facebook account I contacted them via their business page.
A few days later they replied, and told me that they would contact the manufacturer to check. A few weeks passed and they contacted me again to say how disappointed they were to find out that polyethylene is one of the 3 exfoliating agents used and despite extensive checks at the formulation stage this must have been overlooked. They seemed genuinely disappointed and assured me that they would be in contact again. What struck me was how concerned they were, and at how fast they got in contact with me, a pleasant surprise.
Wingman have now confirmed that they have notified the manufacturer and the polyethylene will be removed in the next batch, leaving them with a plastic free face scrub using only natural scrubbing agents. Perfect! Not only do Wingman donate some of the profits to help the heroes, they now help our planet by not cutting corners and using the cheap mass produced micro beads. Other companies should take note!
So, just by me using my facebook account, to send a simple 5 minute message, I have not only highlighted to a company what they were doing wrong and how it was impacting our environment, I’ve just actively made a contribution to conserving our planet and wildlife…..and it took me all of 5 minutes to get the ball rolling.
So why don’t you give it a bash, why not contact the manufacturer of your toothpaste or shower gel, use your facebook, twitter and other social media platforms and ask them why they are using these micro beads, show them that there are alternatives out there that have no or less impact on our environment and wildlife. You could change the world sat in your armchair, sofa, bed, car! If I can do it, so can you 🙂
…..And to Wingman, Thank You, Thank You for being a shining example for all other companies to aspire to! Wingman have a slogan ‘ In Wingman We Trust’ and now we certainly can!
Matts Macro 