Marcel's Green Soap is committed to animal welfare. How do we do that? All our products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. That sounds logical, but still, many consumers still wash themselves daily with animal fats, and animals are still used for testing cleaning products. That must and can be different.
Cruelty-free cleaning products
In the Netherlands, about 480,000 animal experiments are conducted annually. Ten years ago, this number was a quarter higher. So, we are on the right track, but a cruelty-free country is still far from sight. Most experiments are done for drug research, but animals are still used for testing cleaning products. Unnecessary, we think. That's why all Marcel's Green Soap cleaning products are cruelty-free.
Since 2013, no animals may be used in Europe for testing cosmetic products such as makeup, shampoo, body lotion, sunscreen, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. That seems like good news, but unfortunately, this ban does not yet apply to cleaning products. Rats, mice, rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs are still used for experiments. With vomiting, shivering, organ failure, paralysis, and even death as a result. And if the animals do survive the experiments, they are usually killed afterward.
"With Marcel's Green Soap cruelty-free cleaning products, we prove that you can clean your house without danger to humans and the environment."
Just like with cosmetics, animal experiments are not necessary for developing safe cleaning products. With Marcel's Green Soap cruelty-free cleaning products, we prove that you can clean your house without danger to humans and the environment. In fact, our cleaning products are completely vegan, at least 97% biodegradable, and packaged in plastic-free or recycled plastic.
Animal vs. vegetable fats
Many soap products from well-known brands contain animal ingredients, often without the consumer knowing it. In many cases, it involves the ingredient 'sodium tallowate,' a difficult word for saponified beef fat. Basically, anything with the word 'tallow' has to do with animal fat. For many consumers, the ingredient lists on the packaging are incomprehensible, so they have no idea that they wash themselves daily with animal fats. The fact that animal fats are used in soap dates back to ancient times. Let's go back in time for a moment:
In the Old Testament, ancient Egypt, and the Roman Empire, soap was already mentioned. And a soap-like material found during the excavation of ancient Babylon is proof that soap was made as early as 2800 BC. The first soaps were made from animal fats and oils, cooked with ash, clay, or sand. Although the ingredients have changed slightly, the basis remains the same: boiling water, fat or oil, and sodium hydroxide (or lye) to create saponification. The saponification process causes fat and water to mix, resulting in a hard soap (which feels soft on the skin). Those fats and oils - which make the soap feel so nice and soft - can be either animal or vegetable.
"Many consumers still wash themselves daily with animal fats, without even realizing it."
Unfortunately, animal fats are still often chosen. For example, beef fat in soap or slaughterhouse waste in fabric softeners. The main reason: it's much cheaper than vegetable fat. Fortunately, more and more soap makers are exploring the use of vegetable oils. Think of olive oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, (RSPO-certified) palm oil, argan oil, linseed oil, or hemp oil. Marcel also prefers plant-power for his products. Because plant-based ingredients also clean just as well, as many ecological brands have already proven. Therefore, all Marcel's Green Soap products are, besides cruelty-free, also 100% vegan. This means that only plant-based ingredients are used.
A little note: Animal fats are, in most cases, a by-product of slaughterhouses. So, no extra animals are slaughtered to obtain the animal fats used in soap. Nevertheless, Marcel prefers plant-based ingredients. Flowers and plants are full of powerful and caring substances that are good for the home, skin, and hair. And besides, it's much nicer to wash ourselves with plant-based ingredients. Especially now that we know after reading this article that many personal care products contain animal fats.
The downside of palm oil
Earlier, we mentioned palm oil as a plant-based alternative to animal fats. Palm oil is a multi-functional ingredient used in many products. For example, in peanut butter, butter, and other food products, but also in cleaning products such as shampoo, fabric softener, and soap. Palm oil is relatively cheap, and only a small amount is needed. But you probably won't have missed that palm oil also has a downside. Large pieces of rainforest have to make way for oil palm plantations for the production of this oil. This threatens the habitat of the orangutan. Due to the creation of plantations, there is less and less rainforest left, making it difficult for orangutans to find enough food, leading to starvation. Additionally, about 1250 animals are killed annually due to conflicts with humans, often related to the creation of plantations. Since 2000, the number of orangutans in Borneo has decreased by 100,000, with only 75,000 to 100,000 left.
"That's why we introduced the first liquid palm oil-free detergent on the Dutch market."
We believe this needs to change. Completely banning palm oil is not the solution for now, as the alternatives - such as coconut oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and sunflower oil - are not more environmentally and animal-friendly. But we can reduce the demand. That's why we introduced the first liquid palm oil-free detergent on the Dutch market. Detergent is used daily and therefore has a significant impact on the demand for palm oil. With our palm oil-free detergent, we show that it is truly possible to clean clothes without palm oil. With this, we hope to persuade other detergent brands to also switch to palm oil-free alternatives.
Safe for four-legged friends
That Marcel's Green Soap products contain only plant-based ingredients is not only pleasant for your home, skin, and hair but also for your pet. Residues of cleaning products can stick to the paws or fur of a pet. When a dog or cat then washes itself, it can ingest harmful substances. With our plant-based (and animal-friendly) all-purpose cleaners, you can confidently scrub the floor. This is also nice if you don't have pets because you don't want to ingest those aggressive chemical substances either.
Not unimportant: whether you use Marcel's Green Soap for cleaning the floor, washing your hair, or doing the dishes. All soap residues that wash away through the shower drain or sink are at least 97% biodegradable and not harmful to the environment.
100% recycled plastic for a healthier planet
Finally: at Marcel's Green Soap, we not only think carefully about the contents of our cleaning products and personal care products but also about the packaging. Because we also want to burden humans, animals, and the environment as little as possible. For this reason, all our products are packaged in bottles made of 100% recycled plastic and, where possible, plastic-free.Plastic waste is a global problem. Of the more than 9 billion tons of plastic produced so far, half has ended up in the environment. Of that, 11 million tons of
plastic flow into the ocean annually. Since this material hardly degrades, it remains floating in the sea for centuries. And that is a threat to marine animals such as whales, seals, and turtles. Besides getting entangled in plastic, it also ends up in their stomachs. Marine animals such as whales can starve after ingesting plastic. The plastic gives them a feeling of fullness, after which they eat less, receive less energy, weaken, or even die. So, the world was shocked by the news of a dead whale washing ashore with more than 40 kilograms of plastic bags in its stomach. According to estimates by the World Wildlife Fund, 56% of whale and dolphin species have ingested plastic.
"Marcel's Green Soap is the first brand in Western Europe to exclusively use bottles made from 100% recycled plastic."
For this reason, and many others, it is important that we produce less new plastic and reuse existing plastic so that it does not end up in our environment. Marcel's Green Soap is the first brand in Western Europe to exclusively use bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. Some of our products are even packaged plastic-free, such as our shampoo and conditioner bars and deodorant sticks. And that's how we, as a brand, try to make the world a little bit more beautiful for humans and animals.
