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Create A Healthier World With Sustainable Soap

by Elke Erschfeld

HandinHand_v2As a designer, everyday items that are beautifully designed like the sustainable soaps by Hand in Hand always catch my eye. It’s no surprise that the gorgeous packaging was art directed by Joy Deangdeelert Cho of Oh Joy! Studio with illustrations by Emma Block because I always admired Joy’s handmade sensibility. The more I learned about the sustainable soaps, the more I realized how much of a positive impact good design can have on the environment and social change. Since I received a free soap sample at NYIGF last year in New York, Hand in Hand has been adding bath salts and candles to their collection.

Hand in Handdonates one bar of soap and a month of clean water for every bar, bath salt or candle purchased to save a child’s life. Their website states that each year more than 5 million people die, mainly children, in impoverished areas due to respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. What makes the design so effective is that according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrheal disease-associated deaths by up to 50%. Hand in Hand works with existing non-profit organizations to distribute the donated soaps to those in need of proper hygiene and clean water in Haiti. The company also has a Clean Water Program in place to enable the digging of wells in areas that previously had no access to clean water.

The sustainable soaps come in many different scents that range from White Tea, Rose Water, Sea Salt, Lavender to Orange Blossom. Fragile yet whimsical illustrations on the packaging show idyllic nature scenes to remind us of our responsibility to protect the environment. They are printed with vegetable based inks on 30% recycled paper. All soaps are Fair Trade, palm oil free, 100% vegetable based, biodegradable and made in Vermont. To make each shipping carbon neutral after an order is placed, Hand in Hand purchases carbon offsets through Carbonfund.org to support projects that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. It’s impressive how impactful one piece of soap can be if ends up in the hands of responsible soap makers with a vision.

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