One Blue was born out of wonder, concern and the need to do something about it.
The name was thoughtfully created, with Blue standing for our blue planet, the “pale blue dot”, as Carl Sagan once called it. The blue of the oceans, a vital part of our eco-system, underestimated and so often overlooked, thinking it is untouchable.
The One stands for the innovative solution of a single ecological tablet that is soluble in water in a reusable bottle with spray, with which you can clean your house. This means that it is no longer necessary to bring heavy single-use bottles home. Because that is actually where it all started.
We had been aware for a while, every time we took out the trash, how much plastic we had used. Much more than anything else. And it wasn't just ours, but all the neighbours in the street. But it didn't really surprise us, looking at our weekly groceries.
So we did some research. According to the data we found from the EU, each person produced more than 36 kg of plastic waste in 2021. 40% of this is our daily used plastic packaging. In the EU, approx 32,5 % of plastic waste is recycled. In the EU the majority is used for energy recovery.
More worrying is that 25 % of all plastic waste simply ends up in landfills, mostly outside the EU, with beaches and oceans with floating plastic islands. The rest is burned, the question is how and if any energy gain comes from this. But all those landfills, even far away, are also of interest to us.
At the table, we regularly discuss this issue with two university students, family and friends. Together with the documentaries that pass us by every now and then. Articles and podcasts prove that we already have microplastics in our water, in our food and that we simply breathe them in. We do not yet know what this means for our health in the short or long term, but without wanting to point fingers, it does worry us.
We can say, "what can we do, that's how it is now", or we can at least try to do something.
We truly believe that change starts with us and that every step, no matter how small, counts. The ban on plastic straws was positive, but also no more than symbolic. We need to go a step further. By avoiding the use of single-use bottles, especially those for cleaning products, we can make a significant difference.
One Blue therefore wants to introduce reusable bottles. These can be filled with water after which one of our tablets can be dissolved in it. The tablets are made of natural, non-harmful products, for you and nature. With the spray you can get to work cleaning. A real win-win situation. And this not only saves several empty bottles in the waste every year, but it also makes a big difference in transport. All those pallets with bottles of cleaning agent on trucks, which is nothing more than water and strong chemicals, now also stay off the road, which also saves on CO2 emissions.
There are more products in the pipeline, but they will take a bit longer to get ready. And because the clock is ticking, we really wanted to start with the products that were ready, a kitchen cleaner, a multi-purpose cleaner, a bathroom cleaner and a glass cleaner.
With One Blue we really want to start a community that makes a conscious choice for change. Every small action counts, every pebble in the river causes a ripple, no matter how small. Together we can REALLY make a difference.