A Glass Jar Is Only as Green as the Number of Times You Use It

I have a confession. For a long time I thought choosing glass jars was enough. Glass is natural. It doesn't leach into my oils and butters. It looks lovely on a shelf. Job done.

It turns out it's not quite that simple.

The bit nobody puts on the label

Glass is made by heating sand, soda ash and limestone to around 1,500°C. That takes a huge amount of energy. Glass is also heavy, so every jar costs more fuel to move, from the factory to me here at Natures Alchemy HQ and then from me to you.

So when a glass jar is used once and thrown out, it can actually have a bigger carbon footprint than a plastic one. That surprised me when I first read into it. It might surprise you too.

So why do I still choose glass?

Because glass has real strengths that matter for the way I make skincare.

• It's inert. Nothing from the jar migrates into the herbs, oils and butters I've spent weeks infusing.
• It can be recycled again and again without losing quality. Plastic can't.
• It doesn't shed microplastics.

But those strengths only pay off if the jar has a long life. A glass jar becomes the sustainable choice when it's used again. And again. And again.

Think of it like the way glass milk bottles were once commonplace. Nothing was wasted. The bottles were kept for years, scrubbed out and filled again. Our grandparents weren't talking about carbon footprints, but they had the right idea.

How you can help your jar earn its keep

Bring it back to me. If you return your empty Natures Alchemy jars to me at a market, you'll get 10% off when you buy that product again. I wash and sanitise every one, and as long as it's in perfect condition, with no chips or cracks, it goes back into use for another customer.

Can't get to a market? Once you've saved up 10 empty jars, get in touch. I'll send you a box with a return label, and when your jars arrive back with me, you'll get a voucher for a free product.

This photo is from a few years back, when returned jars took their turn in my own kitchen dishwasher alongside the family mugs and the Christmas cups. Things have improved since then. Natures Alchemy now has its very own dishwasher. And no, I don't mean me!

Give it a second life. If you'd rather keep your jar, it's perfect for:

• dried herbs and seeds from the garden
• homemade lip balm or salve
• buttons, hairpins and all the small bits that go missing
• a tealight on the windowsill as the evenings draw in

And if it really is at the end of the road, rinse it and take it to your local bottle bank. Glass jars don't go in the household recycling bin here in Ireland.

A quick word on cleaning

If you're refilling a jar with anything at home, wash it in hot soapy water and let it dry completely. Even a drop of water left inside can let mould or bacteria grow, especially in balms and butters, which contain no water of their own.

Why I'm telling you this

I could just tell you my packaging is sustainable and leave it there. But I'd rather you knew the full story. Glass isn't magic. It's a choice that only works if we both play our part.

So next time you finish a jar, have a think before it goes in the bottle bank. It might have a few more lives in it yet.