SapoCycle – Giving Used Hotel Soaps a Second Life
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Last week, we discussed the problem: tons of hotel soaps end up in the trash every year, even though they have barely been used. Today, we introduce the solution: SapoCycle.
What is SapoCycle?
SapoCycle is a non-profit organization founded in Switzerland in 2014, and has since expanded to Germany, Austria, France, and other European countries. Its goal: to collect, recycle, and distribute used hotel soaps to people in need.
SapoCycle's motto is: "Bubbles Saving Lives" – a phrase that holds more substance than it first appears.
How does recycling work?
The process is transparent and has three parts:
Step 1: Collection at partner hotels. Partner hotels collect the hardly used soap bars after their guests check out. SapoCycle provides its own collection containers for this purpose.
Step 2: Recycling in a workshop. The collected soaps are taken to a recycling workshop – and this is what makes SapoCycle special. The processing is carried out by people with disabilities, who find meaningful work and social participation there. Old soap bars are transformed into new, hygienic soap bars – cleaned, processed, reshaped.
Step 3: Free distribution. The recycled soaps are distributed free of charge to people in need – in Germany, in refugee camps, in developing countries. Families who otherwise have no access to basic hygiene products.
What that means in numbers
Recycling hotel soaps reduces CO2 emissions by 90% compared to incineration as waste – this is not an estimate, but the result of a study by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW, 2016). SapoCycle has collected over 26 tons of soap since 2015, from which almost 150,000 recycled soaps were produced and distributed to over 37,500 families.
Why we at Tirol Seife are involved
As a supplier of handmade natural soaps for Tyrolean hotels, we can help ensure that the cycle works – from production to use to recycling. Next week, we will explain why our natural soap is particularly well-suited for this cycle.
