The quest for sustainability brings us a ‘lifetime’ brand

Will King, founder of UK grooming company King of Shaves, has today announced the launch of Code Zero, a shaving and skincare brand with a claim to being the world’s first lifetime use refillable shaving and skincare brand.

The move is part of King of Shaves bold quest to become a single use plastic-free company by 2023, a move that falls in line with a growing awareness of the significant damage being done to the environment from plastics pollution.

Media spotlight on plastics pollution​

With the media spotlight on the huge plastic ‘islands’ that are forming in the ocean, the consumer consciousness of the damage that is being done by plastics to the environment is higher than ever.

So high that many consumers really want to do something and eliminating single-use plastics from their daily lives is high up on their to do list.

But viable solutions are few and far between right now, despite the fact that the demand is there.

Every type of consumer industry is in some way guilty of single use plastic, mostly for packaging, but cosmetics and personal care is a particularly obvious target, mainly because the use of plastics is almost universal and it is such a high profile and ubiquitous industry.

Tapping into a new consumer consciousness​

Code Zero is tapping into this new found mainstream consumer consciousness for the environment by providing a sustainable and refillable packaging concept, while also highlighting worthwhile environmental causes.

For the launch of the Code Zero brand, King of Shaves has partnered with Surfers Against Sewage, a campaign that is dedicated to both protecting and cleaning up the oceans, highlighting that 69% of plastic items are not recycled in the UK, invariably ending in landfill or beaches and the sea.

The product launch also includes a crowdfunding campaign​, which highlights the sustainable credentials of the Code Zero brand, while also stressing the important work that Surfers Against Sewage is doing to help fight the tide of plastic pollution.

A next generation brand​

Code Zero really looks like a next generation brand and also looks set to be a pioneer in a future brand landscape where the environment takes a priority.

However, the success and longevity of this type of concept is likely to be challenged by fierce competition in the future, and the continued need for innovation will also make the idea of a lifetime brand something that will need consistently reinvented.

Needless to say, this is a very interesting idea and one to watch in the future.