Fuss Free Shaving - A More Sustainable Razor Option

Some people choose to remove their hair, others don't. In 2018, 168 million people in the US bought disposable razors - which cannot be recycled. They are frequently made of several different types of plastic, which are a challenge to separate and dispose of, and the blades themselves can be a hazard. Some might even say that plastic razors are the next plastic straws, and we don't disagree.

Before we dive into the brand themselves, we wanted to reflect on the fact that there are many different types of razor, and it’s not always easy to decide which one to choose, even before you start to factor in the sustainability elements.

At Team Beagle, we’re very aware that when it comes to online shopping there’s no such thing as “one size fits all”. All of our users have different preferences when it comes to both the types and style of products they use, and the sustainability criteria they care most about.

That’s why our mission is to find like-for-like sustainable replacements for the products that people purchase. For plastic free options, we'd recommend “safety razors”, like this one from Mutiny shaving, or this one from Ecovibe. These are fully plastic-free, but they require the user to manually handle a razor blade when a replacement is needed. This is not suitable for everyone, and so we want to provide an option for a “cartridge” style blade.

That's where FFS Beauty come in!

We sniff out more sustainable swaps for everyday items, and disposable razors are no exception. Where a safety razor just won't do, we'd recommend FFS Beauty for their sustainability initiatives.

FFS Beauty is a carbon-neutral business which has taken significant steps towards sustainability. They minimise waste in their packaging, use materials made from sugarcane, and provide an in-depth recycling scheme for the razor heads so that they don't end up in landfill!

Here are our top 3 reasons for recommending FFS Beauty:

It is estimated that 2 billion disposable razor blades are thrown into landfill every year... in the US alone! Many razors cannot be recycled safely and so end up in landfill. For that reason, we love that FFS offer a recycling scheme. Send your cartridges back to them and they are separated out into metal and plastic, which are then recycled.

As well as razors, they offer associated care products. For these, the tubes are made from sugarcane polyethylene. This contributes to a significantly lower carbon emissions by avoiding the use of resources from fossil fuels.

There are three important elements in the journey towards carbon-neutrality, and FFS are working on these:

• Measurement. Firstly it is vital to understand your emissions. FFS add up their company emissions including: heating, electricity, water consumption, vehicles & travel, printed materials and raw material.

• Reduction. They use this to identify areas for improvement (such as the materials used that we discussed above).

• Offsetting. Finally, for any unavoidable emissions, they have teamed up with Climate Partner to offset these, currently planting a tree for every one of their razors that is sold.

Now, we understand that cartridge razors come with their own challenges, and that safety razors (or even choosing not to shave at all) may be more sustainable options. For people who prefer the cartridge style razors, FFS Beauty is a more-sustainable alternative that we feel is making strides towards positive change.

Figuring out which brands are doing all the right things can be exhausting – we get it. But Beagle Button is here to help! We’ve created a handy little browser extension that shows you ethical and sustainable alternatives when you’re shopping online. Why not try it out on your next online shopping session?

A quick note

Every product we feature has been thoroughly researched and is often used by the team. Some of the brands we work with will provide a commission when our readers or users buy their products. Some of the links in this blog may be such affiliate links - but this is paid by the brands, and you won't pay more as a result!