You might know this, but single-use plastic didn’t enter the shop shelves until after WWII. It has since not only become the most popular form of packaging—with more than 1 trillion plastic bags produced each year—but it has also become one of the major pollutants in the world. Its durability makes it a sought-after product and it’s used not just in packaging, but almost in all areas of everyday living – construction, electric applications, car making, 3D printing, etc. On the other hand, this means that most plastic ever created still exists and will do so for hundreds of years to come. Despite the fact that most people are trying to recycle single use plastic, its endless varieties mean that the recycling process gets extremely difficult and expensive. In fact, less than ten percent of recyclable plastic actually gets recycled for secondary use.
Today, we focus on research and products delivered by HiBAR. The salon-quality hair care aims to eliminate the need for plastic packaging in your bathroom. According to the young company’s research, bathroom plastics are recycled at an even lower rate than other household plastics, while, every year, Americans throw out over half a billion empty shampoo and conditioner bottles.
One of HiBAR’s four founders, Dion Hughes, realised at a beach vacation—where he came face-to-face with the damage people are doing to the planet—that nowadays society somehow built up a seemingly unstoppable addiction to the single-use plastic. And all this in spite of the fact that oceans are predicted to have more plastic than fish by 2050.
To get rid of plastic products in people’s bathrooms, HiBAR developed a line of shampoo and conditioner bars free of plastic packaging. And a very stylish line, to say the least!
The plastic-free company was started by four fellow-optimists and friends, one of which being Dion Hughes whose creative consultancy Persuasion Arts & Sciences managed to build the HiBAR business from the ground up. Now, the inspiring hair-care movement to reduce plastic pollution wants “not just to make a material impact, but also, to connect with people as they start their day”.
Hughes also explained to branding.news how his consultancy helped to set up the business model: “Persuasion acted as its own client, building a business from scratch in order to help solve a larger problem. Our research revealed that bathroom plastics are recycled at an even lower rate than other household plastics – every year, Americans toss over half a billion empty shampoo and conditioner bottles.”
This staggering number and single-use plastic’s huge threat to nature made the team focus on the shower, and hair care in particular, thus creating the HiBAR range of solid shampoos that are available in clarifying, moisturizing and volumizing formulas.
Moreover, HiBAR is cruelty-free, phthalate-free, and sulphate-free thanks to a small team of investors and chemists who explored various product forms of shampoo – ones that would eliminate any traces of unnecessary plastic.
As you can see around, HiBAR packaging has been carefully designed to “stand up in the shower, shed moisture, feel luxuriant in the hand, and feel comfortable when applying directly to hair.” The product range avoids plastic from its ingredients to packaging, nicely following HiBAR’s mission to help rid the world of plastic pollution.
Dion Hughes further describes how the team got their final design: “We settled upon a solid formulation, using the highest quality all-natural ingredients possible, to create a shampoo that could truly stand side-by-side with a traditional liquid.”
This brings us to HiBAR’s unusual shape. One feature that really stands out apart from the pleasant packaging. During research and development of the shampoo, it became clear that the bar itself has to carry some kind of brand meaning. The team focused on a round shape that perfectly fits in your hand and that stands apart from regular soap bar language. Furthermore, the clever bar sits well in its spot while nicely suggesting the best way to apply the shampoo to your hair – with a bevelled top!
The founders believe that HiBAR will attract customers because they—with HiBAR in their hands—will want to live for something better and aim for setting the bar higher.
The brand identity and packaging form were developed by world-renowned identity and packaging firm Werner Design Werks. The result comes as a compostable, recyclable, highly efficient and beautifully packed product that will compete on any shelf with cut-and-dry plastic bottles.
Currently, HiBAR is solely funded by its founding partners, including Persuasion. This meant that the founders had to spend every penny very carefully. For marketing, this has meant injecting as much creativity as possible into influencer programs, email marketing, and social channels.
Lastly, even though the arising world problems may start to seem intractable, HiBAR chooses to paraphrase a wise man who once said that “there is nothing wrong with us that can’t be solved by what is right with us.” As you can tell, HiBAR is a brand of optimism and willing to step out into the world bold and brave and beautiful.
We can only hope that more companies will follow suit, or that us, customers, will help these companies thrive. And even though HiBAR’s sales have doubled every quarter since its launch, there is still a long way to go and a lot more work to do. Let’s just start with a nice, clean shower!
Credits:
Company: HiBAR
Agency: Persuasion Arts & Sciences
Packaging Design: Werner Design Werks