Dr. Bronner's is Environmentally Friendly
"The soaps are all natural, biodegradable, and environmentally friendly", the company points out. "Even the bottles are made of 100% post-consumer-recycled plastic". The company employs 58 workers in California, according to the company.
About Dr. Bronner's
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are synonymous with Old-World quality and time-honored simplicity, which can be traced back to the family's German-Jewish soapmaking tradition. Born in 1908 to a Jewish family that had been making soap since 1858, Emanuel Bronner was the third generation certified as a master-soapmaker under the guild system of the time. In 1929, he brought his formulas for high-quality liquid and bar soaps to America, starting Dr. Bronner's
Magic Soaps in its current form in 1948.
Renowned for their quality, versatility and eco-friendliness, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps enjoyed a small but loyal following in the early years. In the late 1960s, however, soap sales started to explode, due to the unsurpassed ecological quality combined with Dr. Bronner's urgent message to realize our transcendent unity across religious and ethnic divides. Word-of-mouth soon made Dr. Bronner's the iconic soap of that era, and in the decades that followed the soaps spread into every health food store in the U.S. and then into the mainstream as well -- winning over fans from all walks of life on the way to becoming the number-one-selling natural brand of soap in North America.
The 4th and 5th generations of the Bronner family who run the company today continue to make our unsurpassed soaps with care and integrity. 2008 marks both the 60th anniversary of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps in America and the 150th anniversary of our family's first soapmaking activity in southern Germany. We strive to honor our heritage with progressive business practices, while devoting profits to worthwhile causes and charities worldwide.
Dr. Bronner's Timeline
On the side, he sells his Peppermint soap. He soon realizes that many people are taking the soap and leaving without listening to him speak. In response, Dr. Bronner begins to write his philosophy in dense tiny script on the labels of each bottle.
In the meantime, sons Jim and Ralph periodically help with the business, Ralph more with the labels and messages, and Jim with the actual production. Ralph becomes a school teacher in Wisconsin, and Jim spends eight years in the Navy.
Word-of-mouth soon makes Dr. Bronner's the iconic soap of that era. Dr. Bronner moves the bottling and shipping plant to Escondido, CA (North County San Diego) in the 60's. He meets and marries Gladys, his wife until he dies. Jim is now overseeing manufacture of the soap in the Los Angeles facility full-time, and he becomes the Vice President of R&D and Production.
David's well-traveled brother Michael joins the company, moving from Japan where he had taught English for three years after graduating from Brown University (where he spent a semester in Ethiopia), and manages operations and purchasing. Before long, Mike is coordinating Dr. Bronner's soaps into various countries around the world.
Activism
In total over the last five years, Dr. Bronner's spending on social and environmental causes and charities has roughly matched our total after-tax income, and we intend to keep doing so as circumstances allow.Total compensation of executives is capped at five times that of our lowest-paid position.
Employees annually receive 15% of salary paid into a retirement/profit-sharing plan, up to 25% of salary as a bonus, and a no-deductible PPO health insurance plan for themselves and their families.The over 30,000 words spread across all the soap labels were Dr. Bronner's life work of searching every religion and philosophy for "Full Truths" that can be summed up in two beautiful sentences:
In following these principles, the Bronner family dedicates profits to "Human Projects" all over Spaceship Earth - from fresh water wells in Ghana to orphanages in Haiti and China; from helping organic farm projects to donating over 1,200 acres of land to the San Diego County Boys and Girls Club.In sharing with our workers, we annually give profit-sharing and bonuses totaling over $10,000 per employee for warehouse positions.Major causes and focuses right now include fighting for organic integrity in personal care, recommercialization of industrial hemp in the US, and promotion of "Fair Trade" certification of product supply chains to ensure fair wages and prices are paid.
Dr. Bronner would be happy to know the business is running better and more socially responsibly than ever.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Castile" mean? Is the bar soap also a castile soap like the liquid? What is the difference between the bar and liquid soaps? In earlier centuries, an all-vegetable based soap was made in the Castile region of Spain from local olive oil. By the turn of this century, "Castile" had come to mean any vegetable oil-based soap, versus animal (tallow) fat-based soap. "Pure-Castile" is now also your guarantee that what you are using is a real ecological and simple soap, not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to the waste stream during manufacture and slower biodegradability. Unfortunately, many synthetic detergent blends are deceptively labeled as "Liquid Soap" even when they contain absolutely no soap whatsoever.
Both Dr. Bronner'ss bar and liquid soaps are pure-castile, as they are all vegetable oil-based. The bar soap wrappers prominently state that they, too, are pure-castile, like our liquid soaps. The difference between the liquid and bar soaps is that the liquid soaps use potassium hydroxide to saponify the vegetable oils, versus sodium hydroxide used to make the hard bar soaps.
What is "Organic" and why is it so great? The term "organic" refers to both sustainable farming practices and to products ecologically made from materials produced on certified organic farms. According to federal standards, such products have to be at least 70% organic by non-water, non-salt weight. Organic products not only support sustainable farming, but also farm worker health and ecological processing methods.
Unfortunately, the hollow market-driven needs of some "natural" body care companies are making a mockery of organic principles. Underneath fluffy, feel-good "organic" floral waters and infusions, many "organic" body care products are really just composed of the same synthetic cleansers, conditioners and preservatives found in mainstream products, often in part or wholly derived from petroleum. Culprit companies are inflating organic content by counting ordinary distilled water in "floral water" as organic, a practice which is not allowed under the National Organic Program.
How should I use the liquid soap? For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour several drops of soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth- loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh and clean.For other uses: Dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.
My liquid soap turned cloudy. What happened, and what should I do to clear it up again? Our liquid soaps are so concentrated that they are nearly solid. Thus, when the temperature drops to about 50° F, the fatty acids begin to solidify and cloud out. Just put the soap in a warm room, or warm water, and it will clear up at about 70° F. But clear or cloudy, the soap works just the same.
Do Dr. Bronner's soaps contain any foaming agents/detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? Absolutely not. Their soaps are 100% true pure-castile soaps. The high foaming lather of our soaps is from their high coconut oil content, which makes a more luxurious and rich lather than any detergent can ever create. "Pure-Castile" is your guarantee that what you are using is a real ecological and simple soap, not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to the waste stream during manufacture and slower biodegradability.
Unfortunately, many synthetic detergent blends are deceptively labeled as "Liquid Soap" even when they contain absolutely no soap whatsoever.
Where can I buy Dr. Bronner's soaps internationally? Their soaps are available in Australia, Canada, England, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
What are the uses and dilutions for Dr. Bronner's soap? Although the label claims eighteen uses, they do not have the space to write all these uses on the label and still accommodate for Dr. Bronner's philosophy, as well as the new labeling laws that are periodically implemented. In reality, there are far more than eighteen uses, as people constantly write in to tell us about yet another utility of the soap. Without detailing them all, but below are some of the major uses and dilutions.
Why does Dr. Bronner's use organic grain alcohol in the lotions? Organic grain alcohol (ethanol) is used as a natural preservative at a level that helps absorption without being drying.
Why does Dr. Bronner's no longer make 'naked' unscented lotion? Under US law, the certified organic grain alcohol we use must be "denatured" or rendered undrinkable by adding one of various approved substances, and the only options to do this naturally and organically are a small amount (~0.18%) of peppermint, lavender or rosemary essential oils. Our Lavender Coconut variety is "lightly scented" as it contains only the small amount of organic lavender oil needed to denature the organic alcohol. Since no other fragrance is added, the natural delicious coconut fragrance of our organic extra virgin coconut oil combines with the small amount of lavender for a subtle, sublime scent.
Why does Dr. Bronner's use organic beeswax in the lip and body balms? Although their line is otherwise vegan, we do use certified organic beeswax in the lip and body balms. They could not find a certified organic plant-based wax, and Sue anyway insisted that she has not found a plant- based alternative that can substitute for the amazing qualities of beeswax: based on her experience and extensive training and mentoring under the Native American herbalist Keewaydinoquay, Sue formulated her original lip balms with just avocado oil and beeswax, because beeswax has natural antibacterial and sunblock qualities and provides a superior barrier to keep moisture in. They buy their certified organic beeswax from New Zealand, and we checked to make sure that the queens are not killed each year as happens sometimes with conventional beekeeping to maximize yields.
Can I shampoo and condition my hair organically?
What are the 18-in-1 uses? Dr. Bronner recorded the "18 in 1 uses" on his label, which has been left mostly intact since his passing in 1997; however, people have told them many, many more uses for it than that. Below is Dr. Bronner's version. A more paraphrased one follows.