You might have noticed a sudden boom in subscription services for everything from razors to beauty samples. The reasons for this explosion in home-delivery services? First of all, getting essentials delivered directly to our doorsteps is the height of convenience. I’ve used the subscription service The Honest Company to receive monthly deliveries of biodegradable diapers since my child was born, and I love the convenience and quality. Second, shipping items directly to consumers actually requires significantly fewer resources than shipping to stores. Researchers at Carnegie Melon compared online and offline purchases and concluded that e-commerce produces 35 percent less CO2. Much of this is because inventory of e-commerce stock can be stored in low-energy and tightly packed warehouses, as opposed to high-energy stores. Also one delivery truck can deliver the same amount of product in 8 hours that would require 125 individual trips to the store—almost all of them in a car. Finally, you can get exactly what you want, regardless of whether a chain store manager decides to carry it.
For all of these great reasons, we at Mother Earth Living have partnered with ePantry, a delivery service that sends eco-friendly cleaning supplies and household essentials to your doorstep. ePantry’s selection includes a huge variety of cleaning products from Mrs. Meyer’s and Method, recycled toilet paper from brands such as Green Forest, recycled toothbrushes and cleaning tools from Preserve, body care from brands such as YesTo and more. First you fill out a questionnaire about your household, which establishes the amount of basic products ePantry thinks you’ll need. Then you can go in before each delivery and customize it, adding items you ran out of or doubling up on things you needed more of, as well as eliminating anything you still have on hand. Then the delivery of home basics arrives at your door! It’s a cool service that’s convenient, easy and fun (getting my box of cleaning supplies, toilet paper and soy candles is actually pretty exciting). It’s also saving you the time of driving to the store and it’s better for the environment. Considering the average customer saves about 25 percent off in-store prices, it’s a win-win-win. Learn more about ePantry.