While waiting for our labels to be finalised and printed for our Teselli range of products, I thought I’d better spend some time to explain to you why I’m extremely excited about our wrapping material for our Teselli soap bars.
It is because this truly bio-degradable material could possibly see us circumventing the need to use plastic shrink wrapping to protect our soap altogether.
It means that there may finally be a viable, sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to THIS:
(As grateful as I am for this workhorse of a machine, I must admit that I do cringe a little every time I look at this photo. :”) )
So what is this mystery material that is
- recyclable,
- bio-degradable,
- all-natural,
- washable,
- waterproof (yup!) and
- easy to repurpose?
It’s 100% cotton fabric suffused with beeswax.
And we made it ourselves, using fabric we  purchased from a nearby shop, and the beeswax which we are already incorporating in some of our products.
Isn’t it beautiful?
I don’t think there’s anyone in Malaysia as at the time of writing this post, who is actively using, promoting or selling this material, but it certainly isn’t a novel idea. There are a few companies in North America which are making and selling these beeswax cloths as a means of wrapping fresh foods etc, in place of plastic cling wrap. Bees Wrap is one such company. There are also plenty of really easy DIY tutorials out there to make your own beeswax cloth to use at home so that you can also reduce your dependency on plastic cling wrap.
Our Teselli soap is the first batch of soap with which we are experimenting the use of beeswax cloth as a means of protection from the elements. Don’t throw the cloth away! Try and find some uses for them around the house. They are very easy to mold to any shape just by using the warmth of your hands. I’ve used them for wrapping half-eaten apples (a common occurrence in a house full of small children) and storing them in the fridge, keeping my keys packed away in my bag so they won’t scratch anything…
You can keep the cloths clean by washing them in cool, soapy water. Don’t use hot water or the beeswax will melt away! Also, if you’d like to smooth out the creases in the beeswax cloth after they have been used for some time, just iron the cloth (when it is completely dry) in between two sheets of greaseproof paper, laid on top of a sheet of aluminium foil (for slightly more even heat distribution). The beeswax will melt and be redistributed evenly through the fabric.
Or you can also collect them and send the cloths back to us for recycling, and claim your complimentary bar of soap if you send us a dozen. 
In case you’re wondering–yes, these cloths are very labour-intensive to make on a large scale, and they cost even more than our drawstring bags to produce. But I personally feel that all of this is entirely worthwhile, knowing that we have actively taken a step away from being dependent on plastic as a means of protecting our soap.
Can you tell that we are SUPER excited at the prospect of making more of these cloths for wrapping our soap with? We hope that you’ll share our enthusiasm for adopting the use of beeswax cloth by making your own and using it around your home, or simply talking about this eco-friendly alternative with your circle of friends and family.
Every little action helps!