Feb 12, 2021

Our continuing commitment to a cleaner future

Our continuing commitment to a cleaner future.

(The Scrubba MINI in Mexico)

Shall we begin?

The first-ever Scrubba was created with a single goal in mind – to travel further for less and with less.

250,000+ Scrubba bags later we still have the same goal and we've continued to ask the question how can we simplify our journeys, making them easier, save money and reducing our footprints as we travel? Who new it would turn out to have so many uses?

Since its launch in 2012 the original Scrubba wash bag has provided a convenient way for every type of traveller to pack less and clean their clothes anywhere (even in lockdown) in just minutes while saving millions of litres of water and tonnes of carbon.

(each Scrubba wash bag saves* an amazing amount of water and carbon)

From the beginning we committed to giving back to the most important 'ingredient' – water. Over the years we've been able to help Charity Water with several projects helping bring clean water to those in dire need. To date, we have donated over $60k to clean water projects and disaster relief.

Last year, as a first step to combat single-use plastic and to comply with airport security restrictions related to liquids, we launched our Scrubba travel tubes. While a relatively simple solution, the response to the tubes has been overwhelming. So many of you have written in telling us of your travel stories from being able to take your favourite sunscreen on vacation, to not having to waste those little hotel shampoo bottles when on holiday.

We also launched another little product to help combat single-use plastic use and travel hygiene - the new Scrubba straws. Made from the same ultra-high food grade silicon they’re the last straw you’ll ever need.

You’ll never need to worry about drinking from a random bottle or having to use single-use plastic straws on planes, airports, takeaway restaurants, or even at home, or cafes when you’re not travelling.

These little additions, of course, are great, but what give us, you and the world the greater benefit are the Scrubba wash bags themselves.

So, what makes Scrubba wash bags so special?

All Scrubba wash bags feature a patented washboard-in-a-bag design that allows a machine quality wash in just minutes while using minimal water and no electricity. Not to mention a raft of other key factors.

We took a Survey from our Scrubba Users!

A survey of 700 travellers showed that Scrubba wash bag users pack less and travel longer. They love the convenience of being able to wash clothes anywhere - whether in a hotel room, the back country or in an RV.

On average they use the Scrubba wash bag every 2-3 days while travelling with an average total of 40 washes per year. With Laundromats in Europe charging up to 8 Euro (~USD8.80 or ~AUD13.37) per load and hotels $5-$10 per item, a Scrubba wash bag will quickly pay for itself.

How is the Scrubba wash bag good for the environment?

Scrubba wash bags are electricity free and use much less water than a washing machine. Based on our survey results, a traveller using the Scrubba wash bag will save around 1000 litres (264 gal.) of water and 21kWh of electricity each year. In the back country, the Scrubba wash bag also allows grey water to be safely disposed away from water sources to prevent pollution.

What else is Scrubba by Calibre8 doing for the environment?

Long-lasting design - Scrubba wash bags are made from high quality nylon with a polyether TPU coating, making them lightweight but incredibly durable. All seams are high frequency welded to provide a permanent bond. The Scrubba wash bag is built to last.

Reusability and recyclability - We keep packaging to a minimum and use readily recyclable cardboard. For Australian orders, we have an option for no packaging, with the product shipped in a recyclable envelope. In the unlikely event of a backer puncturing their Scrubba wash bag, we have repair patches that we can send to get their bag working again and prevent landfill.

Sustainable materials - We use TPU in place of PVC, which has a much lower impact on the environment. Omitting dyes and bleaches from production of the fabric further lowers the environmental impact by reducing waste water and electricity usage.

We ‘sweat the little things’ – such as…

We also up-cycle the offcuts of fabric during production and turn them into lightweight, sweat resistant travel and sports wallets.

We support working from home (even pre-Covid-19) and also low impact commuting when an office visit is necessary with 50% our staff cycling to work and 25% catching public transport.

We share our office space with another company to reduce the impact of heating and cooling the office.

We use easy to recycle cardboard packaging for all our products.

We are a paperless office.

We are avid recyclers.

And, finally, we have converted to rechargeable batteries for all suitable office equipment to avoid battery waste.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about our commitment to a cleaner future please do hesitate to get in contact at into@thescrubba.com

And remember, there’s a new Scrubba product coming soon… sign up below to be the first in the know.

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*Traveller Survey Data and Calculations

*Based on user survey data (736 respondents)

Scrubba wash bag owners travel longer each trip (15.4 days) than non-owners (11.4 days)

Scrubba wash bag owners travel internationally more each year than non-owners (2 trips vs 1.6 trips)

Scrubba wash bag owners travel domestically (4.2 times) more each year than non-owners (4.2 trips vs 4 trips)

A Scrubba wash bag owner will do an average of 6.5 loads on the average 15.4 day trip and an average of 40 loads each year.

Each Scrubba wash bag saves an average of 943 litres (~250 gal) of water each year based on the assumption that while traveling 4 Scrubba wash bag loads equates to the same convenience as a traveller washing 4 days of clothes in a washing machine and the washing machine uses 118 litres of water per load (medium water efficiency).

Each Scrubba wash bag saves an average of 21 kWh of electricity each year based on the assumption that while traveling 4 Scrubba wash bag loads equates to the same convenience as a traveller washing 4 days of clothes in a washing machine and the washing machine uses 0.9kWh per load (medium efficiency and 1 h running time).

With over 240,000 Scrubba wash bags in circulation, and an assumption that 40% may not be used at all each year, 226,000,000 litres (>59,000,000 gal) are saved each year. Also, an average of 5,111,000 kWh are saved which is around 1797 tonnes of carbon.