The Norwegian Hurtigruten Group is the world’s leading adventure travel group, offering unique small-ship and land-based adventures from pole to pole – and anywhere in between. The company has now replaced its soap and shampoo with new, sustainable products made with seaweed from Lofoten. Read more about seaweed in a shampoo bottle.
In collaboration with Lofoten Seaweed, the company has developed an exclusive series of products that are better for people as well as the sea and nature.
Hurtigruten’s guests will now receive more sustainable skin and hair care products in their cabins. The products, which are free of chemicals and with hand-harvested seaweed from Lofoten, are made in Stokmarknes. The change means that Hurtigruten is replacing 14,000 liters of soap, shampoo and other skin products imported from abroad with sustainable products that are made locally.
“This is an incredibly cool project, and we have not heard of any other shipping companies doing the same. The new series produces less emissions into nature, less waste and is in line with our philosophy of acting locally to minimize our climate footprint as much as possible,” says project manager Carina Mæhle from Hurtigruten.
Lofoten Seaweed already supplies seaweed to the group, and seaweed has become a key ingredient on Hurtigruten’s dinner plates on board the ships. Now the two companies are taking the step further and have developed a new collection exclusively for Hurtigruten.
“The products have only natural ingredients and seaweed from Lofoten has been added. Our aim is to make the products as natural as possible, while at the same time making a product that customers find attractive,” says CEO and co-founder Angelita Eriksen of Lofoten Seaweed.
Both the smell, consistency, bottles and dispensers are tailored dedicatedly for Hurtigruten. The new skin and hair care products include shampoo, conditioner, body soap, moisturizer and hand soap. The Lofoten-based company is concerned with ensuring a clean sea to live by in the future.
“What is very important to us is that what we create should have minimal impact on the ocean’s ecosystem. We say that what is good for us is also good for the ocean. We don’t want to create anything that could lead to harmful chemicals being released into nature,” says Tamara Singer, CEO and co-founder of Lofoten Seaweed.
Natural ingredients
An important part of the contents of Hurtigruten’s skincare range is handpicked sawdust from Lofoten. Research has shown that this type of seaweed contains ingredients that have soothing, protective, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. These active ingredients help improve the skin’s elasticity and moisture.
In addition the products contain essential oils and natural additives, and use their own fragrance mixture of lemongrass and ginger oil which can have an invigorating effect. This means that the new series is tender to both skin, hair and the sea.
“This will of course be somewhat more expensive for us, but all the better for both the sea and the guests and not least Lofoten – where the products come from. I think more and more people have realized that seaweed is very nutritious and healthy to eat, but fewer know that seaweed contains many vitamins and antioxidants that are good for our skin,” says Carina Mæhle from Hurtigruten.
Soap stop in Stokmarknes
Reine Såper (English, Clean Soaps), a local company in Stokmarknes, is responsible for the production of the new series. The owner herself delivers the products directly to the ship when it is docked in Stokmarknes.
The skin and hair care range has already been introduced on the ship MS Trollfjord, which travels on the so-called Svalbard Express in the summer and the Nordkapp Express in the winter. The plan is to roll this out on the rest of Hurtigruten’s ships, also on the coastal route, both in guest cabins and for sale in the shop on board.
When Hurtigruten in Norway introduces the seaweed series, it means that they replace products purchased from Asia with locally produced hygiene products. The bottles are refillable, which means that they are regularly refilled on board rather than having to be thrown away when they become empty.
“This is our way of contributing to change. Reusing the bottles is an important part of the concept. We want to reduce our plastic consumption and have developed a refill system that gives the bottles a much longer life and simplifies the work for the employees on board,” says Mæhle from Hurtigruten.
Seaweed in a Shampoo Bottle, based on a press release from the Hurtigruten Group.
Feature image (on top): © Tore Berntsen/Visualdays.no