Jabones Beltrán is a family business, founded in 1921, manufacturers of traditional soap for washing machines and cosmetic use. Ecological detergents and high quality certified eco cleaning products, based on natural soap, that respect health and the environment.
In 2021 they will be one hundred years old. What are the origins of Jabones Beltrán?
Our story began in Xert, a town in Castellón, in 1908 when the first generation of the Beltrán family began to experiment and produce soap for friends and family. In 1921 the company was formalized and the first taxes were paid.
And the differential values of the company?
As a differential value we highlight the combination of tradition and innovation. We feel very proud to continue producing soap in an artisanal way, just as our ancestors did, incorporating new processes and formulas thanks to our R&D department, which is constantly researching to implement improvements in the field of quality and eco- innovation.
In cleaning, they have an ecological brand, Biobel. What characterizes you?
Biobel is our certified organic household and laundry cleaning brand. The formulations are based on 100% plant-based ingredients sourced from sustainable natural resources. In addition, we use our own handmade soap as the main active ingredient, making the use of softeners unnecessary. The perfumes used are pure essential oils of natural origin. For this reason, Biobel reaches the highest level of sustainability and efficacy in our formulas.
For your packaging, do you also take into account that they are sustainable?
Of course, the issue of packaging is an issue that worries us a lot. A couple of years ago, when we decided to renew the image of the brand, we studied several alternatives to achieve the most sustainable packaging possible. We are facing a very complicated scenario, bioplastics in Spain are still very green, for cosmetics, being smaller containers is viable, but in large containers of cleaning products they did not give us options and less for the quantity we asked for.
On the other hand, we also believe in sustainability through the good use of plastic. In other words, plastic does not have to be an enemy if we use it well. So we made two decisive decisions, the first to reduce the weight of plastic in our packaging as much as possible and incorporate recycled plastic and the second, to opt for bulk sales.
All our liquid references are available in bulk, so our idea is that once the product is finished, that bottle is not thrown away, but reused until it completes its useful life (which can be many years!).
What measures do you implement to achieve sustainable production?
For us this point is very important, it is useless to bet on ecological raw materials if later the production processes or the ethics of the company are completely different.
Currently, many of our manufacturing processes are handmade, so the production is very low impact. It is true that over the years we have been implementing more automated production processes, in which we have made every effort to achieve the least possible environmental impact. That is why we are committed to renewable energies, local suppliers and we work with waste management companies to ensure proper treatment.
They work with local suppliers, who also follow criteria similar to Jabones Beltrán...
It is one of our maxims to achieve a sustainable production process. We want to be consistent and responsible when carrying out our activity, which is why we are committed to local suppliers and we look for collaborating companies with which we share certain values and more ethical consumption models. We are committed to ethical banking, green energy marketers and local suppliers whenever possible.
In cosmetics, why does Essabó Soap stand out?
Essabó offers very elaborate and exclusive formulas within the soap making sector. Essabó soaps are produced in a 100% traditional way, by cold saponification to maintain all the cosmetic properties of its ingredients. We use not only ingredients that are 100% of natural origin, but also from organic and sustainable farming, guaranteeing the high quality of the product as well as respecting the environment and the health of users at the highest level.
Tell us about your packaging. Is it ecological like the product? What criteria have been followed to achieve sustainable packaging?
At the packaging level, we use a zero waste container made of recycled paper. The criteria we follow to achieve optimal packaging, both in terms of quality and sustainability, are mainly that the product is well preserved and its formulation is not altered, and that the packaging has the least possible environmental impact. In the case of Essabó, the product allows us to dispense with bulky packaging and ensure good maintenance of the product with recycled paper packaging.
Do you have any sustainability certification?
Both Essabó and Biobel have organic certification. Essabó Eco soaps are certified by bio.inspecta under the BioVidaSana standard in category I: “Ecological Cosmetic” (>95% organic ingredients). For its part, Biobel has the ecological certification of Ecocert.
They have an ethical code. To what extent is CSR important for Jabones Beltrán?
We are a company committed to sustainability at all levels. Our code of ethics is a way of collecting the values for which we are committed at an environmental, social and business level.
CSR is a fundamental part for us. In environmental terms, we materialize this commitment with certifiers that guarantee the quality, ecological origin, traceability and respect for the environment of our products. At a social commitment level, we collaborate with different entities with soap and economic donations. And at a business level, as we have already mentioned, we are committed to sustainable production processes and collaborating companies that are in line with our values.
Do you think that the consumer is willing to pay more for an eco product?
Fortunately, the population is becoming aware of the impact that cosmetic and cleaning products have on both health and the environment. Although there is still an economic barrier, it is increasingly understood why the price is higher: quality ingredients from sustainable sources, responsible production processes, etc. This point is very important when the consumer makes a purchase decision.
Do you have any launch planned?
This year one of our great novelties has been the launch of our Biobel automatic dishwasher gel, a product that we have been developing for years.
In the short and medium term, we plan to launch two new Essabó products and incorporate the first vending machine in Spain in stores for the bulk sale of ecological cleaning products. A revolutionary system that automates and enhances bulk sales in establishments, in addition to favoring the reduction of plastic and facilitating the reuse of packaging as much as possible.
