The Question the Label Skips
Food-grade, plastic-free and sealed can all be true while the chemical, drain or recovery question remains unanswered.
Three useful words do a suspicious amount of work this fortnight. Food-grade measures mixed extractables, plastic-free measures composition, and sealed describes a shell; none tells you about siloxanes, drain dispersal or whether the battery can be recovered. The better question is not whether a label is true, but whether it answers the thing you need to know.
Reports
What do we know about the ‘food-grade’ seal?
“Food-grade” silicone can still contain D4, D5 and D6, persistent siloxanes that can migrate into food but are not individually measured by generic extractables tests; ordinary wear-particle shedding is barely studied. If you can trade airtightness for a steel friction-fit or another silicone-free seal, you remove those open questions rather than waiting for the label to catch up. Read more →
Plastic-Free Wipes Still Block the Drain
Plastic-free wipes remove a real source of microplastics, but cellulose wipes still do not disperse like toilet paper and can block sewers. With the water sector’s tested mark withdrawn, bin every wipe regardless of the packet. Read more →
The Battery You Can't Take Out
A welded battery makes cheap gadgets cheaper but blocks separation, pushing valuable lithium into the wrong waste stream and feeding fires. Waterproofing does not require the weld: choose an openable, replaceable-cell design when one exists. Read more →
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The Merino Top Where "Merino" Is the Whole Garment
Born from The Second Skin: a performance top where merino covers the thread, trims and treatment too, with no hidden polymer coat.
Lingerie. Made From Linen. Again.
Born from The 3%: linen underwear without elastane, polyester thread or the chemistry that stretch leaves against skin.
The Toothpaste That Shows Its Chemistry
Born from The Coco Question: toothpaste that publishes its surfactant pathway, abrasivity, active dose and packaging reality, not just a soothing adjective.
A true word can still be the wrong answer. Ask what was tested, what was left out, and who pays for the omission.