Linocut Artwork for Soap Packaging

Greetings,

I've been working on some graphic design for my soap packaging, and I'm trying to express the ideas and values behind the product.

The polar bear is meant to show that the soap is made in Canada, while also drawing attention to the fact that polar bears are facing habitat loss due to climate change. In doing my research, I learned something fascinating: there is actually a temperate rainforest in British Columbia, and within that ecosystem lives a white bear known as the Kermode bear, or "spirit bear." It’s not a polar bear — it’s a rare subspecies of the American black bear with a genetic trait that gives it white fur. This bear is unique to the Great Bear Rainforest and carries its own conservation story.

The coconut and coconut tree symbolize the idea that coconut oil can be a more sustainable alternative to palm oil. Palm oil plantations, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, are one of the primary drivers of deforestation in tropical rainforests, contributing to habitat destruction for endangered species. Palm oil is used extensively in commercial soap and many consumer products because it's cheap and versatile — not because it's the healthiest or most environmentally sound option.

One of the species most affected by this is the orangutan, which is critically endangered and found only in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are our close relatives, sharing about 97% of our DNA, and their shrinking habitat is directly tied to our everyday choices — including something as seemingly simple as soap. I hadn't fully realized this connection myself until I started digging deeper. I believe we can and should do better. The profit motives of large industrial conglomerates shouldn’t outweigh the urgent need to protect biodiversity. It’s one of Earth’s greatest treasures, and if we disrupt it too much, we risk endangering our own survival.

We’re not just apex predators — we should be stewards of the planet.

At the same time, it's interesting how North American marketing has rebranded coconut oil as a health food in recent years. If you're a millennial or older, you might remember a time before coconut oil lined the shelves of health food stores. The truth is, coconut oil is very high in saturated fat — about 82% saturated, in fact — and it’s solid at room temperature. While extra virgin coconut oil has some appealing properties (like its antimicrobial qualities when used in oil pulling for dental hygiene), it's not necessarily a heart-healthy fat. Saturated fats are less chemically reactive in the body, which can affect how they’re metabolized. In contrast, unsaturated fats — such as those found in olive oil — are generally more beneficial for cardiovascular health and more versatile for your body’s biochemical needs.