Piss Soap

Piss Soap

https://youtu.be/yaQKPlDb-qI?si=ySssIHs4DuBdS8GA

Piss Soap is an extremely simple material with a broad social and conceptual entanglement. On the one hand, it is a deviant and regenerative soap made out human activity wastes, namely used cooking oil, human urine and wood ashes. On another hand, it is a local and communal effort to tackle climate change, and subvert the narrative of climate transition and circular economy, embracing care, community and local solutions. Piss Soap invites for a new way to radically connect with our material legacy on the planet while taking a humorous and unique perspective on how can we, as citizen, tackle some of our discarding issues with a bit of creativity and “gut-feeling”. Piss Soap started in 2017 in Amsterdam and has since then been transforming waste in the city into usable soaps.
The project engaged both the public and local inhabitants through interactive workshops and collection events, creating a platform for discovery, collaboration, and participation. These events allowed people to learn about the initiative, contribute their ideas, and directly engage with its goals. By fostering this inclusive environment, the project gained valuable input from diverse communities, shaping its design and execution in meaningful ways. As a result, it built strong local support and momentum, which helped it gain visibility beyond its initial scope. The project's success in one area attracted interest from other regions, leading to its adoption in various cities across Europe.

By utilizing urine, a widely discarded waste product, the project highlights the potential for resource repurposing, reducing environmental harm associated with traditional soap production. Conventional soaps often rely on harsh chemicals that pollute waterways and require significant energy and water to produce. Piss Soap promotes a circular economy by transforming waste into a useful product, significantly lowering the ecological footprint. This approach conserves resources, reduces chemical pollution, and encourages a rethinking of what we consider waste, aligning with sustainability goals by promoting resource efficiency and waste reduction.




The Piss Soap project challenges deep-rooted societal taboos surrounding hygiene and waste, sparking conversations about how cultural perceptions shape our behavior toward cleanliness and resource use. By teaching communities how to transform their own waste into usable products, it empowers them to rethink what is considered dirty or clean. This not only promotes a more open-minded approach to personal care and hygiene but also equips people with the knowledge to create sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives.Through this initiative, individuals are given the tools to confront stigmas, learn practical skills, and embrace innovative, waste-to-resource solutions.

Piss Soap rejects capital-driven enterprise by challenging the profit-oriented model in favour of environmental regeneration. It confronts the commodification of nature, highlighting how traditional businesses exploit natural resources for financial gain, often contributing to ecological harm. By using urine—an abundant, non-commercial resource—as a key ingredient, it subverts the concept of value. The project invites a reevaluation of "profit". In this way, Piss Soap pushes for an economic model that fosters climate regeneration by reimagining value systems, placing ecological sustainability at the forefront rather than pursuing monetary gain. It provokes thought on how businesses can operate ethically within the planet's ecological limits, beyond mere capital.

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Piss Soap regenerates urban environments by transforming human waste, specifically urine, into a valuable resource—soap. This innovative approach closes the loop between waste and utility, empowering local inhabitants to actively participate in sustainable practices. By educating communities on how to convert waste into usable products, Piss Soap challenges traditional perceptions of waste, helping people view it as a resource rather than a pollutant. This creates an urban ecosystem where waste is minimised, and valuable materials are continuously recycled.

The process reduces pollutants by diverting used cooking oil, a significant source of environmental waste, away from disposal systems, such as sewage treatment plants. Instead of contributing to pollution and resource depletion, the oil is used in soap production, thereby lowering chemical waste and water contamination. This nature-positive approach mimics ecological systems, where nothing is wasted, and every element is part of a larger cycle. In doing so, it enhances nature’s ability to capture and convert waste into something of value, supporting the natural regenerative processes.

By empowering communities with the skills to produce their own soap from waste, Piss Soap advances industry practices by promoting a circular economy model that integrates waste reduction and resource recovery. This project not only regenerates urban spaces but also equips local inhabitants with the knowledge to create sustainable, nature-aligned alternatives, fostering a healthier and less polluted environment.

Piss Soap contributes to the restoration and stabilisation of natural ecosystems by promoting regenerative practices that turn human (activity) waste into a valuable product. Through its innovative use of urine, the project aligns with ecological principles of reducing pollution, minimising resource extraction, and fostering a circular economy.
Piss Soap demonstrates how human waste can be reintegrated into the natural cycle, mimicking how ecosystems naturally recycle nutrients. By turning urine into a valuable product, it reduces reliance on virgin materials and helps close the loop between consumption and waste. This not only diminishes waste but also contributes to the sustainability of ecosystems by reducing the need for resource-intensive production methods. The closed-loop model also lessens the strain on landfill sites and sewage systems, preventing waste from contaminating soils and groundwater.

Urine is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients, which are critical for plant growth. In some regenerative systems, urine can be safely treated and used as a fertiliser to enhance soil fertility, supporting plant life and restoring degraded lands. Although Piss Soap focuses on cleaning products, its concept inspires broader thinking about how human waste can be repurposed to rejuvenate ecosystems, whether through fertilisation or other regenerative processes.

In this way, Piss Soap sparks innovative thinking about how waste can become a resource, contributing to the overall regeneration and stabilisation of ecosystems by preventing pollution, reducing resource extraction, and restoring natural cycles.

The very idea of using urine—a traditionally taboo and “waste” product—to create a useful, everyday item like soap instantly draws attention. This bold, unexpected approach breaks down barriers to complex topics by making them personal and surprising. The shock value encourages people to ask questions and explore how waste can be repurposed, creating an entry point to understanding broader bioeconomy principles like turning organic waste into resources and sustainable production practices.

Piss Soap introduces the idea of circularity in a clear and straightforward manner. The concept of reusing urine to create soap demonstrates how materials traditionally considered waste can be recycled back into valuable products. This simple yet powerful example helps people grasp the core idea of a circular bioeconomy—where waste streams are captured, processed, and reintroduced into the production cycle. It takes what could be a dense or technical topic and makes it more understandable by providing a direct, everyday application

Storytelling is key to making complex ideas stick, and Piss Soap has a strong narrative about challenging societal norms and rethinking waste. This narrative not only conveys environmental sustainability but also invites reflection on human behaviour, cultural taboos, and our relationship with nature. By weaving this engaging story, Piss Soap humanises the bioeconomy, making it more approachable and easier to connect with emotionally.

Piss Soap encourages dialogue by pushing boundaries. It opens up discussions about resource management, hygiene, and sustainability, making bioeconomy concepts part of everyday conversation. This engagement helps demystify these ideas, fostering a better understanding of how biological processes can drive innovation in sustainable practices.

Through its boldness and creativity, Piss Soap effectively educates and engages the public in complex bioeconomy concepts, making them relatable, memorable, and easier to understand.