A big cleanup for household cupboards

How many plastic bottles are lurking in your bathroom, laundry and kitchen?

From household cleaners and laundry liquids to makeup containers and shampoo bottles, these everyday items are fuelling the growing waste crisis, clogging up landfills and polluting our oceans.

Although eco-conscious consumers have been driving the shift to more sustainable and plastic-free products, supermarkets and big-name brands have been slow to catch on. 

This gap in the market has sparked a wave of sustainability and purpose-driven startups following in the footsteps of social enterprise Who Gives a Crap—which began selling boxes of its bamboo-based toilet paper direct to customers following a crowdfunding campaign in 2012.

The company, which donates 50 per cent of its profits to sanitation projects, has also expanded its range to include compostable dishcloths and dog poo bags made from recycled plastic. 

"So many companies stick the recycling symbol on the side of their products and just pretend like all these products go into the recycling bin and are magically reused, which is not the case."

Although it still sells directly to consumers, its colourful toilet paper rolls have also landed on the shelves of supermarket Aldi, and other stores. But despite this success, sustainability-focused startups remain a rarity at the big end of the retail sector.

Instead, they have been busy building a loyal customer base that they regularly engage with via social media. Sydney-based Zero Co is a notable example, satisfying demand for sustainable alternatives with an ever-expanding range of refillable cleaning products and personal care items for its online customer base.  

The startup recently introduced a new paper-based refill system to further reduce its plastic footprint which cuts plastic usage by up to 97% compared with traditional packaging formats like bottles and pouches.

And Brisbane startup, Skipper (formerly Tirtyl), is similarly tackling the lower-footprint path with its range of cleaning, dishwasher and laundry products that are sold online in the form of tablets and sheets that can be mixed with water by customers post purchase. 

In the wash

Australia’s Sheet Yeah! is another emerging player in the sustainable laundry space selling biodegradable, plastic-free laundry detergent sheets.

But bucking the direct-to-customer trend, the Brisbane startup is preparing for nationwide distribution in Woolworths, through support from Seedlab Australia, a Woolworths-backed incubator for fast-moving consumer goods.

Woolworths says its Seedlab incubator favours brands that "remove water out of the supply chain by concentrating their products, use plant-based ingredients, post-consumer plastic bottles and renewable energy in their manufacturing processes".

Sheet Yeah! says its laundry detergent sheets are made of naturally derived plant-based ingredients and contain zero harsh chemicals, with packaging that is completely plastic free and recyclable.

“I hate greenwashing,” says Sheet Yeah! founder, Todd Windley. “So many companies stick the recycling symbol on the side of their products and just pretend like all these products go into the recycling bin and are magically reused, which is not the case.”

Tasmania’s Downunder Wash Co is another laundry brand with a sustainability focus that's also set to hit Woolworths shelves after collaborating with Seedlab. It has developed a range of laundry bars and stain removers that leave no pollutants in landfills or waterways - expanding the range of lower-impact solutions available to mainstream shoppers.