We caught up with CheltenhamZero member Lizzie George from ‘Green Clean with Lizzie’ to hear about her sustainability journey. For Lizzie it was a process of personal transformation that kick started her journey. Lifestyle changes including swapping her car for an electric trike and adopting a vegan diet were some of the significant steps which eventually lead to her seeking a new environmentally conscious business opportunity as an independent ambassador for Clean Living.
Refill Revolution
The ‘refill revolution’ is changing how we buy cleaning products. The cleaning power in Lizzie’s products comes from probiotics rather than antibacterial cleaners. She sells a range of cleaning products that can be shipped directly to the customer either as a bundle or as a subscription service.
Packaging & Distribution
- The refillable aluminium bottles can be reused and recycled
- Products are diluted by the customer, so fuel isn’t being used to transport water
- Empty refill sachets can be shipped back in a prepaid envelope to be recycled
- Delivery is via Royal Mail as drivers are already making scheduled deliveries to most areas
- Paper tape is used on boxes, supplier packaging is reused for packing orders to reduce waste
- Products are made in the UK and shipped from one central location
- Where possible plastic is avoided and new plastic free products are being introduced
Challenges & Opportunities
Lizzie is always looking for new ways to become even more sustainable and in the longer term she’d love her business to become plastic free. Being a small business has its advantages as you can adapt more quickly to market trends and innovation. New plastic free products are being added as available materials and packaging evolve.
“One of the main challenges has been the lack of biodegradable/plastic free packaging materials that are suitable for probiotics. Probiotics would eat through most alternative packaging types.”
Researchers are creating new materials and bioplastics all the time, so this is an exciting area of innovation. See https://materiom.org/search for some interesting ideas that might become mainstream in the future.
Communication is key
As an independent ambassador Lizzie has been able to use network marketing to work flexibly via her social media page and local contacts. This can be a great option for people juggling caring responsibilities or working from home. Communication not only helps to promote the business but also helps with her wider mission – to have a positive influence and empower people to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
Offering simple solutions that help people to live their values can create customer loyalty and positive behaviour change. This is especially true of ‘lifestyle’ subscriptions services that provide you with regular customer contact to help you build your sustainability story and promote climate awareness.
Becki from CheltenhamZero will be joining Lizzie at Ladies Who LatteCheltenham in February 2023 to speak about the sustainability support available for SMEs and micro-businesses.