Today I bring you an interview with EarthSuds, a local initiative tackling an important issue in the sustainability world. Founded in 2017, EarthSuds takes a unique approach to tackling the single-use plastic problem, particularly in hotels. To learn about this amazing project, keep reading for my interview with EarthSuds!
University can be an eye-opening time in your life, especially the first year. New people, new places, and new issues that you learn about. You may even find a topic or problem you are passionate about and hope to focus your future work on.
That’s what happened to Marissa Vettoretti, now a fourth year business student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario and the Co-Founder of EarthSuds. When given the opportunity to learn more about the environmental problems facing our world in her first year, the initial idea for Marissa’s business took form. She took her existing passion for sustainability and knowledge of environmental issues to tackle an overlooked problem: plastic waste from single-use hotel toiletries.
“I was shocked by how much waste was being created,” Marissa recalled as we chatted, “I wanted to do something about it.”
EarthSuds is the solution to the plastic waste problem in hotels. While still single-use toiletries, the portable “cubes” are paraben and sulphate free, vegan and cruelty-free, and use local ingredients whenever possible. They hold up against water until pressure is applied, at which they begin to lather. The shampoo, conditioner and body wash tablets come in a minimalistic cardboard box which can be recycled or composted after use, making these products practically waste-free.
The story of EarthSuds
Marissa has always been passionate about sustainability and business. She constantly created business ideas as a child, like selling cookies. Sustainability has always been a thought at the back of her mind when shopping and going through everyday life, but she never thought it would turn into a career for her. That changed in university.
When Marissa was finishing her first year, she heard about the Circular Design Competition, an opportunity run by OpenIDEO, to merge her two passions. It was an opportunity for individuals interested in reducing plastic waste to come together and develop sustainable solutions to plastic waste. Through this competition, Marissa became deeply entrenched in the world of climate change and sustainability, seeing environmental problems in new, specific dimensions. In particular, Marissa learned a lot about small, non-recyclable plastic bottles used commonly in hotels. She realized how complex these issues are and that they go far beyond the supply chain of a product. “There are all these other factors involved, with all input that goes into the production, all the travel, all the stuff that happens after the product is being used.”
Upon entering the competition, Marissa realized just how much of our plastics cannot be recycled, an example being the toiletry bottles provided by hotels. “It’s too hard and too small to be recycled, so they just end up in the landfill,” Marissa explained. By entering the competition, Marissa had the opportunity to develop a solution to this pressing problem.
This competition was no simple feat: Marissa was surrounded by professional engineers and designers. However, her position gave her a competitive edge. The engineers and other design experts focused on redesigning what we already use – plastics – to seal their products. “I didn’t know anything about [creating] plastics,” she explained. So instead, she thought, “how about we use something we already know is sustainable?”
Most community waste programs can’t accept “bioplastics” that engineers were designing in the competition, so “sustainable” plastics did not appeal to Marissa. She wanted to redesign the product and packaging, using materials she knew were widely available and low-impact. “The reason that soap has to be packaged in plastic is because it’s a liquid. If we don’t make it a liquid – if we make it a solid – we can put it in more sustainable packaging.” Hence, EarthSuds was born.
Marissa returned to the competition in her second year of university to further develop the soap prototype she had developed the previous year. With support from peers and Faculty at Laurier, and her knowledge gained through her entrepreneurial coursework, her product soon became a reality. Fast forward through months of hard word, promoting and product development, and EarthSuds products are now on the market.
Making the product
One of the most impressive things is that the tablets are all currently made here in Waterloo by a small team in a commercial kitchen. In addition to prioritizing environmental sustainability, EarthSuds also prioritizes social sustainability: the company employs adults with developmental disabilities to make the tablets, providing these individuals with meaningful employment and a reliable source of income.
Challenges along the way
Building your own business from scratch is never an easy venture. The hardest step is certainly the first. Making the EarthSuds tablets were certainly not a simple feat. As a student, knowing what you want to create without having the cosmetology background can be overwhelming, not to mention scary. Especially when a product hasn’t been done before. “It was a whole new ballgame,” Marissa explained. Especially when trying to be an environmentally-responsible company in a sector dominated by unsustainable practices, “maintaining an eye of sustainability” requires a lot of attention to detail, systems thinking and diligence.
“There are a million things you can do for sustainability,” Marissa explained, stating that the best way to approach such a massive issue is to first specialize in a few aspects of sustainability and build from there.
Don’t forget that Marissa is also a full-time student while working on EarthSuds. When I asked how she balances these two demanding roles, she said it really isn’t as hard as you may think. “Every time I work on the business it’s a break from school.” She is pursuing her passion while working on EarthSuds, and her team of close friends make it all the easier.
Sustainability and business: Can they go together?
As a final parting, I asked Marissa to comment on the intersections between sustainability and business, and if it is truly possible to find a common ground between the two. She definitely thinks there is. “The most sustainable businesses are the most profitable,” she explained, using paper as an example: “if a company is switching from printing all their papers to PDF, that’s huge savings on paper.”
With all the time and work that went into EarthSuds, it’s no surprise how successful they already are.
Final takeaways
I asked Marissa to share some advice for youth interested in starting their own business, based on her experience. One thing she said really stuck out to me: “The most sustainable part of business is also the most profitable and smartest.” Essentially she is saying that sustainability and profit do not conflict; the most sustainable actions you take can also create the most cost-saving and profiting opportunities for your business. She used the example of paper versus PDF documents. If your business operates using PDF documents rather than paper documents, you not only save money on printing costs but are also making a major reduction to your resource use. Sustainable, and economic.
The second and final major recommendation Marissa can offer about starting a business is to “Just start doing it. It’s not a challenge to do the work. It’s a challenge to know what needs to be done, and how to do it.” In other words, if you want to start a business or project or are putting off a task you really need to do, just start. Research, ask questions, reach out to your network for help. Overcoming this “starting” hurdle is challenging, but once you do the process gets much easier.
Stay connected
Interested in learning more about EarthSuds and Marissa’s entrepreneurial journey? There are many ways to get connected and follow the company’s story. You can follow their social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Here you can follow their business journey, get exclusive promotions and watch them reach major milestones, like presenting at the National Geographic Oceans Innovation Challenge! What an amazing achievement. If you are interested in ordering their products (which I have tried and HIGHLY recommend!) then check out their online store.
I hope you enjoyed this interview with EarthSuds, and feel inspired by their initiative. EarthSuds proves you can start any project you are passionate about, whether you have a background in a particular issue or not. All you need is the passion and drive to pursue it, and the commitment to making a change.
As always, thank you for reading. Until next time!