Plastic pollution is a serious problem and yes, every little effort makes a difference. However, the real problem is the prevalence of single-use plastics because they have become part of our daily habits. What if there is an easy way to reduce single-use plastics without hindering our lifestyle?
Say hello to SimplyGood, a social enterprise that capitalises on innovation to shine the spotlight on plastic waste with its line of sustainable cleaning products. The founders, Clewyn Puah and Jeremy Lee, believe that plastic straws are not the main culprits of the plastic problem. The real problem lies in consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Their solution - Refillable Eco-friendly Cleaning Tablets!
Clewyn explains what spurred their entrepreneurship journey, “Seeing the issues that Singapore faces, such as food and plastic wastage, and realising that we could make a positive impact in this areas by using business and entrepreneurship to drive change and solve problems.”
I had the privilege to unearth more insights from Clewyn.
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Three words that best describe your business.
Refill. Simple. Good.
How do you contribute to sustainability in daily life?
By being more mindful and aware of my thoughts and actions in general, as they have an impact on the people around us and our environment. Also to make it simpler for myself to be sustainable.
For example, switching to a reusable cup/ tumbler was an easy way for me to cut down on my daily consumption of plastic bottles.
Expectations vs Reality of running a Social Enterprise?
We expect a Social Enterprise to operate no differently than a normal business, except that there is a secondary goal of trying to create a positive impact. However, many people still look upon Social Enterprises as Non-Profit Organisation or charities, which could make it harder for us to be dealt with on the same level.
Innovation is the new Competitive Advantage. What is your innovation strategy?
At SimplyGood, we believe in simple innovations that are easy for people to adopt and champion. We constantly look at existing systems and products to see how we can do things in not only a better but simpler manner.
For example, we focus on cleaning tablets and refill systems as this allows consumers to reduce single-use plastic, while also saving money and effort of buying new bottle packaging. On the whole, the refill system also reduces carbon footprint, as unnecessary waste is not produced and discarded in the first place.
If you have all the money in the world, what would you do?
I would work with people with similar aspirations to create a more sustainable and better work, and deploy my resources to create change on a larger scale.
What keeps you up thinking at night?
Thinking how things could be done differently to yield better outcomes.
Any advice for budding entrepreneurs?
Find something that you can live with and work on, and stay on that path.
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With sustainability at the core of their business concept, the genius team has created refillable and space-saving cleaning tablets that reduce the carbon footprint required to ship heavy liquid solutions. The earth-friendly tablet packaging is also designed to reduce single-use plastic packaging by up to 90%!
In line with the founders' goal to create a positive impact, SimplyGood worked tirelessly recently to launch a new Food Grade Sanitiser. This greatly helped the community that was struggling to get supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
Made right here in Singapore, this non-toxic sanitiser is derived from natural products and is specially formulated to sanitise and kill 99.99% viruses & bacteria!
Unlike many brands of sanitiser that uses harsh industrial chemicals, SimplyGood chooses to use highly regulated food grade ethanol regardless of the high costs because consumers’ safety is of higher priority than profit margins. Their actions truly embody the values of a social enterprise.
Support SimplyGood’s efforts to create a positive social impact by buying their sustainable cleaning tablets and new food grade sanitiser here!
Stay tuned for more inspirational stories on local entrepreneurs and businesses!
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