Sydney retailer Ecodownunder Pty Ltd has announced that it has successfully eliminated the last plastic packaging from its stores.
“Single use plastic packaging is having a massive impact on our environment and the ocean. We’re delighted that we’ve finally got to the point where we’ve removed the last plastic packaging from our stores,” said the company’s founder, Russell Lamb.
Lamb stressed that the focus at Ecodownunder has been on sustainability since the business starter 20 years ago.
“Whilst it’s been a challenge to be both eco-perfect and commercially viable, we’ve done everything we can to minimise our footprint on the environment,” he said. “Removing plastic packaging from our stores was a transition we had to make to meet our own sustainability objectives.
Co-owner Beverley Tilbury said the process of removing plastic packaging wasn’t easy, but was worth it.
“There’s no doubt that plastic was a great packaging solution, until we found out how much damage it was doing to the environment. It’s protected our products and made it easy to ensure our crisp white cotton sheets arrive at the homes of customers in pristine condition. But we had to be true to ourselves. Plastic just had to go but we needed to ensure our customers were going to be happy with the alternatives.”
Ecodownunder had been using biodegradable shopping bags but these were still just plastic. And all plastic breaks down into tiny micro particles which end up in the ocean. So, they committed to removing these bags from their stores and introduced organic cotton shopping bags which their customers love and use over and over.
Phasing out plastic packaging on products was a more complex transition. After many discussions with suppliers, they found different ways to pack their bedding without plastic. Some products like linen, wool quilts, pillows and under blankets are now packaged in specially made cotton bags, designed product by product. Most sheets are packaged with a cotton ribbon.
They say the response from customers has so far been extremely positive, and that most are appreciative of the extra effort to eliminate single use plastic.
