A Plastic Free July Letter
Happy Plastic Free July everyone!
Isn't it crazy? One full month to raising awareness of how we can all go plastic free in our lives, and the importance of doing so? While we all love the quote about "not needing to live a zero waste perfectly, but we need millions doing it imperfectly" - the story behind Plastic Free July in itself is so inspiring. A not-for-profit, started by an extremely lean team and now is a global movement!
If that doesn't highlight how much power we have as citizens, employees, family members, or businesses, then I don't know what will!
I wanted to take this opportunity to re-introduce ourselves a little. We have been in the zero waste space since 2016 and have been incorporating zero waste practices right since then, including incorporating refill stations at our humble HQ. Back then, while the zero waste movement was only starting (or restarting since our older generation bazaar and bulk shopping times), we continued to do whatever we can from tons of talks + workshops to launching products that are natural and come in reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging. And today, to see many small, medium and large-sized players in this field makes us extremely happy, elated, motivated to keep innovating and moving forward!
As you know from the subject line of this, we are turning 5! For a small business, social enterprise, in the impact space, during these times, wow it can be challenging! But even with these challenges, we continued to stick to our zero waste practices, even if that meant paying higher rates for paper tapes to providing healthcare plans to ensure our amazing women-run manufacturing team continues to thrive and grow with us!
Plastic-free and zero waste living is a movement that we are extremely proud of leading, joining and growing - and just a glimpse into this is how we pack. See for yourself! From focusing on the packaging to partnering with amazing partners like Maruvan and Hasiru dala, to launching online courses so we can all understand the impacts of our actions, plastic free July and plastic free living are becoming something so many are now talking about, noticing and demanding change!
When we think plastic free living, we often think about that single use plastic straw or toothbrush, but as we become more aware, you'll realize that it's all around us, from our personal care routines (soaps and shampoos) to our food wraps to even what our lip balms typically come in! This is where we are striving to bring about change, in the way we consume but also systemically!
We aren't perfect, that's for sure! And a movement like this for a population as massive as ours takes time, and we understand this. Making it accessible to all, making it the norm, making zero waste packaging the go-to, ethically supporting local livelihoods - to do all of this all at once and be perfect at it, it can be a challenge. But with support from our Bare community, with seeing the growth of hundreds, if not thousands of small businesses and conversations around sustainability mushroom, we are truly thrilled to have been in this space for 5+ years and growing!
Warmest,
Mehul Manjeshwar [CMO + Sustainability Comms]
On behalf of our amazing Bare Team