The biggest lesson I have learnt in the last 4 years
This founder’s story reminded me of that
Today’s eco snapshot👇🏽
The Story of Sahar Mansoor, Founder of Bare Necessities
Startup of the Week: Axiology
5 Low Waste Beauty and Personal Care Brands
News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
👩🏼 The story of Sahar Mansoor
I have spent the last 4 years trying to understand the space of climate change and sustainability.
Everytime I feel frustrated or demotivated with the pace at which we are tackling the climate crisis, I remind myself of this: progress over perfection.
None of the solutions I've encountered in the sustainability space are flawless. They all emit carbon. But most of these solutions are propelling us towards a better future. They're helping our society progress.
I was recently reading about Sahar, the founder of Bare Necessities, and her story is an excellent example of progress over perfection.
~~~
Bare Necessities is an Indian brand that’s helping people consume more mindfully and produce less waste through its range of personal care and home care products.
Founder Sahar Mansoor always felt a deep connection to nature. Growing up in Bangalore, India, she spent her free time in parks and on family trips to natural landscapes.
After losing her father at a young age, she found solace in the serenity of the natural world 🍃
Her environmental journey truly began in college when she saw a video on zero-waste living.
In 2012, I watched a video of Bea Johnson in Professor Chris Chapples’s World Religions and Ecology class in college. While I was blown away by her life, I remember conclusively dismissing it too. How could I possibly live a zero waste lifestyle while juggling three jobs, maintaining grades, having a social life and exploring a new city?
Despite initially rejecting the idea as impractical, it sparked her curiosity about society's trash problem and led her to major in environmental planning.
Upon returning to India, Sahar realized that waste was not just an environmental issue but it’s also deeply intertwined with social justice.
Her experience shadowing a community of waste pickers in the eastern state of West Bengal made her determined to stop contributing to the problem. She started to live a lifestyle that mirrored her values, making her soap and gradually reducing her waste.
At one point, Sahar got a little extreme about her zero-waste journey. In 2018, she managed to fit the waste she had individually generated over the past 2.5 years into a single 500 ml glass jar 😮
When I first got started on my low impact journey; I was super militia about avoiding single use plastic; which meant I would only grocery shop from one package free store on my way back from work, stay hungry on a long bike ride if I was all done with my mixed seeds and nuts from home, maybe argue with the concert venue for not wanting a plastic tag on my wrist, make a big batch of hot tea with ginger instead of getting cold medication.
While Sahar still leads a low-impact lifestyle, she isn’t striving to be perfect anymore. And that is reflected in Bare Necessities as well.
The brand is continuously working on releasing low-waste products but none of them are perfect solutions. And that’s OK. As long as they are better than what we have. As long as they are making progress 💚
Do you have a progress over perfection story that you would like to share with others?
Time for the quiz of the week ⌛
This personal care and beauty retailer recently launched a program named ‘Beauty (Re)purposed’ to help minimize packaging waste. The new program will allow customers to drop off all of <this brand’s> items at its retail stores.
Answer at the end of the newsletter. No one (including me) can see your response so feel free to vote 😉
✨ Startup of the Week: Axiology
It’s not stopping…The beauty industry is projected to be worth $463.5 billion by 2027. Although it has become inclusive and accessible, it has also created a lot of waste. Technically, most of the tubes and bottles are recyclable but as most of our recycling systems are broken, more than 90% of these end up in landfills and oceans.
Low waste makeup is challenging… but Axiology has been doing it well for a few years now. They have created the world’s first 3-in-1 zero waste 'Lip-to-Lid' crayons. The pencil called Lip-to-lid Balmies can be applied to the eyelids, lips, and cheekbones. These creamy moisturizing crayons can be used on your lips, cheeks, or lids for a monochromatic glow.
They’re 100% waste and plastic-free and are made with oils, butter, and antioxidants like hemp and plum oil.
All of their products are cruelty-free and vegan and these values have guided all of the brand’s decisions.
They are available in colors ranging from sheer and luminous pinks to bold and rich burgundies.
She just knew it…During her time in Bali, founder Ericka Rodriguez discovered a women-owned paper company that had found a creative solution to the city’s trash problem. Axiology employed these local women to gather and re-purpose trash and turn it into packaging for their products. They use minimal packaging. The pencils come without cases and are wrapped in recyclable paper.
✅ 5 Innovative Waste Management Startups
Clean O2: Personal care products made from CO2 captured from buildings.
Saathi Pads: Turning banana plant waste into biodegradable menstrual pads.
Etee: Cleaning and personal care products in the form of concentrates.
Georganics: Cruelty-free and vegan toothpaste tablets in a glass jar.
Izzy: A line of zero-waste beauty products.
😹 News That Lifted My Spirits This Week
Logging Off: Deforestation rates fell by 39% in the Brazilian Amazon due to political shifts, despite an uptick in global tree felling and wildfires.
Pedal Power Prevails: In Paris, cycling has overtaken driving thanks to policies promoting bike lanes, taxing cars, and restricting SUVs, leading to a significant increase in everyday people cycling from the suburbs to the city.
Fjordward Fish Focus: Canada is safeguarding a surprising coral reef discovered after First Nations observed fish congregating in a British Columbia fjord.
📞 Interested in chatting about sustainability and climate change?
Every week, I do a few 20-minute calls with people who are either building or working in the sustainability and climate change space or are interested in exploring it.
These calls are free and more about you than me. Feel free to book one here:
Click that 💚 if this added some value to you.
Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week😊