Creating alternatives to single-use plastic

In this episode of Plastics Revolution, I’m chatting with Hayley Clarke of Onya based in Perth, Australia.  Onya makes reusable alternatives for single-use plastic products for consumers.

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Hayley and her partner were looking for a business that aligned with their personal values when they bought Onya from its original owners in 2015. Since then, they’ve grown the company both domestically and internationally while also achieving the difficult B Corporation certification that proves their commitment to the environment and others.

I hope you enjoy this episode of Plastics Revolution with Hayley Clarke of Onya.

You can read the full transcript of this episode on Tammy’s blog.

Companies, Organisations and Products Mentioned in this Podcast:

Onya
TerraCycle
Plastic Free July

Credits

Hosted by Tammy Ven Dange
Produced by Jonny Puskas
Theme Music by Joseph McDade
All Rights Reserved 2020

You can read the full transcript of this episode on Tammy’s blog.

Full Transcript

This transcript has been modified for clarity.

Key:

T: Tammy Ven Dange, Host
H: Hayley Clarke, Managing Director of Onya

Introduction

T:  Haley, welcome to the show.

H: Thank you so much for having me.

T: Now, before we get started, I need to ask you to clarify the word, “Onya.” Now, I know that’s an Aussie slang word that a lot of our listeners may not be familiar with. So, can you tell us what does on your mean?

H:  Absolutely. It stems from the idea that when our business started back in 2004, the idea was that you’d keep the products “onya,” because one of the things we certainly realised in the early days was that people would forget to bring their shopping bags to the supermarket.

H: And so, the idea is the majority of (our products) is to be stuffed down into a little pouch that can be kept “onya.” So it’s a really Australian kind of term, I guess. But also a practical one, because it was basically to help people remember to take their bags shopping. And that’s where we started with reusable shopping bags.

T:  Oh, how funny. I actually have heard it used in a different context before, which is usually when they say, “Oh, good onya.”

H:  Of course. Yes, it’s about keeping it “onya.” The dual purpose, I guess, as you say, is that, yes, it’s “good onya” as well if you remember them.

Say goodbye to single-use produce bags

T: Oh, great. Thanks for that. Now, I was first introduced to your products maybe about two years ago when I bought your produce bag.

H: Fantastic.

T: It’s something I take with me to the shops all the time. And for those that aren’t familiar with it, it’s basically a reusable fruit or veggie bag so that you don’t have to use a single-use bag anymore. And it doesn’t hardly weigh anything. So, when you put it on the scale, you’re not paying for extra weight. I love those bags and I have them everywhere.

T: Could you just tell us a little bit more about Onya, some of the other products that you guys have?

H:  Certainly. I guess it’s easy to understand what our goal was first. It’s why we came into being was because we saw all of these instances of single-use plastic in society. And so, the goal has always really been to try and create reusable items for single-use plastic and to replace it in people’s lives. So, as you say, the produce bags that you’ve been using are certainly one of our biggest sellers these days. They never used to be that. Certainly. It’s really been great to see that come on board probably in the last five years or so.

H:  We’ve seen that really blossom. And now that’s become one of our biggest sellers (the produce bags) because it’s such an easy swap. If people are aware of the issue of plastic pollution and want to reduce single-use plastic in their lives, swapping out single-use produced bags, whether or not they’re biodegradable, they’re still single-use primarily. And so, swapping them out for a reusable, long lasting reusable item is a smart move.

H: And it’s an easy way. It’s a really low hanging fruit when you’re wanting to try and reduce single-use plastic in your life. So, we always say start with one thing and then move on to other areas. And that’s why I guess over the years we’ve come a long way from just shopping bags.

Other products to reduce waste

H: We have produce bags, as you’re aware of, but now we do reusable bread bags and lunch wraps and bulk food bags and all sorts of different things where you can replace single-use items and that could be single-use paper or it could be single-use plastic. The point is to try and reduce waste.

H: And of course, our products, wherever we can, are made out of recycled materials themselves. So, we’re preventing waste going to landfill and certainly into our waterways. And we’re taking and repurposing that material, which has a much lower carbon emission and creating a long-lasting reusable product for it.

H: Then we partner with TerraCycle at the end for some of our products that are not easily recycled through the council bins sort of scheme. And then we make sure that at no point do our products need to go to landfill. So, they get repurposed and reused as many times as they can over and over in a more circular economy principle.

Changing one single-use habit at a time

T:  Well, I think one of the easiest things to change was the produce bag.  That’s because here in Australia, so many councils and states have actually banned the use of a single-use shopping bags in grocery stores, at least the light ones. And so if we’re going to bring a bag to the grocery store anyway to carry your normal groceries, then adding a produce bag was pretty simple to change your habits around that a well.

H:  Yes, absolutely. And because they do stuff down into a little pouch, you can just clip them on your bag or what have you. And so, they are always on you. And that’s the point. There’s nothing worse than forgetting them going, Oh, I’ve forgotten my bags.” It’s about changing your habits.

H: And that’s one of the joys of things like Plastic Free July. It’s about trying to go for that month of July as often as you can without single-use plastic. And the idea being that you create a new habit and form a new habit in a month, and so then it becomes easier and you can build on it.

Hayley’s passion for reducing waste

T:  Hayley, when did you become so passionate about plastic and reducing waste in this space?

H:  I grew up in the country, and my mom used to make a lot of our stuff. She’d back her own bread, and do our own butter and all of that kind of stuff. So, I sort of grew up in a bit of an idyllic childhood, I guess, in the country. A lot of that country living is about living waste free. Everything has a purpose and a use. So, I guess that was instilled into me from quite a young age.

Purchasing Onya in 2015

H:  I didn’t start Onya. It was something that my partner and I purchased back in 2015. But it’s been going since 2004. And I think I bought my first set of produce bags, which was my first purchase, probably maybe 2008.  When the opportunity came up, that Onya was available on the market, we were in the position and looking for something. I was like, “I think they’re the produce bags that I have.” And so, it just seemed to be a match made in heaven.

H:  We ended up then purchasing Onya and the rest goes from there. So, I would say that I was always aware of waste and trying to live lightly on the earth. I think that was probably ingrained into me from quite a young age and waste wasn’t a thing that we could afford, I guess. So, I think that was quite an easy thing for me.

H: But the biggest learning curve has definitely been learning about the issue of plastic pollution. That has definitely been a journey of discovery and about realising how massive the task was and is to clean up this issue. We felt that we could contribute to that by taking this business and putting it out to the public.

H:  The more people that are aware of the issue of plastic pollution and have solutions for it, then the easier it becomes. Yes, it’s absolutely down to producers to be more responsible. But as individuals, we can actually take that power into our hands.  I think with things like climate change, we feel powerless. Whereas I think with the issue of plastic pollution, we feel powerful because we can actually see the changes we’ve made in our own households. So, I think that’s really seductive.

T:  Oh, for sure. And the reality is that by reducing plastic use, it actually helps with climate change, too, as one of the biggest emissions drivers is the creation of plastic, including textiles.

H: Yes, of course.

A little more about Hayley

T:  What were you doing before you decided to purchase the company in 2015?

H:  We had also owned a business prior, and it was part of a national retail chain. And it was involved primarily, I felt, in sending stuff to landfill. Because that is what is primarily what retail often is about – sales and sales and sales and nothing’s made to last.

H: I guess it was just destroying my soul, and it’s not something that I was ever very easy with, and when you see the waste that’s involved in all aspects of that in most general retail. Yeah, it’s quite horrifying. So, we decided, “Look, we want out of this, and we want to do something else.” So, we looked and looked and looked and came across the opportunity to purchase Onya, which was just seemed like perfect timing.

T:  Well, certainly finding a business that was in line with your values, I’m sure was not an easy journey.

H: No, no, not at all.

T:  But it also seemed like your skills were right aligned with the retail side. With that background, it would be so useful.

H: Absolutely. I can’t begrudge that background because that enabled us to see the opportunity for Onya and say, This is where the prior owners had taken it to the best of their ability, but these are the skill sets that we have and can bring into it.” We immediately saw that turnaround.

Criteria for buying a business

T:  When you’re thinking about buying a business, there are so many different factors to look at. Of course, the financials are just one aspect of it. For some of the people that are interested in starting businesses or are interested in buying businesses that are listening to the show – I think they’d be quite curious to know what were some of the criteria that you looked at besides the fact that you’ve obviously found something that fit your value scheme. What were some of the other things that you looked at when you purchased the business to know that you can actually turn it around?

H: Yes, certainly. I think you’ve got to align also your skill sets. “What do you come in with? What are your superpowers? It doesn’t even have to be a business background necessarily. It could be some other background, but you can overlay those skills in a new way. So, I think that you’ve got to at least have some skill sets that you think immediately, “We can apply these and make this business better.”

H: So, I think that’s definitely the case. I think you’ve got to have at least some sort of skill set that relates to the business that you’re looking at. I think if you’re going in really fresh and of course, you can buy a business you’ve never had anything to do with before, but it’s definitely a harder task. I think definitely coming in and looking for those things and saying, “Okay, this is a skill set that I have. How could I apply this in this business to improve it?”

H:  That’s definitely what we did coming into there. We knew, by and large, with Onya -yes, we had never really been involved in the manufacturing side of things before, but I knew that we could learn that. It was also about,” How do we market it, and how do we take this brand out and spread the word so more and more people are using reusable rather than single-use?” And I knew that that’s a message that we had the skill set to tell.

T: It’s the truth, isn’t it? So many people can make something, but very few know how to sell it.

H: Yes. And I think that’s the case with the prior owners as well. They’d done such a good job, but I think they just got to that point where they’re like, “That’s where we’re at the limit of our knowledge now, and we really need to move it along. Or if we leave it, it’s just going to die.”

H: They loved it, and quite rightly, they did.  So, when we came along, we said this would be our vision. This is what we could see happening with it. And they just felt, “Yes, that’s what we would love for it to go.”  So I think that just worked out really, really well, that we came across this business that not only aligned with our values, but also played really strongly to our skillset that we can improve it really quickly and turn it around.

Manufacturing overseas

T:  Were the manufacturing relationships then that you’re currently using already in place, or have you changed some of those manufacturers since then?

H: We’ve definitely changed some of them, but we have ones that have been with us for 10 or 12 years. They’re primarily our bag manufacturing arm. I go and visit them, and they’re the same group of women that have been making our stuff at 10 or 12 years and they’re often single moms and they find it hard to find work and they’re paid over and above standard wages and have really good conditions.

H: I’m really proud to be able to support them and use them. And unfortunately, in Australia, we just don’t have a manufacturing segment of the market, not like we used to, not like 80 years ago.  It’s just not done here anymore, and I don’t think that’s Australia’s strength either because of our very high wages.

H: So, I think other countries definitely have strengths in that area, and you can ethically and responsibly and sustainably produce internationally. And we sell internationally, so I guess that’s only fair. We do what we can within Australia. And of course, we employ people here, but we just don’t employ for manufacture here.

T:  Certainly, I’ve looked at manufacturing for a number of different things. What are you using? Is it right that you’re using recycled polyester?

H: Yes, that’s correct. Yes, rPET.

T: Yes. So that’s basically a water bottle?

H: That’s correct.

T: I’ve looked, and I know that there are no manufacturers in Australia that actually create that particular product as a material that you can use for other things. I know it’s the same problem with ocean waste as people have been trying to use nylon from fishing nets. And there are no manufacturers here in Australia where you can buy that material from. So, I can feel your pain in terms of saying, “Look, I would love to do something local, but it’s not available. And it’s also ridiculously expensive with the current cost of labour to do it any other way.

Process for looking for new manufacturers

T: There is a lot of controversy, though, about using labour overseas. Now, you did inherit some great manufacturers already, but as you continue to grow your product line, how do you look for new manufacturers that might make different kinds of products?  How do you find your sources of manufacturers that you feel like are doing the right thing when you’re going to another country?

H:  You really have to have a list, a very strong list of things that you’re not going to compromise on. And they are things like they must pass international levels of social and environmental audits. You have to walk the floors of these factories. You have to speak with the workers. You really do need to do that stuff and really dig down. It takes us a long time to decide on a manufacturing partner because we need to be absolutely sure that everything is above board. So, yeah, it’s not a quick and easy process.

H: We’ve been around such a long time, and now you’ll see a lot of competitors come onto the market, and they may be producing a product that is cheaper or it may not be made out of recycled material. Quite often it’s not, and don’t know what’s gone into that. They could be using slave labour. You just don’t know.

H:  What we’ve tried to do with Onya is to give people peace of mind that we have done all the legwork for you. We actually go and walk the floors of these factories. We speak to the workers. We get them independently audited. We do all of this work, which is not cheap to do so. We do all of that work because that’s really important to us and for the future of the planet.

H: I think it’s actually because of businesses like Onya, that you’ve got places like China, Vietnam and even India slowly coming along. They absolutely have improved their manufacturing process overall as we’ve seen in the last five years because they’re aware that for the rest of the world, this is really important, for them to be taking care of.

H: And to be fair to China, to my knowledge, they’ve never used child labour. That’s never been a thing in their society. So that was one of the things that we never had to concern ourselves with because it’s not really done there. In India, yeah, you get it. You get a lot of that. But yet, China, that’s not a thing. Certainly, bad treatment of workers can happen. That’s why we’re very, very pedantic about who we work with.

Certified B Corporation process

T:  You also take it to the next step of getting a B Corporation certification.

H: Yes.

T: Now, there’s probably not that many Australians that are actually familiar with that term. I’m originally from the US, and I know that’s very much a goal for a lot of companies with purpose, and you kind of need it now to be considered somewhat of a social enterprise or someone that’s doing something ethically. But not many people in Australia value that yet. Could you tell us what that really is, and what the process was for you to attain that certification?

H:  Yeah, sure. It was really, really important for us. We did it quite early on. And as you say, there were hardly any B Corps in Australia at the time when we got our certification. Actually, Australia is now one of the fastest growing areas for B Corps in the world, which has been really, really wonderful to hear. We can see that our B local groups are growing and growing. I sit on the board here for the local one here in Perth. And so it’s just really been great to see that grow and that awareness of B Corps and why that’s important.

H: But you’re right. You go to the US and everyone’s like, “Oh, you’re a Big Corps? Great!” I was in the US last year on a travelling tour with Rebecca Prince, who is from Plastic Free July, and yeah, it’s just not a hard sell there. They all know what that is. So, one day we’ll make it in Australia.

H:  The process is very rigorous, which I love. I hated it at the time, but I love it because it shouldn’t be easy. The point of it is that you are doing all of this work to show and prove to people that that you genuinely are caring. You’re not paying lip service to it. And so it took us around seven months to get our B Corp certification. There was a lot of back and forth and really nutting things out.

H: What that does as well, as a business, is it really does help you clarify what your sustainability and ethical goals are. You may have thought that you had sorted, but until you really drill down into them, that process really does open up things and possibilities I found for businesses.  Like, “Oh, we could do this, and we could do that.” So, it really does lead you down all sorts of great paths, I think, to help improve your business for the better – socially, environmentally and sustainably.

T: But, it still isn’t an easy process.

H: It’s definitely a bit of a marathon. I found the best way for us to do it was to break it up into stages and say, “Okay, I have a goal of completing this stage by this time and trying to do that. Because if you look at it as an overall, it can be quite overwhelming. So I think that if you just do it piecemeal, and you’ll get through it.

H:  I absolutely wanted to do because it was really important to me to do it. I knew that it was going to be important for the planet. So, it’s something that really drove me to do it, particularly when, as I say at the time, there were hardly any B Corps in Australia. No one even knew what it was. But my thinking was that people are going to care about this stuff in the future. Absolutely.

H:  So, I think it’s really important for us, even if we are in the very early stages of the awareness of it here. I think it’s really important for us to do and set ourselves up as a business that is doing the right thing by the planet. And regardless of any competitors that come into the market, for our clients and our customers to know that we’re doing the right thing by them. And so that was really, really important to us, even if no one knew what it was yet.

Compostable bags?

T:  Well, it will be a market differentiator soon if it isn’t already, and especially if you’re already overseas, because there’s so much greenwashing out there.

H:  So much.

T: I was looking at a product, a competitor product for something I was working on. And they showed me something that said “bioplastic.”  I’m always skeptical when I read bioplastic to see what that really is. Of course, a lot of people are saying, “Oh, it has these international standards and blah, blah, blah.”  

T: But if it’s not plant based – if it’s still petroleum based, it’s still plastic. And it breakdown in ten years instead of 100 years or fifty years instead of 500 years? I think it really does make a difference for you guys to go through this full process and to show that you truly are doing the right thing and not just making this stuff up.

H:  Yeah, and we try and do a lot of education around that whether through demand and from our customers. As you may have seen, we have actually released our dog waste bags and our bin liners. Now, that was not easy for us to do because primarily we have always been involved in reusable products.  

H:  So what we’ve tried to do with the release of things like bin liners as an example is, if you go to our website, you go to that page, you’re going to see a whole bunch of information from us trying to help you reduce your waste first. And if you absolutely feel that you need a bin liner, then these are one of the most responsible ones on the market.

“It’s about saying if there isn’t an option, can you create something that is a sustainable and good option? And sometimes there is no answer. Sometimes people just have to do without and that’s that. But people really wanted an option rather than just plastic bin liners.”

T: Is that a home compostable bag? Is that what you’ve chosen to use?

H: They’re certified to industrial composting facilities. But as you all know, this is a hot compost. You’re looking at 50 plus degrees Celsius. So, providing you have that at home, you could absolutely compost at home.

H: What happens with home composting is that it breaks down at a lower grade temperature. And actually, the bin liners are in the process now of getting their certification for home compost. What you’ve got to be really careful of is that the bin liners are being used in the timeframe because they start to break down. This is the problem with them. It’s not like a plastic bin liner you can have sitting in your cupboard for a year. They won’t last.

H: They will just break down naturally. It almost becomes like leaves. They just break down, and eventually they break down to their natural cellulose beginnings. So, there’s nothing left. They’re completely worm safe. There is nothing detectable in the soil. They will break down, and so they’re different.

H:  It’s about the education thing. It’s like, “Well, if you absolutely need bin liners, then fine, use these.” And yes, they can break down at home. But for most people, what they’re putting in the bin that’s going to need a liner is actually all of the stuff, unfortunately, that’s going to landfill.

H: So, do these break down in landfill? Yes, of course they do, but it takes a much longer period of time for them to break down than if they are in a natural composting facility. So, it’s a really, really tricky situation. Our goal, as we’ve always said, is to educate people to reduce their waste overall so they don’t really require them. And that our ultimate goal. But we are aware that people are still using bin liners and the requests are overwhelming for them.

Other products to help us reduce single-use plastic

T: So, what other products do you have that will help us?

H: It does depend on where you live and what facilities are available nearby to you. Obviously, if you’re more in an urban area, it’s far easier to find things like bulk food stores, certainly fresh fruit and veg groceries, and bakers – independent bakers and things like that.

H: So, we created a range of products where even things like our lunch wraps, which I find incredibly useful for so many things. I use them not just for wrapping a sandwich, which the name would indicate that’s all they’re there for. I actually use them to wrap things like the end of something I’ve cut off, whether it’s a tomato or a cucumber or what have you, and I’ll wrap that in their reusable lunch wrap instead rather than using things like cling film. So that’s a really simple way of reducing that kind of single-use plastic.

H: Even now, the major supermarkets are starting to do some sort of bulk foods. And so if you find that you’re having to buy some dry goods, then and you don’t have a bulk food store that’s within an easy distance from you, then definitely look at what the supermarkets have to offer because they are offering new things all of the time.

Single-use plastic alternatives creating business loyalty for wholesalers

H: It’s just important to find the level where you’re at and do what you can in your region and your area. So, going to an independent baker and supporting them and taking in your bread bag. They’ve become a real talking piece. People are like, “Wow, I haven’t seen this before.”

H: We have bakers that have come on board to sell our bread bags and our lunch wraps because people have bought them in and said, “Hey, I’m reducing single-use plastics.” They’ve seen this change in their customers. And so, then it’s great for that business to also offer a value add for them.

H: We even have businesses and bakeries that would say, “Hey, when you buy a reusable bread bag, you get your first loaf for free, and things like. Because the business itself can make up that margin by the sale of that product.

H: And then they also get a new crop of people to come and buy at a baker instead of just buying their pre-packaged loaves at a supermarket. It’s almost like a loyalty thing. Once they’ve sold one of their customers a reusable bread bag, the chances are they’re going to come back to you and buy. So, from a business perspective, it’s a smart move for them as well.

Customer demographics

T: What percentage of your business right now is going to retailers versus going directly to consumer?

H:  Well, because we’ve worked so long to work up our wholesale base, I would say that maybe for 65% to 70% percent of our business is through our wholesale customers. And then the rest is direct to public through our website.

T: And then what percentage now is being sold in Australia versus other countries?

H: Australia is still currently our biggest market, but around six months ago, we had the opportunity to expand into the U.K. So we’re now shipping direct from there, which is really lovely. I’m just grateful from a lower carbon emission perspective to be able to ship locally to people.

H: Our goal is, with any luck, we’ll also push into the US market because we have stockers already in these areas. We just really need to be able to move into those markets in a more meaningful way and shipping direct from their region. And so that’s been the goal there. We’ve been able to do that with the UK and Europe. And then the next one is the US. So that that will certainly overtake Australia, I would imagine. So Australia will become the smallest part of our market. But because that’s this is where we started, our largest proportion of sales come out of the Australian market share.

Future plans for Onya

T:  There’s some great goals in front of you. Do you have any other future plans that you want to share?

H:  Oh, look, I always got plans. I think it’s a matter of when you make a plan, you’ve got to then say, “OK. It’s an interesting idea.” And then you work backwards to say, “How can this work?”  So, we have plans. I think it’s a matter of working out what is the sustainable thing to do? What makes the most sense and what is most required, I guess, in the market?

‘I love to come up with products, in particular, where there might not be a really good alternative for a reusable to replace a single-use item. So, I really do love to look at that sort of thing and do that. And also, our customers, bless their cotton socks, they come to us and say, “We really want to see this or that.” And when you hear the same thing over and over and over again, you think, “Ah, there’s probably something in that. There seems to be a lack of alternatives for that in the marketplace.’

H: So, we definitely take all of that feedback on board, and we weigh them up. And we really do our research and say, “Is this the right thing to do?” We definitely have a couple of different new products that we’re working on and hope to release maybe later this year. I don’t want to say exactly what they are yet, but we’ve definitely got a few things in the works.

H: Apart from that, from a business perspective for us, we’ve just had this incredible opportunity to expand internationally. And so for us, it makes sense because for what we produce, it’s not restricted to one particular country or region. It is required the world over for people to really think reusable, which is our tagline.

“It’s about moving away from our throwaway society and actually going back to what we used to do 50 or 60 years ago and value the things that we have.”

Valuing quality products again

H: Sorry, I’m sort of going up on a little soapbox here, but, I think we’ve gone in a society where we’ve become a throwaway society, but not just that we’ve learned to devalue the things that we’re purchasing.

And I really love to see people thinking more about their purchases and buying less, but buying quality so it really is lasting. And the more and more companies that are aware of things like a circular economy, it means that then there’s also an end of life solution for those products. So, at no point do they need to go to landfill. That’s been really important for us as well to provide a really good end of life solution for our products.

H:  So, things like our drink bottles are highly recyclable. You can just put them in your kerbside recycling bin, and that’s fine, and the same as our lids. But some of our other things like rPET at the moment is still not easily recycled in kerbside recycling. And so that’s what we’re saying, we partner with TerraCycle to really repurpose those products and they get made into things like other bags if they can and they can use that that way. But other things like horse holsters, dog leads, all of that sort of stuff and get turned into different products.

T: I’m just looking at your Onya bread bags right now, and they look like a fantastically, well-designed product. In fact, I love the fact that there is a handle on it because most of the time is just a bit awkward. When you see these other cheaper brands that you could put your bread into, it still is difficult to carry. And your bag of handle just looks like it’s such a high-quality product. So obviously it’s something that can be used, and you can wash it as you need to as well.

H: Thank you. Yes, and the clip is super heavy duty. So, we’re actually working on if over time your clip breaks, and we can just send you a new clip. You can just sew on a new clip, and that old clip can just go into your recycling bin. The bags can be used for many, many years.

H: And I mean, you’ve had your produce bags for two years. But I know (I had) my bags since 2008. So how many years ago? Now that’s 12 years. They’re sort of still going, and they’re like the day I bought them.  Many people would say they’ve had Onya products for over 10 years, and they’re still going strong.

T: Which is a testament to your desire to create quality product. So someone buys your product, they can return it to you at the end of life, and that TerraCycle will recycle it into something else?

H: Correct.  They can return it back to us. We also give the client a 30% discount in case they need to replace that item, as well. So they can return their product through us through the Onya Recycling Program. All of that information is on our website. So, if they have an old Onya product that they’re going, “Oh, look, I really want to replace that.” If they get in touch with us and go through the Onya Recycling Program, we’ll actually give them a lovely discount, as well if they do need to replace it. And then knowing that they’ve returned their product to us and we’re taking care of that responsibly.

Advice for Listeners

T:  OK. So, any last words or advice for our listeners?

H: Look, if you are contemplating in your personal life, your business life, in your office buildings or wherever you work from, I’d encourage you to certainly look at ways that you can reduce waste of any kind. Obviously, we’re involved in things like plastic pollution. But if you can look at ways that even in your businesses or your personal life that’s got an area of waste that you can look at reducing, then start with that and then build on to bigger and bigger things.

And I think it’s by all of us participating actively in reducing our waste that we have this massive global impact and it’s happening. We see it all of the time, and that waste is being reduced. It’s never as quick as we would like. But I’d encourage everyone that’s listening, be it personal or for business, if you can find ways that you can reduce waste in your daily lives. Start with one thing. Build on it and before you know it, your streets ahead of where you were. So, yeah, get out there and do it.

Onya contact details

T:  Yes. Great advice. So, this last question is if any of our listeners want to buy your products or get in touch with you. What’s the best way to do that?

H: Certainly. You can hit up our website. It’s just www.onyalife.com as our main website. If you’re coming from different regions generally, it’ll say, “Hey, if you’re coming from the UK or Europe, do you want to go off to that website.” You can do that from that home website. And so, you can shop more locally if you’re in UK or in Europe, but the rest of the world will be just through www.onyalife.com and you can do that.

H: And I’d highly encourage you to – obviously shop on our site, happy to do it – but if you want to shop locally, have a look and go into the stockiest list, type in your postcode and see if there’s a local stockist near you. We love to support our wholesalers and small businesses. So, if you can find a way of shopping locally, then please just head to our stocklist as well.

H: We always recommend if you are going to do that, just make sure you call ahead if you’re after a specific product to make sure they have what you want before you turn up. But apart from that, obviously we’re happy to work with you through our website as well.

H:  And we also do things like fundraising, for not for profits and school groups and things like that. So, you can check out those sort of things, as well, if you need to raise funds in a sustainable way. We certainly have that option, and we also have the option to do custom orders as well. So obviously there’s minimal quantities that you have to purchase, but they can be great as well. So, if you’re wanting to customise something for an event, then we have the options to do that with some of our lines as well.

T: OK, I’ll make sure to put some links in our show notes and the transcripts so people can easily find them.

Final thoughts

T: Thank you so much, Hayley, for your time today, and also just for your passion. It’s so clear in the way that you talk about plastic waste, and how we can reduce it in ways that your company are trying to provide some easy solutions for consumers to reduce their single-use plastic specifically, and to be able to find alternatives for the plastic that they must continue to use because of their challenge with the alternatives at this moment.

T: It’s clear that you’re in the right business now in the retail space, and one that’s certainly in line with your values. And I so look forward to seeing some of the products that you might be able to reveal in the next year or so that may also continue to support the work that you’re doing, both from a business perspective, but even more so from helping the environment. So, thank you so much for your time today.

H: Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate it.

T: Cheers.