By Abbey Cannan
Two Noosa entrepreneurs have taken their passion for the environment and turned it into a non-toxic, single-use plastic free cleaning brand to revolutionise the products households use every single day.
Pleasant State is the brainchild of locals Sian Murray and Ami Bateman, who have built the brand from the ground up, with the concept being sparked, researched, and developed in Noosa.
Alarmed by statistics that Australians buy over 23 million single-use plastic cleaning products a year, the founders are on a mission to flip the cleaning industry on its head and change the way people look at running businesses while they’re at it.
Sian said she had always been passionate about the environment.
“I moved up from Melbourne about a year and a half ago to be closer to the coast and ever since then it’s just become a huge part of my life,“ she said.
“We live near the ocean, so protecting what we have here and the rest of the world is really important.
“I always say that Noosa is like a little bubble and it’s kind of hard to demonstrate the impact here.
“Just last week we went with Plastic Free Noosa and we were doing a clean up along the river and what we picked up was minimal in comparison to things I’ve picked up in Central America and places like that.
“They’ve estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea and if we don’t make a change now, what we have won’t stay like it is.
“This place is so magic and it’s important to protect that for future generations.“
Sian said her co-founder, Amy, sparked the idea after having a debate with a friend who mentioned concentrated cleaning bars that were on the market in America and Europe.
“Amy looked around Australia and New Zealand and no one was making it or selling it here, and so she thought it was a no brainer,“ Sian said.
“Amy started coming up with ways to make it herself and she wanted a team so she got in touch with me.
“As soon as I heard the idea I said yes… this is what I’ve been waiting for to come into my life.“
A first of its kind in Australia, Pleasant State products are made up of two parts: a concentrated just-add-water bar and a reusable spray bottle. The bar dissolves in warm water, resulting in a highly effective cleaning formula.The brand pledges to donate either 20 per cent of profits or two per cent of sales – whichever is greater – to Take 3 for the Sea, a charity dedicated to ridding the oceans of plastic through education inspired action.
“When we started the brand, we knew we wanted to donate to a charity that aligns with us and the first and most obvious for me was Take 3 for the Sea,“ Sian said.
“So we’re donating two per cent of all the funds raised through the Crowdfunding as well.“
Sian said their six week Crowdfunding campaign which launched on August 19 was tracking well.
“Its been just over a week and we’re nearly at $25,000 which is just under half of our target, so that’s exciting,“ she said.
“We decided to go down that route because we want to put people and planet before profits and that means trying to stay away from investors.
“We want to remain an independently owned female-led start up.“
Aiming to be B Corp certified by 20 June, 2021, Pleasant State sustainably sources its ingredients and supports Indigenous-owned businesses throughout its supply chain as much as possible.
Sian said they had designed custom glass and silicone bottles, which have a minimum quantity order of 30,000 bottles
“It’s a huge outlay for us, so that’s why we’re trying to raise the Crowdfunding to help us get it off the ground,“ she said.
Launching a business during the pandemic hasn’t been easy for the duo, but the many talents within the Noosa community have helped them bring the brand to life.
“The actual talent of people here that are working and creating has blown us away,“ Sian said.
“Our Crowdfunding video was created by Zac Walker who is a guy I met working at the Land and Sea Brewery, and that video is amazing, it’s like a little Australian drama.
“Everyone we talk to in the community has been really excited about it and trying to help us out.“
For more information on the Crowdfunding campaign visit igg.me/at/pleasantstate/x/24199353#/
