4 minute read
FLASKS, FLOPS AND FOCUS
from The Ridge 125
IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES TO ALIGN WITH CONSUMERS’ CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT. BRANDS DO NOT HAVE TO BE PERFECT, BUT JUST CARE MORE ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN REDUCE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. LOCAL DURBAN BRAND LIZZARD IS DOING JUST THAT, WRITES ANNE SCHAUFFER
Chris Hall-Jones and Cuan Cronje – active outdoor guys – are the brains behind Lizzard, a name that slips off most tongues as a home-grown local brand, synonymous with our city, surfing, and the Durban lifestyle. Like any business which survives and thrives for over 30 years, Lizzard has done so by adapting and responding to the shifting market, changing times, the needs of their customers, as well as through keeping personal relationships with the stores/ businesses they supply.
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Lizzard began as a brand producing bespoke wetsuits. Cuan was set on producing a locally made, perfectly fitted wetsuit as there was not much available to the surf community back then. At the time the company started, his life was all about the ocean, so naturally he had an increased awareness around environmental issues – hence the flask story.
Before the introduction of stainless-steel flasks, South Africans only had the option to purchase re-usable plastic water bottles to reduce the impact of single-use bottled water
ABOVE: Chris Hall-Jones and Cuan Cronje – passionate about their brand and increasing environmental awareness. SURROUNDS: A
selection of Lizzard’s products to help the environment – doublewalled stainless steel flasks, T-shirts and fleece ranges. plastics. With around eight million tons of plastic bottles finding their way into the ocean every year, Chris and Cuan both recognised the importance – environmentally and health wise – to offer a more sustainable solution. They introduced the Lizzard flask range knowing it would create environmental awareness, something they are both so passionate about.
Chris says he and Cuan are always ready to take a risk for something that is important to them: “We always say ‘Let’s just do it …’. Some things have worked in the past, others haven’t, but that never stops us. We knew we had to get involved.”
After taking time to develop, source and create a product they were happy and proud of, their first batch of Lizzard flasks landed in Durban.
They were good-looking, brilliantly portable and did exactly what they promised to achieve. “We’ve always had the philosophy of providing a quality product at a reasonable price, and we achieved it.” Lizzard flasks are double-walled, vacuum sealed and made from food grade stainless steel. They keep cold drinks cold for up to 18 hours and hot drinks hot for up to eight hours.
Today, the Lizzard flask range comes in a range of cool colours, sizes and functions. Lizzard also offers personalised engraving on their branded flasks to corporate companies, schools and individuals – great for creating company awareness, and allows you to do your part to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
For Chris and Cuan, it’s not simply about
a business venture. Their flasks became the catalyst for a host of other initiatives and collaborations. Chris says they’re not green preaching and that the clothing industry, in particular, has a long way to go in terms of becoming environmentally “squeaky clean”. “We have a great deal of wastage, but we’re genuinely working on it. We’re examining our practices and, as best we can, we’re devising new ways of doing things. We’re talking to each other, learning from those who’ve walked this road, and even if we can’t eliminate, we can improve.”
Sarah Ferguson is the founder of Breathe Conservation, an international non-profit organisation that believes in a plastic-free ocean and aims to eliminate disposable plastic. Chris says she’s been invaluable as a guide: “We bounce ideas off her, and consult with her on concepts we want to explore.”
Today, Lizzard has a number of green initiatives on the go, from their new T-shirt and fleece ranges that use recycled cotton and plastic bottles, to their slop box. According to Chris, “All beach clean-ups reveal one of the biggest culprits – single slops with broken ‘vamps’. In collaboration with Breathe and EVA Industries, we’re launching a programme this summer whereby we put slop boxes into every one of our stores. No matter the slop brand, we’re encouraging everyone to put that broken slop into our boxes.”
Plastic bags are the bane of the clothing industry, and Lizzard has worked hard to change that. They’ve made a stronger, reusable bag – the supplier delivers each garment in one of those, which are then used as free shopper bags for customers. As Chris says, “It’s used twice. Not perfect, but half the previous damage it inflicted.”
For Lizzard, that is the way forward. Do the best you can. Get schools to stop selling water in plastic bottles, and rather install water fountains. Get people to do a little bit, to ask themselves questions like, “How many plastic bottles or takeaway cups didn’t I waste because I’m using a flask?” or “What am I doing to prevent plastic ending up in the ocean?” The answers feel good. *
