FEATURE
Pleasant State products and (inset) co-founders Sian Murray and Ami Bateman
OUR ECO PIONEERS WORDS ROXANNE MCCARTY-O’KANE
WITH DROUGHT, FLOODS and fire ravaging different parts of Australia over the past few years, people are experiencing the effects of climate change in their own backyard, prompting more thoughtful decisions over the products they purchase. As more people buy local, sustainable Sunshine Coast businesses are reaping the rewards of establishing themselves as forces for good long before it was ‘cool’ to do so. Many founders were driven by personal challenges that forced them to seek an alternative and others were simply compelled to act due to ingrained values to make a difference. We meet the pioneers.
Pleasant State Maroochydore resident Ami Bateman suffered from debilitating headaches for two years before deciding to eradicate toxins from her home. She was able to do away with plastics and harmful chemicals in every area except one – cleaning products. Ami realised even products marketed as ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ were still full of allergens. Not only that, but 97 per cent of cleaning products were made of water. “It didn’t make sense to transport so much water and put it into plastic bottles that we throw away, contributing to the plastic epidemic,” Ami says. “Solutions from overseas didn’t 8
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meet my requirements of no nasties and importing defeats the whole purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I wanted something to exist, so I had to make it.” When Ami teamed up with Sian Murray, whom she met through a mutual friend, the dynamic duo was able to create what many thought was impossible – Australia’s first B Corp-certified cleaning brand. They launched Pleasant State in March 2021 after 1500 backers pledged more than $87,000 as part of a crowdfunding campaign. They established a warehouse in Coolum Beach, designed attractive and functional glass and silicon bottles and employed a chemist to create three cleaning bars: Stay Glassy, Tub Scrub and Homebody Multi-Purpose. Pleasant State has become a sustainable beacon, building a community of more than 25,000 people, saving 50,725 plastic bottles from landfill, providing 25,363 litres of toxin-free cleaning products, and raising $10,053 for charity partners. The impressive start-up is kicking goals in the business world, winning the Sunshine Coast Business Awards small retailer and SheEO Venture awards in 2021. The Homebody Multi-Purpose products took out the 2021 Clean & Conscious Silver award and Pleasant State’s other two signature products were finalists. Ami won the 2021 Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network Sustainable Business Woman of the Year
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