Cleaning brand Koh has transformed waste destined for landfill into a success story. Chief Executive Officer, Charli Walters, shares the company’s journey in hope of inspiring others to look at waste differently.
What do you do when you have thousands of biodegradable sponges nearing their end of life?
If you’re a cleaning brand with an ethos to reduce, reuse and recycle, you think outside the box.
When faced with close to 20,000 biodegradable dish sponges that were degrading in a warehouse and unfit for customer use, Koh partnered with Community Gardens Australia to launch Australia’s first Sponge Garden.
In less than six months, the company repurposed 12 months of stock (with a recommended retail value of $446,605) and avoided close to 20,000 sponges being sent to landfill.
Charli Walters, Koh Chief Executive Officer, said the project highlights that you don’t need to be a ‘sustainability giant’ to make a difference.
“To be able to come up with an idea that translated into something powerful and impactful was really rewarding,” Walters said.
“It’s something we’re extremely proud of. There’s a lot of marketing around the environment, but having original content is quite rare.
“As a brand, it’s important that we can contribute back to the world meaningfully. While this project was small, hopefully it will inspire others.”
Koh creates innovative solutions to combat waste and environmental impacts while staying true to delivering a cleaning solution that works. Walters said when the company discovered thousands of sponges in the warehouse that couldn’t be sold, the team wanted a solution that was both scalable, and gave back to the community.
They partnered with regenerative horticulturalist Benoit Luc and Community Gardens Australia, reinventing the unused sponges into a low-cost gardening device.
As the sponges are fully biodegradable and natural, with no pesticides, they can act as water banks in wicking beds, providing plants with essential moisture through capillary action.
The sponges act as a layered garden bed, creating a self-watering design, reducing water usage and creating a happier home for plants. It is believed to be the world’s first sponge garden.
Australia produced 75.6 million tonnes of waste in 2020-21. Walters said it’s more important than ever that companies lead by example and minimise their own waste as much as possible.
“For many businesses, unfortunately, it’s not top of mind,” she said.
“Waste minimisation and sustainability is often considered and reviewed, but for many it’s not top of mind because it’s not their bread and butter.
“Businesses need to look at how they can be more proactive as opposed to reactive. Business leaders need to advocate for waste reduction and showcase how effective waste management can be in cutting costs and enhancing efficiency.”
She encouraged businesses to ask questions, be more aware of their processes and involve staff from across the entire company.
“Not only will you provide purpose for employees and the brand, but the customers want it,” she said. “Customers are increasingly environmentally conscious and are expecting businesses to focus on sustainability.”
Walters describes the Sponge Garden as a “magic mistake”, and its success has inspired a shift in focus for the Koh team. They are looking internally at other products within the range where sustainability initiatives could be introduced.
These include reducing water usage or recycling water used to make the company’s universal cleaner and closing the loop on a long life microfibre cloth.
“The Sponge Garden has inspired us to identify what else is needing our attention,” she said.
“After being able to achieve the outcomes we did with sponges, we know we can do so much more now.
“It’s contagious, the more you surround yourself with that way of thinking the more it becomes a natural habit.”
For more information, https://koh.com/