Clean skincare
There are so many industries that end up with some kind of waste product- a coffee shop ends up with loads of coffee grounds, a florist has petals, a juice making company has fruit pulp, olive oil company has olive stones.
Rather than let them rot in landfill creating greenhouse gases, my Brave New Girl podcast guest this week, the ingenious Anna Brightman, takes that natural waste and gives it new life.
Anna, a Forbes 30 under 30 in 2021 is the co-founder of Upcircle Beauty transforming leftover natural ingredients into quality skincare products.
They are certified B-Corp, certified organic, certified vegan, certified cruelty-free, certified plastic negative, palm oil-free, sustainable, handmade in the UK and housed in 100% recyclable packaging.
Everything they do at UpCircle is about seeing value in things that already exist. That’s why they make sustainable skincare products from ingredients that would otherwise be discarded.
They've also extended the circular approach that they take to their ingredients to packaging too, and have now refilled 45,000 pieces of packaging via their “Return, Refill, Reuse” scheme.
NOTHING LEFT BEHIND
One person’s dump is someone else’s diamond.
Upcircle Beauty are a team of 15 people, with an average age of 27. 75% of the team identifying as women and they've had practically no investment, given the amount of growth they've experienced.
Every ingredient they upcycle prevents the release of greenhouse gases through decomposition. For example, the 450 tonnes of coffee that they've upcycled into their scrubs and serum would've otherwise released an equivalent 54 tonnes of CO2. Sustainable products often cost more but they’re changing that. Their most expensive product is £26.99 and their Refill Scheme offers a freepost label and a 20% discount.
Thanks Anna for creating a natural, organic, affordable beauty brand that inspires confidence in ourselves and allows us to participate in the circular economy in consideration for the wellbeing of the planet.
You can find out more about Anna’s work on www.upcirclebeauty.com
And follow her on Linkedin @AnnaBrightman
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