My close friends and family will likely remember when I started talking about “skip the plastics”. One of my many convictions, I knew there had to be an easier way for people to reduce single-use plastic in their life and for it to not feel so intimidating.
At the time I was living alone and travelling a lot for work, not spending much time at home. But I was continuously shocked by the amount of plastic packaging one person (just me) was disposing in a recycling bin… laundry detergent containers, soap bottles, food packaging, takeout containers, cans etc. When I learned only 9% of that actually gets recycled and the rest ends up in the landfill, I needed to make changes to reduce my plastic waste.
I started to make a much more conscious effort to always bring reusable bags and containers wherever I went. I tried my best to get to a local refillary on the weekend, but often got discouraged by the long line. The lift felt large, being ‘eco-conscious’ in today’s complex world and knowing where to start was intimidating. I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
I'm innately a problem solver and like to take ideas into execution mode. In the fall of 2019 I started thinking through business ideas to help people easily reduce plastic in their home and day-to-day. I didn’t have the balls to go at this alone, so I started to think about who close to me shared common values for the environment and likes to hustle.
Sam and I have always had a deep common connection with our careers. Over runs, dinners, weekends trips we shared our career aspirations and challenges, leaning on each other for inspiration and advice.
A rainy morning in January, we grabbed a smoothie after a spin class and had a quick catch-up. Sam shared the news of her consulting business and new projects, I told her about ‘skip the plastics’. A quick meeting of the minds.
From there we started meeting every Wednesday night talking through ideas, the challenges we wanted to solve, companies we aspired to be, and developing the business. Better Basics was born during one of the strangest years of our lives, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to launch the business of my dreams with one of my dearest friends.
Let's leave this world better than we found it.
Caitlin
- Caitlin Rushton