Hayley Clarke

Q: Your passion lies in helping to take the issue of plastic pollution to the mainstream, providing tangible real world solutions to tackling the problem of single use plastic. What drove this passion so much so, that you found yourself building a brand and a business around the issue of sustainability and plastic waste?

A: In a previous life I was a multi-site retail store owner and most of modern retail is about creating landfill, even if it is unintentional. Consuming by its very nature means that we have to replace the resources we use, but if you become a conscious consumer, you have the power to choose products or services that both you and the planet benefit from, which in my opinion makes for a much more satisfying purchase!

What I found most appealing if I could call it that, with the issue of plastic pollution, was that it was something that was tangible and I could see the positive changes in my daily life through the choices I made to avoid single use plastic.

I believe this is also the reason why the plastic free movement is growing so fast. Just a few simple changes in your daily life and you are positively impacting the planet by producing less waste.

We can often feel powerless when it comes to the massive environmental challenges facing the world today; I like to say however, that there are many things in the world you may not be able to change, but plastic pollution isn’t one of them.

Q: In exploring the life cycle of a product from cradle to grave, not only does Onya provide a product that serves to create environmentally conscious habits and eliminate plastic waste, where possible the products themselves are made from plastic landfill waste which is turned into RPET, a fabric produced from old water bottles. Why is this [extending the life cycle process and manufacturing with recyclable materials] so important to the Onya brand and the Onya message?

A: Creating an eco friendly product in this way – from an already existing material rather than straight from scratch – saves on energy and resources and also means there is less plastic polluting the natural environment or wasting away in landfill. We are also proud to be able to offer “closed loop” products; we do this by providing an end of life solution for our products via our Onya old product recycling programme, all done though our partnership with Terracycle.

It is these processes and products that will help us build a more sustainable planet and way of living, rather than simply churning through resources and living beyond our means.

The great thing about Onya rPET products is that unlike single-use alternatives, they have a long lifespan, and so also help to lessen the planet’s burden.

While eco friendly products are becoming more popular and available, there is still a lot of work to be done to make sure they become a completely integrated part of everyday life around the world. Consumer culture and behavior can change to be more sustainable with the more eco friendly products that are available.

Each straw you refuse, or each coffee you drink from a reuseable cup, can be a tremendous amount of reduced single-use waste.

Q: More than ever, the consumer holds influence in their purchasing decisions and their ability to influence company stakeholders. How do you respond to the needs and wants of the Onya consumer, through the items you produce?

A: We listen to our customers as they are often the inspiration behind new products. We are also very connected to the community around plastic pollution, and so if we can see a way to provide a reusable alternative for something that is currently single use, we investigate this further and create a product around it if it is needed.

One of our main goals is to provide highly functional products that are not only beautiful but are also solving a problem and replacing a single use item where a reusable alternative might not already exist or is not widely available.

Q: What is the biggest problem faced in educating consumers when it comes to ways they can minimise their waste on a daily basis? And what are the easiest ways we can reduce our waste without thinking too much about it?

A: Having people realize that each and every waste reduction step they take, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, really does make a difference. Each straw you refuse or each coffee you drink from a reusable cup can be a tremendous amount of reduced single-use waste when combined with the efforts of others across the globe each and every day.

In order to make waste reduction changes, you need to build new habits to how you have been living. Habits allow you to continue a behavior for an extended period of time becoming almost automatic. It can be overwhelming so the best thing for most people to do is to take it slowly, one step at a time. Start with the easiest items to find reusables for. Then build up from there to help you build a zero-waste habit and mindset. Before you know it, waste reducing opportunities will be appearing everywhere in your life.

Q: What’s next for Onya; where do you see the business and the ethos in 5, 10 years?

A: As the more of the world wakes up to the issue of plastic pollution, ever increasing amounts of people will be looking for reusable alternatives, and it is our job to provide them with sustainable, responsibly sourced and ethically made innovative products that they can rely on to reduce their impact on the planet. We don’t see this need ending any time soon!

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