How much time do you spend trying to source the safest, most natural and environmentally-friendly products for your children? Eco Mamas Market takes away the stress by doing all the research and hard work for you, so you can comfortably and easily shop, secure in the knowledge that any product you choose is better for your baby and the planet. Founder Bronwyn Fanshawe hopes to inspire fellow parents to reduce waste and the use of unnecessary chemicals.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
There are 2 parts to this: creating my own business and deciding what type of business.
I’ve always wanted to be my own boss but have dilly-dallied for years. Expecting our first baby kicked this up into high gear as I knew that I would miss so much of being a mother if I was stuck in an office (and traffic) for all hours of the day.
The type of business was inspired by my own troubled journey of trying to find products that were safe for my baby and not harmful to the planet. I’ve always been a bit of a greenie, not to mention geeky, so when I was pregnant I started researching baby products and was horrified to learn how many really harmful toxins are in normal baby products, even those marketed as natural, gentle, safe, hypoallergenic, etc. And then there is the waste – about 6,000 nappies and probably 20,000 wet wipes per baby all going to the tip!
So, I went on the hunt to find products that were both good for my baby and eco-friendly and it was so difficult! Minimal product descriptions, greenwashing (misleading advertising), so many different small stores, difficult to find stores, researching all the ingredients of every product… just so much time! So hard! I wanted something easy, I wanted a lot of things in one place: a site where every product had already been researched so that only the good ones were listed, a site which had a full range, a site which had well-researched articles, a site which was a pleasurable shopping experience for mums who want to buy better. After talking with people, I realised I wasn’t the only one having the struggles I was. And so I decided to create this site.
My view is that if it is easy, more people will do it, so if I can make it easy to find these better products then more little ones will be healthier from less toxins and the planet will be better off… and that is hugely rewarding.
I feel really lucky to be able to make a business out of a passion and something I deeply believe in.
