We choose to search for joy in many different ways, whether it be by travelling and exploring the world, having a drink with our friends, going to a concert, or waking up on a Christmas morning to the smell of mum’s Gingerbread latte heating up on the stove, and the sight of some beautifully wrapped presents lined up under the tree.
“Christmas is my favourite time of the year, but it’s the most detrimental holiday for the environment. So, I decided to experiment with the idea of having a zero-waste Christmas”. – Melanie Fisher, Founder of Zero Waste Goods.
Joy is a powerful feeling, one that uplifts people and shapes lives. Mix it with Purpose, and you’ve got yourself a changemaking combination. Founder of Zero Waste Goods, Melanie Fisher, has mastered this duo.
With the sole Purpose of bringing joy and celebrations to people’s homes in a regenerative way that creates zero waste, Mel has elevated a community of changemaker brands that offer sustainable gift boxes and events. “Since I had always been interested in sustainability, I started thinking about ways I could personally change my own behaviours to further align with my values. Christmas is my favourite time of year, but it’s the most detrimental holiday for the environment. So, I decided to experiment with the idea of having a zero waste Christmas”. And what a great idea that is!
Mel spent three years working at a start-up and “helping people change careers and find meaningful work”, so it is blatant that she has spent her life striving to make a Positive impact, in whatever way that may be. We’re only lucky to see that impact being directed towards a regenerative economy.
After those three years, and a lot of time dedicated to getting to know different zero waste brands, Mel “decided to run the first ever Zero Waste Christmas Market in London!”, and not only did this event go completely viral, but it was even featured in platforms like Greenpeace and WWF, to name a few. So, it’s fair to say that Mel was just at the beginning of her zero waste journey. “From there, I proceeded to run more markets the next year, launching it to more cities and attracting 18k visitors from all over the UK”. And ever since, Mel and Co-Founder and Environmental Engineer Christina De Poitiers, have experienced huge growth, including this year, where they have “adapted to offer sustainable gift boxes during the pandemic”.
The Future
With events such as last year’s The Big Green Lock-In, which inspired people in the U.K. to connect with regenerative practices in a fun and wholesome way, Zero Waste Goods seem to be headed completely in the right direction when it comes to success for themselves and the fight for the environment. They are now “speaking to other festival organisers in other countries in Europe and are excited about the opportunity to align the movement on a global scale”.
“Our intention is to grow our community of certified zero waste brands and reach the point where we can fund reforestation and biodiversity programmes across the world” – Melanie Fisher
Their big plans for the future are perfectly aligned with their goals of “operating internationally, having become the go-to place for responsible organisations and consumers to send gifts and enjoy sustainable celebrations”. We are certain that Zero Waste Goods will be seeing even bigger successes in the years to come, and we’re excited to see the Positive impact that they will bring for detrimental times like Christmas, so that people can celebrate and enjoy an exciting zero waste holiday. “Our intention is to grow our community of certified zero waste brands and reach the point where we can fund reforestation and biodiversity programmes across the world”.
The Positive Compass
Not only are Zero Waste Goods leading the way towards a regenerative society by helping and inspiring other consumer-based businesses, but they are doing so in a fun and welcoming way that brings celebrations to people’s homes with their gift boxes. That’s so Positive! As Mel puts it herself, “sustainability can be so serious!”. So their work is perfectly in line with Positive’s mission to bring light to regeneration and “ensure lasting change through Positive reinforcement”.
“Businesses have a significant role to play in leading the charge towards building something better for our planet and communities” – Melanie Fisher
Mel expressed her excitement about being part of the Positive community and joining forces with other businesses which are all connected by the same Purpose and values. “Positive is a community not too dissimilar to one my Co-Founder and I began to nurture with our own traders prior to launching our gifting arm. We believe that businesses have a significant role to play in leading the charge towards building something better for our planet and communities. We love the resources and handbook that Positive are creating as well as the language around the movement”.
Zero Waste Goods will soon be sharing their expert knowledge from their Zero Waste Award process with Positive, to inspire their work towards catalysing a regenerative economy and continue to make a Positive impact. We can’t wait to see this! Learning from such a Purpose-driven business will be a huge step for the future of Positive.
If Zero Waste Goods were to star in a movie…
… it would be a Sci-fi! “Epic threat? Team or individuals who rise to the challenge to protect what they love? Impossible odds? No time? Sounds familiar, really! To be fair with some of the geoengineering ideas floating around that would turn our sky red with aerosols, sometimes I do think we’re living in one.”
“It’s great fun to suspend reality and dream about the impossible. If we can push ourselves to imagine a green, clean, fair and just society that has achieved environmental abundance, then we can find ways to make it happen – just like a Sci-fi!”.
We love that, and we couldn’t agree more!
After today, it’s fair to say that a Sci-fi will never be the same. Zero Waste Goods will be engrained in our thoughts each time we watch one, making us “dream about the impossible”, and believe that we can make anything happen.