Ecobarsg LLP was registered on 7 November 2020, distributing the eocbarTM range of products on Shopify, Shopee and Lazada. We are also collaborating with a few online shops and by December 2020 we should be selling at some selected outlets of one of Singapore's main supermarket chains.
While the ecobar range of products is inspired by nature, our business model is inspired by a belief that sustainable living is for everyone and not only for those who can afford it.
We are a wife-husband + close friend team. We each have different views and that make discussion lively but allow us to see different viewpoints.
Over the past couple of years, my wife and I, probably like many, have become more aware of our negative impact on the environment. We buy into the bleak future that awaits our grandchildren's children if we do not do anything today.
We are eco-conscious but not eco-freaks.
I still take plastic bags from the supermarket because I use them to bin the rubbish at home. But I now carry re-usable bags. We will still buy sodas in plastic bottles if the supermarket does not stock cans in the chiller.
We carry vegan products and we believe testing of beauty products should not be done on animals but we are not vegans.
We try to minimize food wastage but (probably as Chinese), we ensure there is ample food, especially during parties.
We had a sort of epiphany in late September 2020.
We shower and wash our hair, mostly daily, but the beauty products we use are mostly in liquid form stored in plastic containers. Could there be an alternative?
One night, while buying milk from our our neighborhood supermarket, we walked through the aisles displaying beauty products and we could not find any alternative. All shampoos and conditioners and most bath products were sold in plastic containers.
Online, we found that the most common alternative is to buy and use shampoo and conditioner in solid bar form. There is also the powder version and some companies are also marketing bring-your-own-bottle to fill up.
We however realised that many of these alternatives were expensive.
Sure, some of these products use super premium and/or organic ingredients and many are "artisanal" in nature. We are a practical family. We want to reduce our usage of plastic containers but we need a more sustainable alternative, price-wise.
We continued our search online and found the "ecobar" range of products. The shampoo and conditioner products are in solid bar form and no plastic is used. They are also good for the hair as they do not use harsh chemicals, and they are vegan. Since they are from the Philippines, I reckon buying/importing would leave a smaller carbon footprint. Being part of ASEAN, we also felt that the ingredients used and licenses obtained are more "rigorous". It helps that English was the primary language used in all the paperwork!
In almost a spur of the moment, we just decided to bring the range to Singapore so that others can enjoy.
I can't say ".. and the rest is history" because we are still in the making of history, or at least an interesting story.
Like we banter among ourselves, "you do not need to be an ecofreak to be eco-friendly. You do not need to ecotage to protect the ecosystems. You just need to ecobar. With ecobar, you economize too."
Andrew A.
Co-founder EcobarSG LLP
(Updated 24th December 2020)