For our latest conversation, we caught up with Charli Walters, the CEO of Koh, to discuss an innovative and heartwarming project that combines sustainability with a touch of creativity.
Charli and her team at Koh have turned a potential waste issue into a green thumb’s delight by repurposing biodegradable sponges into water banks for plants, a concept that’s not only eco-friendly but also engaging for families and communities.
Charli shared how this project came to life, the impact it’s had on her own family, and why teaching kids about sustainability from an early age is more important than ever. We also talked about how she balances her role as a CEO and a mum, and got a sneak peek into what exciting eco-friendly initiatives Koh might be working on next.
Charli, what sparked the idea of turning biodegradable sponges into water banks for plants? It’s such a creative concept!
We had thousands of compostable sponges in our warehouse that started biodegrading. Koh is centred on protecting the planet through our products and reducing our footprint so sending them to landfill was not an option.
We partnered with Regenerative Designer and Horticulturalist Benoit Luc, to discover a creative way to repurpose the sponges. The Dish Sponges are 100% biodegradable as they are made from wood pulp and don’t contain harmful chemicals.
The sponges act as water retention, feeding your plant, until being composted over time, breaking down and turning into plant food. It was a no-brainer for our team to go with this idea and we’ve grown some thriving plants from it!
We partnered with Community Gardens Australia to create the Sponge Garden Project in their Randwick site. This was on a larger scale but is available for all Aussies to inspire their green thumbs at home.
As a mum of two, how have your kids reacted to the sponge garden project? What’s been their favourite part of getting their hands dirty?
They’ve loved being involved and getting their hands dirty in the garden. Not only has it given us a chance to do a fun activity as a family, it is teaching them new skills. This has taught them gardening skills but also that being out in nature is important for regulating and resetting, and being able to create happier plants in our home is a reflection of the positive impact that nurturing our environment can have on our overall well-being.
Educating my kids about reducing, reusing and recycling as well as the impact consumption has on our environment is something I try to incorporate into our day-to-day life as much as possible. We regularly do rubbish pick-ups as a family so showing them creative ways to use “rubbish” like our sponge garden project has been a great way to demonstrate new ways to recycle and reuse.
Can you tell us a bit about the environmental benefits of this project and why it’s so important to teach kids about sustainability early on?
Deloitte and Good360 determined every year $2.5 billion of brand new household goods are wasted. This $2.5 billion of excess goods are never used, meaning they have no first life – let alone entering the recycling chain. Whilst our sponges weren’t necessarily in a position to be used by our customers given their state of decomposition – this number is shocking and something we didn’t want to contribute to.
When you can’t sell or donate products you need to identify creative alternatives to ensure they don’t end up in landfill. This initiative has diverted thousands of products away from landfill which is a growing issue.
Good habits start early and in the home, so showing our kids that we can repurpose everyday items to give them new life is so important to reduce what we send to landfill.
Balancing your role as CEO and being a mum must be quite the juggling act. How do you manage it all, and do you have any tips for other parents trying to do the same?
Balancing takes time but sticking to consistent family rules creates normality and strong foundations. And it’s simple. We have dinner together every night and share similar routines.
It’s also important to plan and set aside time to create the quality time we have together. We plan activities like setting up our own sponge gardens when possible.
Do you have any other simple, eco-friendly activities that parents can do with their kids to teach them about sustainability?
Kids love learning through hands-on experiences so there are so many ways to teach your kids about sustainability.
Depending on the age of your kids, getting them involved in sorting your waste at home to learn early on what goes where.
Making it fun and not scary – learning through creative books or getting into the outdoors.
If you have a backyard, start a compost bin and veggie patch to show the circular systems of how our organic waste can eventually go back into feeding the planet.
What’s the feedback been like from other parents and teachers about the sponge garden initiative? Any fun stories or surprises?
The initiative has had great feedback from everyone who has tried it or visited the Randwick Garden.
We’ve even had interest for more Sponge Garden Projects in daycares which is something we’d love to continue to build.
Parents and teachers are always on the lookout for activities that are educational and fun for kids – the fact this ticks so many boxes has been a real winner.
Are there any exciting plans to expand this project or introduce more innovative, eco-friendly products at Koh in the future?
As a leading brand in the eco-friendly cleaning space, we’re always looking for the next innovative project to benefit our customers and the planet.
Eco-friendly products are in our DNA so being safe, sustainable, simple and super effective are all non-negotiables when exploring product development. We break the mould, proving you can make cleaning a better experience for our customers as well as being better for our planet.
