In a world with growing pollution rates produced by consumers, minimal-waste packaging is a potential way to reduce plastic waste, which takes anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose. According to the UN Environment Programme, the world produces around 350 million metric tons of plastic annually, which increases greenhouse gases and, consequently, increases global warming. A Sustainable Village–a small business in New York City’s Greenwich Village–is working to combat these extreme plastic waste levels.
A Sustainable Village is a minimal-waste and refill shop that sells countless cleaning and personal hygiene products such as soaps, shampoo, conditioner, detergent and more. The small business is owned by Em Hynes–an entrepreneur, mother and advocate for recycling, reuse and the expansion of minimal waste products. Hynes provided background on the shop and how long they have been in business.
“We have been in this space for a little over a year and a half now. We have been in business for over three years….Today is April 1st, it’s the first day of Earth Month. We feel that Earth Day should be every day, so when you come in here, it’s [always] Earth Day,” Hynes said.
The small and charming shop at 50 University Place has its own brand of products, ranging from laundry detergents to lotions, but it is also stocked with products from different sustainable brands, such as Dip Premium Hair Care, Marley’s and Humble Suds, to name just a few. All items stocked by A Sustainable Village produce zero or low waste: shampoo and conditioner bars with no plastic casings, glass and aluminum bottles and other refillable containers.
Hynes explained how she came up with the idea for A Sustainable Village, “My partner at the time and I were working on a shampoo and conditioner bar brand, and when we realized that the market’s already crowded with other brands, we had to pivot…I [said], ‘Well, I already live that lifestyle, and I know what products would be beneficial to the people who are living this lifestyle…’[Then] we came up with the idea: Why don’t we introduce all these incredible brands that we had learned [about] to New York City.”
Hynes had to navigate the challenges of starting a small business amid lingering fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Spring of 2021, during most of our meetings, we walked around—that’s how we used to meet because we couldn’t be indoors. So, we would walk around the neighborhood and just watch how crushing our community has become [with] all of the store closures, and we walked by the space that was on East 9th that was available… It was just a good time to open our store because we needed to revive our city,” Hynes shared.
Hynes believes that one way to help protect the environment in New York City is by having a refill station, where customers can refill bottles they have previously bought. This allows them to pay for the product by ounce, thus eliminating the waste and extra cost of purchasing a new bottle every time they run out. The shop also has plenty of other sustainable products, such as reusable towels, Tupperware and bamboo brushes/cleaning tools.
“Essentially, everything is either plastic-free or very minimal plastic…products here are either packaged in glass containers, paper or aluminum, and it helps you to reduce your plastic consumption,” Hynes explained.
The goal of refill shops is to allow customers to reuse the same bottle over and over. When people dispose of the plastic bottles from products like soaps, shampoo, conditioner and detergent, they are throwing away a large amount of plastic every couple of months; then they buy more plastic when they replace the bottle. Refill shops like A Sustainable Village are attempting to halt this plastic waste. Hynes said, “Refill shops are out there, and they really need all of us to support them. The planet needs all of us to support them.”
In a world where both pollution and climate change are frequently discussed issues, small businesses focused on sustainability pose a potential solution to both: reducing the amount of waste gathering in our oceans and landfills, and combating behaviors that contribute to our quickly heating planet. A Sustainable Village is an option for affordable and sustainable products that are proven to be safe for the environment, while supporting a small, women-owned business. Visit the store in person at 50 University Place, New York, NY, or shop virtually on their website.
