Sustainable Spotlight: Lunchskins
Today marks the launch of a brand new Shark Allies partnership with Lunchskins! Since Lunchskins’ launch 14 years ago, they have helped replace 2.8 billion plastic bags and over 2.6 million plastic straws, safeguarding not only sharks, but also all inhabitants of the blue planet. As their mission partner through Spring 2023, a portion of online sales will be donated to Shark Allies to further our pursuit to ensure a future with healthy shark populations, allowing us to focus on additional valuation studies in hotspot regions, as well as the fight to replace shark liver oil with sustainable squalene alternatives. To learn more about Lunchskins’ impact and support Shark Allies’ work with green food storage, visit www.lunchskins.com. With that, let’s dive in to the story of Lunchskins with CEO, Kirsten Quigley.
SC: Lunchskins was born from 3GreenMoms in 2008, a group of women concerned with the relentless consumption of single-use plastics when packing student lunches. What was the first move made when conceptualizing Lunchskins, how did you know where to start?
KQ: I always tell people that the idea is the easy part, executing and getting a product to market is the real challenge. There is no ‘right way’ to start. Truthfully, it was a lot of trial and error at the beginning. We talked with as many people as we could about our idea – at school, in line at the grocery store, in the neighborhood -- to gage interest and get feedback. Each conversation was like a small focus group and helped us refine our pitch and hone in on what sparked peoples’ interest and what didn’t. Some of it was very practical feedback about product features and some of it was more nuanced feedback about how to communicate our mission and story. But still to this day every time I engage with someone, I take away something that adds value and helps me think differently. No amount of formal training could have prepared me for the hustle of the past 12 years!
SC: To make Lunchskins the success that it is today, you must have had the chops for Environmental Science and product development. How did your background prepare you for creating such a business?
KQ: More than any technical skills, my passion for the environment is really what drove me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved being outdoors exploring the woods and trails around my home and more recently on hiking excursions with my husband and kids to remote places. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and business owners so I grew up exposed to the risks, rewards and daily challenges of managing a business. But my own experience raising a family showed me just how much waste we generated every day. I was motivated to do better and give my kids the right mindset and tools to have a positive impact on the environment and their future.
SC: In your words, what is the mission and impact of Lunchskins?
KQ: Our mission is to replace single-use plastic with the best planet-friendly alternatives. We’ve been very intentional about creating a brand that is positive and inclusive and meets people where they are on their journey to use less plastic and live more sustainably. Ultimately, if we get people thinking about the small choices they make every day – not just about plastic bags and straws – but also about other things like food waste and transportation choices then Lunchskins will have succeeded. As a proud B Corp, our hope is to bring the best sustainable alternatives to the marketplace and to be the best FOR the world.
SC: It has been inspiring to see so many businesses hop on board with certification such as B-Corp, Fair Trade and Climate Neutral to name a few. Lunchskins is certified as a B-Corp, why was this important to you and what was the process to achieve such a status like?
KQ: Becoming a B Corp felt like acknowledging a fundamental part of who we were as a brand. It’s part of our DNA to build a responsible product that reflects our values and commitment to the environment. Going through the B-Corp process was both rigorous and empowering! We had to really get under the hood and analyze our supply chain, partnerships and business practices. It was exhausting, but incredibly validating. After months of examining every minute detail of production, testing reports, third-party certifications, we felt so proud of the choices we had made and relationships we had built. It’s not a static process, we’re always striving to get better and the B Corp community is a huge driver and inspiration for us to keep improving.
SC: We see green and blue washing across many industries, Shark Allies advocates are well-versed in investigating products themselves as opposed to relying on marketing terms, especially in regard to squalene and shark liver oil in cosmetics. Can you explain why it was important to obtain FSC and BPI certifications for your product?
KQ: You are spot on, there are so many ‘green’ messages out there and many are pretty hollow. FSC and BPI certifications speak to our beginning-of-life and end-of-life sustainability. These marks show consumers that we’re working with responsible partners and sourcing sustainable raw materials. Specifically, FSC certification ensures that our paper comes from responsibly managed forests (ones that protect water quality and prevent harvest of rare old-growth forests, among other conservation activities). The BPI certification indicates that Lunchskins are compostable at their end-of-life, when disposed of. BPI and FSC logos are globally recognized by consumers as a seal they can trust.
SC: For the past 12+ years, 3GreenMoms and Lunchskins have helped families and communities lessen their environmental impact by replacing 2.8 million plastic bags and over 2.6 million plastic straws with your products. This is an incredible accomplishment, not to mention a Repurposing Program! Aside from sales, how have you achieved this cross industry, international and generational appeal for your products?
KQ: I think people are looking for ways to do good and feel good. Plastic pollution is so tangible and visible. We see plastic waste on our beaches, in our parks or even in our backyard and it creates a visceral response in most of us, young or old. It’s not just an aesthetic problem, it’s harming our wildlife and getting into the food chain which affects our health too. Lunchskins tackled a problem that many of us see or experience every day….and solved it in a planet-friendly way and that appeals to everyone. Fun fact: the sharks design is our most popular!
SC: There are unfortunately countless causes fighting plastic pollution, but in our water ways and on land. Lunchskins has supported biodiversity organizations from Albatross to Sea Turtles. Why sharks now?
KQ: It’s all connected. All creatures depend on clean, healthy oceans to thrive. Through the media, we’ve seen examples of Albatross feeding on colorful plastic waste during their months at sea (and feeding to their chicks) and sea turtles with plastic bags constricting their limbs or straws in their nostrils. Like sea turtles and albatross, sharks are incredibly important animals and a huge indicator of ocean health. But unlike those other creatures, sharks have been misrepresented as ‘scary’ and hunted without regard for their intrinsic value. As a top predator, sharks play key role in marine ecosystems. Not only do they depend on healthy populations of other fish to survive but their broad migration patterns cover so much territory that they are a great indicator of overall ocean health. I gained a new appreciation for sharks through my daughter who worked with an NGO last summer and spent many long days ‘tagging’ sharks and studying their movements throughout the waters off Cape Cod.
SC: We are thrilled to launch a partnership between Shark Allies and Lunchskins. What are your hopes for this collaboration and what do you want consumers to learn from our teaming up?
KQ: I want people to know that sharks are worthy of our protection and that plastic pollution is irreparably damaging our oceans, getting into the food chain and exacerbating climate change. But specifically, in studying sharks, we have gained greater knowledge about how they use the ocean and how we can better focus our conservation activities (to protect them and fisheries that we all depend on). I hope Lunchskins’ fans learn more about your important work to stop the trade of shark fins (and other shark products) and to create special marine protected areas.
SC: Any final words and advice for fellow sustainable business-starters?
KQ: There is no substitute for hard work and persistence. It always takes longer than you think to build something worthwhile, despite how easily success may come at first or how comfortable things seem at the time. You will experience failures, big and small, along the way. That’s part of the entrepreneurial journey. Learn from the setbacks, change quickly, stay positive and keep going. It’s hard to hear negative feedback, but important to listen (to your team, your customers, and yourself). Believe in yourself, surround yourself with do-ers and positive thinkers! Grit and perseverance win every time.
Visit www.lunchskins.com to support Shark Allies, or purchase the Shark Sandwich Bags on Shark Cafe.
