Show Notes:
Brad Liski is a social entrepreneur and the CEO of British Columbia-based Tru Earth, a global household cleaning product company focused on biodegradability and the elimination of single-use plastic waste. In 2022, Tru Earth partnered with Ocean Wise to launch the American Shoreline Clean-up Program.
Brad was recently named a Sustainability Leader by Canada’s Clean50 for 2022. Other awards Brad and Tru Earth have received include B.C.’s CEO of the year, B.C.’s Top Exporter of the Year, and Best Eco-Friendly Household Product Company 2022.
To learn more about the TruEarthMovement, go to tru.earth.
In this episode we discuss:
✅ The most sustainable innovation in laundry detergent (ever)
✅ Why Tru Earth manufacturers in North America
✅ Tru Earth’s secret for attracting top talent
✅ The recipe behind Tru Earth’s record 4-year growth
Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ When you create a product that aligns with consumer values, makes life easier, and fixes a market need for both consumers and retailers, magic happens. The market rewards smart solutions, and we need more smart solutions like Tru Earth’s eco-strips across industries.
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2️⃣ What we measure shows what we value.
Brad talked about the two main metrics that Tru Earth uses to measure success: 1) how many plastic bottles Tru Earth’s product has prevented from being produced; and 2) how many loads of laundry they’ve donated. These metrics have incredible power because they are meaningful. These metrics are a reason to get out of bed in the morning, a reason to innovate new solutions, and a reason for employees to engage deeply with work.
What are you measuring at work?
When you tap into someone’s intrinsic desire to make a difference, when your metrics show a deep meaning for why your company exists in the world, you unleash a force more powerful than anything found in a traditional business model.
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3️⃣ Recycling plastic is not going to solve our plastic waste problem. Only 5% of plastic is recycled, which means 95% of plastic—year after year—ends up in landfills, polluting our waters, or being incinerated (which hurts our air).
This is a call to action for changemakers across industries to innovate solutions that eliminate plastic, especially single-use plastic. This type of innovation is not only important and meaningful, but it can also be incredibly profitable.
References:
- Tru Earth
- You can learn more about polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and its use in dishwashing detergent pods here.
- The Greenpeace report on plastic recycling can be read here.
- Ocean Wise
- Shoreline Cleanup conservation program
- entrepreneurship@UBC
