New year, new smoltalk
February might be the shortest month of the year but we’re certainly packing it full of excitement here at smol. We’ve got exciting company news to share along with a round up of all that our customers achieved over 2023. And if you hate waste… we’ve some soap saving tips you’ll simply LOVE. We think the upcoming year is going to be the best yet, so read on and get yourself all caught up!
As it’s our first smoltalk of 2024, how about some exciting stats to show the BIG difference YOU made last year?
2023 saw us save over 534 tonnes of plastic, 6,442 tonnes of carbon and 1,175 tonnes of cleaning chemicals. All huge numbers and that deserves pats on backs all round.
But that’s not all. Our clever refill tablets and brand new personal care products prevented the pointless transport of over 1.3 MILLION litres of water in just 12 months. That’s a lot of bottles!
And let’s not forget that YOU, our amazing customers, donated 424,825 washes to The Hygiene Bank in just one year (in total we sent 789,649 washes) AND you helped our Suds in Schools campaign kick on to establish even more free-to-use school laundrettes. All this amazing help will directly assist families in the UK struggling with the humiliation of hygiene poverty. Thank you.
So what's in store for 2024?
Rates of carbon cutting are going to increase with the addition of MORE carton refill systems and more bottles-for-life. Not only does a carton produce 43% less carbon than a recycled plastic bottle, the UK’s cardboard recycling rates are far higher than for plastic (which just isn’t getting recycled successfully at the moment).
We’ve got so many more NEW products, exciting website changes, delivery improvements and updates for our fabulous customers in the pipeline too! So keep those eyes peeled for new smol coming soon…
2024 will bring so much more around our work fighting Hygiene Poverty alongside exciting catch-ups on our Suds in Schools project. We can’t wait to share some behind the scenes updates of what your kind donations have helped support.
With regards our recent B Corp Certification we’ll of course be sharing lots more on our B Corp journey as we continue to blaze a trail. And if you’re part of our smol circle there’s a HUGE amount planned, product testing, surveys, giveaways… you’ll be the first to know. If you haven’t yet joined… why not sign up?
And let’s not forget our amazing smol community group on Facebook. smol hacks: tips and tricks. We’ll continue to build this throughout 2024 with your help… it’s fast becoming a treasure trove of cleaning know-how. Why not check it out? JOIN OUR SMOL HACKS GROUP
With so many of us enjoying the long lasting benefits of a bar soap, how about these 5 tips for leftover soap bits that fight waste…
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Add the remains of your old bar onto your new bar! Wetting both bars before pushing them together will make this easier. Hey presto, zero waste.
- Collect 10 or 20 scraps and grate them into a pan with some water (1 tspn per 10g of soap). Evaporate the water over a low heat while stirring. When the soap is soft, remove from the heat. Pack the mix into a glass jar lined with greaseproof paper and leave to set. You just made soap.
- Get some soap saver bags and pop your soap scraps inside. Then simply run them under some water and rub them between your hands… you’ll be in a lather before you know it.
- Feel like adding a clean fresh aroma to your drawers? Just pop your tiny dry soap scraps in with your clothes to banish any mustiness.
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Want free shaving foam? Use your leftover soap scraps. Simply pop them into a mug, add a little hot water and use a shaving brush to create a lovely lather. Sorted.
We’ve got a Supply Chain Analyst and her name is Sophie! Let’s find out all about her and what her job is like at smol.
can you give a brief description of your job?
I work within the supply chain team, between home and our office space, above the busy warehouse. I cover a variety of tasks, from monitoring on hand levels of raw materials and finished goods, to creating purchase orders with suppliers for all the components that are included in our packs.. including the cardboard packaging itself!
what’s your favourite smol product and why?
For sure the bio laundry capsules, they're the product that introduced me to smol before I worked here. They work so well and the scent is so good *sniffs t shirt*.
what’s the best bit about your job and working for smol?
Since I joined smol at the end of July last year we've launched over 10 new products and/ or formulations, so there's always something new and exciting to look forward to. Working for a company that cares about the planet and is a driving force for positive change is really important to me.
what’s a handy eco-friendly tip you can share for household cleaning?
Make sure to do a deep clean of your washing machine every so often, and rinse out the detergent drawer after each use. It makes such a difference to the performance, I also love watching videos of people finding random objects when draining the bottom of their machines..
it’s the weekend... where will we find you and what are you doing?
I usually get to the gym late on a Saturday morning, followed by an evening where I'm likely moving as little as possible, bingeing a series. On Sunday I might see family, good coffee is always on the menu and maybe a long walk in the afternoon or a trip to the cinema. Poor Things and Mean Girls the Musical are next on my list, it's giving range.
We’re SO PROUD to announce that smol has been certified a B Corp company. Yay! We think it’s something our customers, employees and the planet will want to celebrate.
B Corp Certification only goes to companies that meet SUPER HIGH standards of both social and environmental performance. Companies that believe in:
- prioritising people and the planet over profit
- using business as a force for good
- being the change that they seek
All values we’ve worked hard to embody since we launched.
Assessment is both rigorous and thought-provoking with over 200 questions that must be answered at length. After in-depth analysis a company is then given a score by B Lab.
The average UK business will score 50.9 after a B Lab Impact Assessment BUT that is NOT good enough to qualify. A company needs 80 points or more to certify.
And we are proud to say smol scored 99.3!
Want to learn more about B Corp certification? Read on here.
LEARN MORE ABOUT B-CORP
Are you a damp duster or a dry duster?
A dry cloth seems like it should dust just as well as a damp cloth PLUS you don’t need to dry the area once you have finished right?
Well, as it turns out… dry dusting is NOT the most practical method.
A dry cloth will not catch all the dust, trap it and keep hold of it… so you might find the dust is simply being rearranged to the point where you think the job is done. In reality, you’ve just moved the dirt to another area, or whisked it up into the air for it to eventually float back down again to its original resting place.
For REALLY effective dusting, you just need a slightly damp cloth. Our colourful cloths made from plants are perfect for the job, being super absorbent and slightly textured for a deeper clean. And because they wash up so wonderfully they simply last for months and months no matter the level of dust you are tackling!
Paired with our multi purpose spray (that can be used around the home on so many surfaces) they’ll have your home cobweb/dust-free in no time, with a zesty burst of sweet orange to leave your rooms smelling fabulous.
Ever felt tempted by our colour-protecting, dirt-busting stain gel?
NOW you can discover our brand new trial pack with its carton refill that’s just like our washing up liquid and fabric conditioner refills.
We know just how popular our stain gel is from our social media comments and we think its move into carton refills is just going to strengthen the love!
Each starter pack contains your bottle-for-life (100% recycled plastic), your pump & band PLUS a carbon-cutting carton full of stain gel. All for just £6*.
Ongoing, refill packs of 2 x 500ml cartons will arrive at a frequency to suit YOU for £12 with FREE delivery always. Head to the smol shop on your customer account and you’ll find your stain gel ready and waiting for you. Your laundry will thank you!
GET STAIN GEL
Spring's around the corner; and we have some really exciting things coming up, including an announcement of something really close to our hearts at smol that we'd love you to get involved in, and erm... some sneaky NEW products? Maybe.
If there's anything seasonal you'd like to see next time be sure to let us know. We love seeing any before and after photos of your cleaning exploits around the home so be sure to keep them coming. Don’t forget to find us over on our socials and why not join our special community group on facebook: smol hacks; tips and tricks. It’s a busy group of smollers who like to swap cleaning know-how. See you there… or in the next smol talk.
