· Darwin mother of two launches an online marketplace " I'm plastic Free" after a life changing volunteering experience in the Whitsundays
· In an Australian first, conscientious consumers can support a European migrant and woman-led regional start-up that directly supports Australian producers and craftspeople of ethical, sustainable, low to no plastic or upcycled products.
Living a life with less plastic is about to become much easier with the launch of the I'm Plastic Free marketplace.
The "I'm Plastic Free" marketplace connects conscientious consumers with small Australian producers and craftspeople of ethical, sustainable, plastic free or upcycled products and sustainable living homewares, clothing and lifestyle products.
Darwin based eco-conscious entrepreneur Simona Paganetto said "I'm Plastic Free was born from a passion to create more awareness about plastic pollution and a better future for the younger generations."
In 2014 after Simona left her MedTech career in Switzerland to move to Australia after finding love, she decided to do some volunteering in the Whitsundays picking up plastic during beach clean ups. This experience is what made Simona realise the damage that plastic is doing to our planet. She realised how under-reported the plastic issue was at the time and how plastic is everywhere in our society, to the point that we are ingesting it without really knowing the consequences.
After her volunteering experience, Simona went on to create "I'm Plastic Free stainless steel compact straws" which sold $16,000 in a few months. Following from the success of her reusable straws, Simona launched "I'm Plastic Free marketplace" as a one stop online marketplace for truly sustainable products without the greenwashing.
Not only are the customers making a difference by purchasing from local companies and supporting the environment, but they can also filter products by State or Territory, by Values, Accreditations & by Good Cause, like products that plants trees.
I'm Plastic Free marketplace takes away the complication of finding truly sustainable products and provides a guilt-free, convenient and easy to use online platform where consumers can buy directly from Australian vendors, like Etsy for eco-friendly products.
"We hope this creates awareness that living a more environmentally friendly life doesn't have to be a big challenge anymore," Ms Paganetto said.
"Australian based businesses supplying low waste, sustainable, ethical, plastic free, upcycled, recycled, closed loop, carbon neutral, cruelty free, toxin free and palm oil free can register to become a supplier at www.implasticfree.com".
