Meet Kathy Cherry from ECO Group New Zealand, local manufacturers of commercial strength cleaning products.
This family business was started with a passion to protect our environment and our people. The team feel strongly about developing cleaning products using scientific formulas and a plant-based approach, after a breakthrough moment that came from seeing their own staff exposed to chemical cleaning products day in and day out.
We get to know Kathy and ECO Group a bit better, plus discuss their passion for protection.
Tell us a bit about your background – your career to date, your experience… basically, how what you have done has got you to where you are today.
Eco Group is a family run business consisting of Graeme, Wayne and myself Kathy.
Graeme and Wayne have I.T backgrounds and I was a real estate agent. When Graeme retired from I.T., he and I built a motel in Gisborne. Later we sold that same motel and bought a second one in Manukau.
While we were at that motel, we were introduced to cleaning products which were supposedly eco-friendly. The side effects on the motel cleaners working daily in this industry were horrific. It was not long before we discovered the ‘eco-friendly’ cleaning products were the opposite of their name and this was the push we needed to start our own product range.
Wayne had just returned from overseas in 2007 and started working with a world-renowned chemist Gordon Vincent to build from scratch new compliant friendly products. In 2012, we started the accreditation process with Environmental Choice.
When did you start your business? How long have you been operating?
We started ECO Group December 2009 immediately after selling our motel business and we have now been in business for almost 12 years
Why did you start your own business?
While managing a cleaning crew in the motel sector we witnessed how cleaning products actually affected our staff. It was horrifying that at that time even ‘eco-friendly’ products were detrimental to the health of our staff. The injuries caused by these products ranged from chemical burns to feeling severely ill.
What makes your business unique?
We are part of a very small, genuine community that has gone through the process of certifying everything we do in our daily business. Today it is hard to distinguish between ‘green washing’ and genuine products, but accreditations help us stand out. We have also complied with the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) certification and had our products independently assessed through AsureQuality to be able to safely use our products in areas where food may be prepared.
When we first started manufacturing the phrase environmentally friendly was only just starting to be recognised. We have always been of the sustainability mindset, but converting that into a business in New Zealand has been complicated. The uptake in New Zealand has been very slow and it is sad to see employers still not considering employee health and safety. Our perception of safe and ‘green’ differs from the rest of the world.
In your first year of business, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
The first year was difficult and each year is challenging, changing the habits of people in this industry is tough.
There are some really genuine environmentalists out there that will do their best for people and the planet, and that is why we enjoy providing the services we offer, but there is always a negative side of this industry. There are the people and companies that do nothing and adopt the ‘everything will be alright attitude’. A lot of this negativity is due to ‘green washing’, but people are becoming more informed making good decisions easier.
What’s the one misconception people might have about your industry?
The main misconception is that plant-based products are not as strong as our petroleum competitors. The truth to that we are now as strong or stronger in performance, with very little cost difference. The positive benefits to sustainability, circular economy and the health of people will start to make difference. Environmentally preferable does not mean weak!
What’s the one thing you want people to know about your business?
That yes, we are green, we are certified and the products work. It costs no more to be environmentally conscious, so what do you have to lose? If it’s better for the environment, whether you believe in global warming or not, by buying products and services that are sustainably designed and made locally you are doing your part regardless. It’s a win and it costs you nothing.
What are your goals (personal and professional) for the next six to 12 months?
Our goals at the moment are to keep reminding people that although COVID is now a part of daily life and is here to stay, we still have to remember the environment around us and it needs to be thought of. Money is tight, we understand, but your health and wellbeing (along with sustainability) is now more important than ever. Environmentally preferable products are better for you.
When you’re not at work, how do you like to spend your time?
Well, we have some younger generations in the family that we like to spend time with when possible. Before COVID, travelling was a part of life. It will be the same again in the future, which will make that experience even more precious. Checking out local activities has been interesting.
If you could impart one piece of advice to fellow business owners, what would it be?
If you have staff; think of them. It’s simple – if you would not use the product or service, why make them do so? If COVID has taught us anything, it is that health and wellbeing is so important
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