IAM2425 – Founder and Eco-Warrior Creates Sustainable and Chlorine-Free Period Products

Susie Hewson

00:00 - 00:20

I needed to address the issue of the bleaching, because conventionally all those products out there were relying on pulp that was derived from hardwoods, you know, sort of ancient forests, so they were being felled, so you have a forestry issue. They were being bleached with chlorine-based bleachers, which released dioxins into the environment.

Intro

00:22 - 00:47

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Grist values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I am CEO

Gresham Harkless

00:48 - 00:56

podcast. Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast. And I have an awesome guest on the show today as Susie Hewson. Susie, excited to have you on the show.

Susie Hewson

00:56 - 00:58

Thank you for allowing me, Gresh.

Gresham Harkless

00:58 - 01:31

Yes, absolutely. Well, you're doing all the awesome things. So I'm super excited to have this phenomenal conversation. Of course, Before we jump in and have that conversation, I want to read a little bit more about Susie so you can hear about some of those awesome things. And Susie is a champion in the period care business. Over 30 years ago, Susie developed the first brand of organic and natural period care products. Natural care produces chlorine and plastic-free products that are made out of biodegradable materials. Over the years, the company has acquired a wide range of certifications and awards for its eco-friendly practices.

Gresham Harkless

01:32 - 02:20

Suzy is a lifetime active environmentalist and disruptor with a respect for humanity and the natural world. being awarded an MBE by King Charles III for her outstanding service for women's health and the environment. She has numerous awards, including Women in Ethical Business Award, First Woman of Manufacturing, Oak Award, the Organic Trade Board, West of England Carbon Commitment Award, and many, many more. And one of the things that I thought was really cool is, of course, we always want to know what people are doing, how they're making their impact. But I was reading that when Susie isn't innovating, you'll find her busy in the garden on site at Natural Care World headquarters in Bristol, a meditative hike, or even campaigning for women's health.

Gresham Harkless

02:20 - 02:24

So Susie, excited to have you on the show. Are you ready to speak to the IMCO community?

Susie Hewson

02:24 - 02:25

I am indeed. Thank you.

Gresham Harkless

02:26 - 02:33

Awesome. Well, let's get it started then. So I know I touched on it a little bit. Let's rewind the clock here a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

Susie Hewson

02:34 - 03:18

Wow. So I didn't start out, like many, many people who are classified as entrepreneurs tend to start out with a business objective. Whereas I graduated as a graphic designer and I had a postgraduate education. So I was teaching with other things, but I was an environmental campaigner. I was very aware of issues around products, how they're produced and their impact on the environment. So I kind of stumbled into being a business person and entrepreneur because I took an action as an environmental campaigner, which ended up in me deciding that the only resolution was to do something myself.

Susie Hewson

03:19 - 03:33

So I am, I feel like I'm here under false pretenses as a CEO, although I am. But if I question myself, I am foremost a changemaker, I would say.

Gresham Harkless

03:34 - 03:46

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And so as far as like products that you all have been able to build, what have you been able to kind of build and create so that people, the audience and everyone can know a little bit more about, you know, that impact that you've been doing?

Susie Hewson

03:46 - 04:33

Originally, I started I needed to address the issue of the bleaching because convention, all those products out there were relying on pulp from that was derived from hardwoods, you know, sort of ancient forests that they were being failed. So you have forestry issue. They were being bleached with chlorine-based bleachers, which released dioxins in the environment. And then the issue of plastics came a little while after that. So my first point was making pads, because they were essentially the main contributors to the environmental problem. It wasn't just pads, but I could have chosen coffee filters or baby diapers, anything that comes with absorbent disposables.

Susie Hewson

04:33 - 05:22

So resolving that, sourcing softwood that's in from sustainably managed forests that is audited and credited such, the processing that is not using any chlorine of any kind, so we use hydrogen peroxide. So I had started off with a range of three maxi pads and one pant liner. And then after a very short time, maybe a year, probably about a year, this was in the middle of the late 80s, was very much the sort of toxic shock syndrome era. where women all over the world were dying attributed to using tampons. So the pads and then one tampon, and then it evolved then to add a sort of new machines where I could produce an ultra thin pad.

Susie Hewson

05:22 - 06:04

But we don't use any super absorbents because they're petrochemicals and they're classified as microplastics. These are the things that are very, very absorbent. So you can wear a pad or a baby diaper in contents pads for a long time. So we had to sort of design it so we kind of got that absorbency with that and to use those chemicals. And then in recent years we've sort of done, resolved, we were the first to have certified organic cotton makeup removal wipes, intimate wipes and baby wipes, they're all certified organic. And then we have Moist tissues are made with 100% paper and they're Cosmos Natural Certified that are flushable.

Susie Hewson

06:04 - 06:12

The whole, the common theme has been every product that we've produced has been a design solution for a problem that we've seen.

Gresham Harkless

06:13 - 06:38

That makes a lot of sense. And I love that, you know, and I almost feel like that's that secret sauce, the thing that sets you apart and makes you unique is you used the phrase being that nasty gnat. But I think that having that persistence and the resilience to be able to say this has to change, not only Does it have to change? It will change because I'm going to keep going and going and going to make that happen. It's such a huge thing. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

Gresham Harkless

06:38 - 06:50

So this could be like an app, a book, or even a habit that you have. But I almost wonder if spending that time in nature, is that the one thing you feel like makes you more effective and efficient and able to help you be able to make the impact that you do?

Susie Hewson

06:51 - 07:32

My hack is just get out, get out in the garden, I go out on my bike as well. I love to be by water. I can cycle over the seven bridges and look down the seven estuary and it seems vast. And so it is getting away from your devices and your everyday desk-bound stuff and just connecting back with nature and people. We all know through COVID how much we missed each other and that community that's come out of that, is something that we should all treasure as something not to be lost back into getting back into the grind of doing it the same old way.

Susie Hewson

07:33 - 08:03

And gardens, your own gardens is a place where you meet people walking past, chat to them. I got a dog bowl, I don't have a dog, I have a dog bowl outside the front of my house. And every dog that passes drinks from this water. And people say, have you got a dog? No, I haven't got a dog. I said, just I said, I might hijack your dog. Maybe I'm just a dog, you know, or something. But it's just like, it's a great place for people to stop and just to have that opportunity to remember that we're part of a community.

Susie Hewson

08:03 - 08:27

To being outside. Being outside in the city is great too. I mean, walking down, I've walked through Central Park a lot and then just going down to Soho and Noho and down into the tenements. It's an amazing space where you connect with people and history in the streets. It's out and meeting people. Yeah, people. There's so many meeting more nice people.

Gresham Harkless

08:28 - 08:52

Yeah, absolutely. I love that, Hak, just because that connection piece, I think, gets to the essence of who we are. I always say we forget about the human part of business and the human part of life, but understanding like how connection at the heart of it, like you mentioned during COVID, but also just the connection with nature in so many different ways. And sometimes we think that we have to have all the things in the world, but sometimes it's not that we have to have all the things in the world. We have more than sometimes we think that we have.

Gresham Harkless

08:52 - 09:09

And I think going out and being out and about and understanding that ends up being a huge thing. So I want to ask you now for what I call a CEO nugget. So you might have already touched on this. This is a little bit more word of wisdom or piece of advice. I like to say it might be something if you were to hop into a time machine, you would tell your younger business self.

Susie Hewson

09:10 - 09:55

Don't ever let people tell you you can't do something or you're not capable because that is, You know, people at the young, when you're young, you have lots of creative ideas. And I always wanted to go to art college. I mean, that was, I drew and you know, whatever. And I still draw now and I still weave and paint and anything creative. But because, I guess this comes, I mean, this is a very British thing, because I know Americans have got more of a, less of a class system. And growing up in a working class family like mine, when we went to school, we were in state schools.

Susie Hewson

09:55 - 10:45

So there was this perception that because you come from a certain kind of area and a state, you're never going to come to anything. And I always rebelled against that. I mean, don't you ever tell me what I can't achieve because how very dare you would be my answer. I don't know how I made a girl school so it's quite contrary. And so I think is that recognizing, recognizing your inner strengths and your your inner dreams, and not letting someone judge you or stop you from at least having an attempt to achieve that thing. Because someone says that you're not capable or you don't come to the right place or you don't know the right people.

Susie Hewson

10:45 - 11:18

This is like a challenge. This was a challenge for me. So I would say challenge those perceptions, and particularly for a woman in business as well. That was, you know, a number of times someone's asked me whose secretary I am. I've got no, you know, that's, you know, secretaries are fantastic people. They do all the work for most of the men who scurry around sometimes. But it was like, you know, that is what I would say would be And I think I never did. I never did give up. I never did never give up on that.

Susie Hewson

11:18 - 11:55

But as a consequence, and I'm sure there's lots of people like me, who've come from that kind of beginnings, who think that, oh, you know, we have imposter syndrome. You know, even talking to you now, I think I've got imposter syndrome. Well, I mean, if I had to write down everything that I've done, I know how much I've done. But there's this thing of, well, am I worthy of this? Am I really? And that is a real issue, I think, for kids like me who came from a place where people didn't expect you to achieve much, didn't give you the opportunity or help you too much.

Susie Hewson

11:55 - 12:10

It was all down to self-drive. And then when you get to that point, it's just suddenly, well, should I be here? You damn well, right, do need to be. Sorry about that. You do need, you should applaud that you are there. So that was my nugget. Yeah, absolutely.

Gresham Harkless

12:12 - 12:40

No worries. No, I appreciate you so much and sharing that because I think a lot of times we all have that imposter syndrome and sometimes we say, who am I to do X, Y, Z, or A, B, and C, and who are you not to? And you should be doing that. As you said, you damn well should be doing that. So I love and appreciate everything that you're doing. One of my favorite quotes is, don't tell me the sky's the limit when their footprint's on the moon. And there's so many people that tell you that you can't do things, you're not capable, you're too young, you're too old, you're too this, you're too that, whatever it might be.

Gresham Harkless

12:40 - 13:05

At the end of the day, that's when you sometimes have to turn around and just say, watch me and show them that you can do that. So I love that you've been able to do that. And I think, again, it's part of that motivation, that inspiration. But frankly, you've been able to do it. So it's the facts that you have been able to do those things that end up being a great example for people. So absolutely love that. So I want to ask you now one of my absolute favorite questions, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

Gresham Harkless

13:05 - 13:09

Our goals have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Susie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Susie Hewson

13:10 - 13:53

The role of a CEO is to, in my case, do what you need to do legally to be a good company, make money for, you know, for good causes and to make sure your staff are well, to be responsible for the organisations that rely on you, the people who rely on you. My role is also to be empathetic that, you know, it's a changing, everything is changing. We're in a world of rapid change. I'm bringing my values to the business. I'm bringing my ethics to the business. I'm making sure that everyone who works in the business identifies with that as well.

Susie Hewson

13:53 - 14:23

So they're like mini-me's in a good way, not mini-me's in a bad way. So there is that role of being responsible and moving the business in the right direction to be fruitful and and still hold to the values. As a CEO, I've built the company around from being just me working in the company to having people who we're all moving in the same direction and we're all happy to be moving in that direction too.

Gresham Harkless

14:23 - 14:36

Appreciate that. I appreciate your time even more. So what I want to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know. And of course, how best people can get a hold of you, find out about all the awesome things you and your team are working on.

Susie Hewson

14:36 - 15:12

You can find that on our, again, there's a link on our naturecare.com. Follow us on all social media. Certain social media you probably won't find us on now. But I moved over to Blue Sky. Me personally, when people say, oh, give me your, they say, oh, give me your Twitter account. I say, no, you don't want to follow me on Twitter. I'm too political, you know, I'm too political. So I'm now on Blue Sky, and I feel very happy over on Blue Sky. There's some great organizations over there, but there's lots of conversations. So that's what we're about.

Susie Hewson

15:12 - 16:04

We're about communicating. So we want to communicate with people. We want feedback. So it's all there on our website. And I'm really not really an advert. What I'd like to say is, you know, when you start But for me, I think this is maybe the artist in me, is that I can have my piece of art on every shelf around the world, that nature care pack is my art, it's my performance art, it's my environmental art, but unless someone also joins in my message and picks up that pack and says, you know, I identify with this, I understand what is happening here, I know how I benefit, I know how my environment, I know how my kids benefit, they're part of my journey, So every person who buys that product, or even just picks it up and reads about it, they're sharing in my journey that I really feel is the objective here.

Susie Hewson

16:05 - 16:05

Yeah,

Gresham Harkless

16:06 - 16:22

absolutely. Well, I thank you as much, just as much, Susie, for all the awesome things you're doing. Of course, we're going to have the links and information in the show notes as well, too, so that everybody can follow you, connect with you, and make sure we're on the right social media platforms, as you said, so well. And of course, I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Intro

16:22 - 16:57

Thank you. Thank you for listening to the IMCEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at imceo.co. IMCEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Want to level up your business even more? Read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch videos at CBNation.co. Also, check out our I Am CEO Facebook group. This has been the I Am CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.