AGA Member Spotlight: Lindsey McCoy, Co-founder & CEO, Plaine Products
“Plaine Products was founded by two sisters to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic in the world while providing toxin-free, salon-quality bath and body products. Plaine Products offers a number of options to reduce waste: - 16oz bottles for the counter that can be refilled by us or by you from our bulk containers, reducing plastic waste in landfills and oceans. Reusable bottles create a circular loop with minimal waste and maximum sustainability. - 2.5 travel sizes that can be refilled on site or used as takeaways for your visitors. - 1 and 3.5-gallon bulk options for on-site refill stations. Both bulk containers can also be returned for free for wash and reuse. All of our products are biodegradable which means they be used safely in outdoor showers and in sensitive ecosystems. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio Plaine Products is a B Corp and a member of 1% for the Planet. We believe our mission and ethos aligns incredibly well with the clamping community and are excited to forge meaningful partnerships with operators to reduce waste and pollution.”
Lindsey and Alison, the founders of Plaine Products, began with their vision to have less plastic waste in the world.
Q: Tell us a bit more about why you started a company in the glamping industry.
For 10 years Plaine Products co founder Lindsey McCoy lived in The Bahamas doing environment education work. On a small island there’s no first world infrastructure to insulate you from the piles of plastic we are creating. She saw plastic bags, bottles and flip flops on the beaches, in the water, spilling out of the landfills, along the side of the road. The message that plastic lasts forever, no matter how long we use it, was much more obvious living there than it is here. Seeing all of this made her want to start using less plastic in her life. She started taking action: carrying a reusable water bottle, reusable grocery bags, skipping the straw at restaurants and bars, and looked for other ways to use less plastic. But she couldn’t figure out how to get those plastic bottles out of her shower. When her family decided to move back to the United States, she realized she might be able to solve her problem and help other people use less plastic in their lives. Together with her sister, Alison Webster, she spent two years developing a system to making it easier for people to get quality products without having to buy single-use plastic bottles. Plaine Products was founded in February 2017 to help minimize single-use plastic and reduce waste in bathrooms across the country. Since then we have eliminated 700,000 plastic bottle from the waste stream by providing a reusable alternative.
Q: Tell us a bit about where your glamping business is today? Where do you see your business in the future?
Plaine Products started as a direct to consumer business, but we had AirBNB hosts and small hotels contacting us about using our system for their businesses. In response we developed a bulk option so refills can take place on site and we selected bulk containers that we can take back and reuse so they model works on both levels. As a small company we're proud to develop specialized systems that work for each operation's back of house. Sometimes that's providing bulk options, sometimes it sending full bottles from time to time to be swapped out and taking the empty bottles back. We're happy to create a system that works for you to help reduce waste and improve the customer experience. We offer shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion and hand wash in: Rosemary Mint Vanilla, Citrus Lavender & an Unscented alternative for those with sensitivities. Not only are our containers reusable and sustainable, but all of our products are biodegradable, vegan, toxin, sulfate and paraben-free and color safe.
Q: What are you most excited about within the glamping industry moving forward?
Reuse is an old way of consuming that we're working to reintroduce to the world. It seems a natural fit for an industry that's helping people slow down and reconnect with nature. When people experience an easy reuse program that doesn't require them to sacrifice on quality of the products it opens their eyes to new possibilities for their own consumption. We're excited about the possibility of working with glamping operators to help spread awareness about reuse as a sustainable option that works.
Q: Do you have any advice for those that are just starting out?
Help differentiate yourself from other options by sharing your values with your customers. Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference in choosing where to stay and the story about those choices is compelling. Whether it's the decision to reduce the footprint of your operation, or how you source your energy, or the staff you select, those choices help to tell your story and make a compelling case, beyond just the beauty of your surroundings.
