Meet the mum whose business is taking on single-use plastics with a multi-million-dollar idea

How many times have you tossed a pile of wet wipes in the nappy bin and thought there must be a better way to take care of your child? Not only can traditional wet wipes be costly, they’re also terrible for the environment, with 85 per cent made from plastic that takes up to 100 years to degrade.

After having her two children, Georgina Carberry, a product and brand designer for more than 15 years, decided to disrupt the billion-dollar wipes market with a more sustainable alternative.

Alongside her husband, Damien West, Carberry founded The ZERO Store, a brand dedicated to helping parents avoid single-use plastics and minimise their children’s environmental footprint.

After months of research and development, Carberry and her team developed a reusable, chemical- and plastic-free dry wipe. The thick, hypoallergenic wipes are perfect for a child’s sensitive skin, and since they are made from sustainably sourced wood pulp viscose, they have a minimal environmental impact.

In fact, not only do the wipes come in eco-friendly packaging, they’re also compostable and will degrade naturally in just 45 days. They are also FSC-certified and PEFC-certified.

All parents need to do is wet the wipe, use them as desired, wash them and use them again. This not only minimises waste but keeps dangerous microplastics out of our oceans and landfill. The best part? They’re perfect for removing make-up and cleaning, too, making them the ultimate multi-purpose wipe.

Determined to provide families with eco-conscious alternatives to traditional single-use plastics, Carberry, co-founder and Head of Brand at ZERO, notes that the brand is currently developing the world’s first plastic-free wet wipe and hopes to have a plastic-free disposable nappy on supermarket shelves soon.

“There is no doubt that we go through a lot of single-use products as parents, from wipes to nappies and more,” says Carberry, CEO and Head of Brand at ZERO. “We wanted to create a plastic-free alternative for parents that takes away the guilt of the plastic waste you go through when you raise a child.”

ZERO and Carberry’s mission is to take eco-friendly products mainstream, and they’re well on their way with a successful online store, more than 150 retail stockists, $1.9 million in capital and a valuation of several million

“Ultimately, our goal is to reduce the amount of plastic created and discarded worldwide, while creating a healthy and safe environment for our children,” says Carberry. “We’re confident that with ZERO we are on our way to doing just that.”