As the awareness on the importance of sustainability in our consumer habits rises, so does the risk of green-washing, the detrimental marketing gimmick of throwing around green terms like ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’.
Those are not words to be frivolously plastered on labels and packaging if you ask Jon Lee, founder of Re{me}dy multi-label store for sustainable skincare that’s good for you and the planet.
“Remedy is a social enterprise offering natural product brands, particular in the health and beauty line,” Jon explains. “This includes what we eat and what we put on ourselves. We basically want to encompass made in Malaysia products that are good for you and the planet. This is the fundamental policy for us. We believe that by working with local brands, we can encourage that in a faster way. We want to encourage them to change and make their products more eco-friendly and natural.”
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On Re{me}dy’s website and physical store along Jalan Rotan in Kuala Lumpur, shoppers will find a medley of health and beauty offerings, ranging from facial and bodycare to accessories and consumables. It stocks its own house brand as well as a handful of other local brands including Tanamera, Jeanie Botanicals, The Mineraw, RYAD and more.
“We are very careful with the brands that we carry,” Jon tells. “A lot of brands use these hype terms like natural, eco-friendly, organic, but they don’t mean anything. They are not true to their word.”
He is also mindful to choose brands that are producing on a professional scale, steering away from home producers. “It’s not that products by homemakers are not good. What we’re concerned about is the consistency of their creations. We want brands that are sincere in what they are trying to achieve and are inherently good for users.”
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For people and planet
An avid ocean enthusiast from his time working for surf giant Rip Curl, Jon has long had a relationship with the sea. Though not a diver, he has joined countless reef and beach cleanup projects organised by the company, lending his muscle to cleaning up local beaches as well as international seascapes.
“One time when I was on a trip to clean up an island in Bali, Indonesia, I saw carcasses of dolphins trapped in nets. That was very sad. It made me realise the kind of damage I myself am doing to the environment as a consumer and contributor to an unsustainable lifestyle,” Jon divulges.
Another island was littered with rubbish and plastics for as far as the eyes can see. Scattered among them were more dead marine life.
“It took me on a big guilt trip,” he says. “That was a big driver to what I wanted to do. It solidified the notion that I want to do something in my lifetime that will help the environment.”
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Sustainable for product to packaging
Such was how he came up with the idea for Re{me}dy, a store of health and beauty products that’s good for you and the planet.
All of Re{me}dy’s products are produced with sustainable ingredients and methods. Created in partnership with Tanamera, Re{me}dy can hence quality control the ingredients and, more importantly, the source of these ingredients and the residue of its productions.
On top of that, the products are zero-waste wherever possible. They are all packaged in environmentally friendly recycled paper, or none at all. Re{me}dy has a refillable line called The Refillery that encourages buyers to bring back their old jars and bottles and top up on the spot when the product runs out.
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From production to packaging, it intends to create health and beauty products that are good for people and planet.
It hasn’t been easy for Jon to get Re{me}dy off the ground. “People told me I was crazy when I asked around for feedback. They don’t believe it will work,” he shares.
Malaysia is a nation used to what is easiest and most convenient, with the lowest rate of recycling in Southeast Asia.
As hard as it is, Jon hopes Re{me}dy will be the catalyst for conversation and eventual action in using and throwing away less.
“If nobody does it, who will?” he asks.
Visit the official Re{me}dy website here to shop or follow them on Instagram @remedy.kl for updates.
