Sophie was delighted to be interviewed about her brand journey with Karla from Legacy Marketplace. Read the interview below.
Eco Glitter Fun is a brand on a mission to revolutionise the glitter industry through their eco glitter while also spreading awareness of plastic pollution to the world.
Former flight attendant and co-founder of Eco Glitter Fun, Sophie Awdry joined us for a chat about all things glitter.
How did Eco Glitter Fun come to be?
When I was still a flight attendant, I noticed that there was this never ending barrage of waste and excess within the industry. There would be a lot of food thrown away and a lot of plastic used. This really opened my eyes and made me want to do something positive and contribute to the world.
Partying and festivals were also things that I enjoyed doing, so this alongside with the passion I had for creating change was the perfect combination. I went to try other things and found that glitter was a microplastic, so then me and my best fried Noemi, started Eco Glitter Fun. I did this alongside my job as a flight attendant for a while until the business grew in 2018 and now I have been doing this full time ever since.
Why Eco Glitter?
When I discovered that glitter was a microplastic, I started searching for alternatives and came across this one manufacturer called Bio-glitter that made biodegradable glitter.
They were under a lot of pressure to make a biodegradable version, so they developed it. This manufacturer still makes plastic glitter, but that is because there are still a lot products out there, such as paints which will only work with plastic glitter.
What was upsetting to me about using plastic glitter, especially for use on the skin was that people would only use it for a few hours and then wash it off and that glitter would stay in our ecosystem for hundreds of years.
We sell two types of Bioglitter - Bioglitter® PURE and Bioglitter® SPARKLE. Both are made from a unique modified regenerated cellulose. The good thing about these is that once they are in the natural environment, they will biodegrade over a period of weeks and months.
Our website describes the whole process really well and I suggest that everyone have a look at it.
What else are you doing to be sustainable?
Our manufacturers source their raw materials from sustainably sourced plantations and are FSC approved. The glitters are then manufactured in factories in Germany and the UK, so we know that the people are getting paid fairly and that the work conditions are good.
As per what we do ourselves, all of our glitter come packaged in small glass pots and our boxes are made from recycled cards.
In terms of our packaging, alongside the recycled craft box we also use recycled shredded paper and paper tape. We always encourage our buyers to reuse their pots and boxes for something else.
We try to be as sustainable as we can all throughout our supply chain, but there are still some areas where we have no control such as our brushes, which come in plastic.
Sustainability is not about being perfect. It is not just about being zero waste and being an eco-warrior. It's a journey. I think a lot of people miss that point and what people need to understand is that being conscious that they can make a better choice and a better selection when that alternative is available.
Product pictured: Mini Box - Studio 54 & Merry Go Round
Tell us more about your products!
We sell our glitters in packs or individually and there are many options to choose from. Some of the glitters are more fine and some are chunky, so you can choose what will work for you.
For corporates, we do bespoke gits for employees. We can make them branded for you. During the summer, companies tend to host a lot of corporate parties - festival themed etc and we do gifts for those or if you hire a few artists for a couple of hours, we can create that festival vibe to help make attendees relaxed and feel that it really is a party!
All of our glitter are safe to use on the skin and they are made to be used on the skin. A little goes a long way and you don’t need to apply a lot to make it stand out.
I did a shoot for International Women’s Day and I covered five ladies in glitter and only used about 20 grams. You really don’t need to go overboard with it, unless you want to.
They are also really versatile too, so you can use them for anything. A lot of people get worried that they have to put a lot on and have that festival look, but you don't need to put a lot on to make it pop.
Do you have any particular favourites?
I really like Studio 54 from our Sparkle range - it's half gold and half silver, as it's chunky too and it goes really well with any outfit you are wearing.
Then for our Pure range, I really like Milky Way which is an iridescent gold, pink, green and blue colour. It is really pretty and subtle. A lot of brides really like this particular one because it is subtle.
I like all of our glitters though, so it is hard to choose a particular one.
Product pictured: Milky Way
What would you like to achieve as a brand?
Right now, we are still getting over Covid. 2019 was absolutely sensational for the business and then 2020 hit. There were not a lot of events and people were not going out.
We are hoping that we will be able to get back to how it was like back in 2019 and making eco glitter more mainstream - have it get more traction just like plastic straws did. Everyone made a big fuss over these and it ended up becoming an easy switch.
I want the same to happen for glitter and encourage artists to make that switch because it is easily accessible now and have them become more aware of the environmental factors that come along with plastic glitter.
For us the main aim is to get the word out there and empowering everyone to be more artistic. You can use glitter for everything whether for makeup or for birthday parties.
What would you like to say to those who may purchase your glitters?
The glitter does not have to be for yourself. Everyone knows someone who loves glitter, so they make amazing gifts!
We want to encourage everyone to share our products to others and spread the awareness about biodegradable glitter.
Head over to Legacy Marketplace now and see how you can add some sparkle to your gifting - https://marketplace.legacy-events.com/