An ethical home cleaning brand that was founded in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was last night recognised for its innovation and growth with an award presented by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Pleasant State is one of four Australian and New Zealand businesses to win this year’s Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Awards, which were presented at the 2022 Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF) event taking place in Sydney this week.
Founded by Queensland entrepreneurs Ami Bateman and Sian Murray in early 2020, Pleasant State makes non-toxic and zero-waste dissolvable cleaning bars.
In the space of two years, Pleasant State products have made their way into more than 16,000 homes, and the business says it has saved more than 85,000 plastic bottles from entering landfill. Pleasant State raised more than $80,000 via an Indigogo crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2020 to fund new product development.
As the winner of the consumer products category of the ANZLF awards, Pleasant State will receive a cash prize of $25,000, as well as an invitation to the Forum, which is being attended this week by politicians and business leaders.
Australian tech company Seer Data and Analytics was also recognised in the awards, along with New Zealand companies Inhibit Coatings and oVRcome.
Bateman says the Pleasant State team was honoured to be presented with the award by Australia and New Zealand’s prime ministers.
“We’re on a mission to prove that doing good is good for business, so winning an award that celebrates growth and innovation shows that we’re doing just that,” she said in a statement to SmartCompany.
“As a bootstrapped, female-founded startup, our hope is that this inspires other women to do the same.”
Pleasant State achieved B Corporation status earlier this year and has committed to donating 2% of sales or 20% of profits (whichever is greater) to charity 1% for the Planet.
This focus on sustainability is a key value of the business, with the founders previously telling SmartCompany they felt they “didn’t have a choice” but to forge ahead with their business plans, even when the pandemic hit.
“We have an environmental crisis on our hands and if we don’t do something who will?” said Murray.
This article was first published by SmartCompany.