25 Mrs. Greenway: A Sustainable Refillery in Canada

Team 41 Poster

Team Reflection

The tale of Ms. Greenway is a motivational illustration of sustainable business. She created a refill system that altered consumers’ perceptions of consumption because she wanted to give her family safe items. Her shop turned into a haven for those looking for environmentally friendly products and a source of motivation for several business owners who want to improve both the environment and society.

Ms. Greenway’s journey started because she was worried about her family’s health and the environment. She saw that a lot of home goods came in plastic packaging, which is bad for both the environment and people’s health. She also observed that these goods were frequently costly and wasteful since customers would frequently discard them before they were completely used. Ms. Greenway created a refill mechanism that let customers fill their own containers with household goods in order to allay their worries. In addition to lowering waste, this technique increased the affordability of household goods for consumers.

Ms. Greenway’s store served as a destination for people searching for environmentally friendly products in addition to being a place to buy. The store was stocked with eco-friendly goods like organic food and reusable containers. Additionally, Ms. Greenway provided seminars and workshops on sustainable living. Ms. Greenway faced difficulties along the road. She had numerous challenges at the start of the project, such as doubts from possible clients and investors. But Ms. Greenway overcame these obstacles thanks to her perseverance and dedication.

Today, a lot of business owners who want to improve society and the environment find inspiration in Ms. Greenway’s store. Additionally, Ms. Greenway’s tale supports the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, particularly the ones that deal with trash reduction and sustainable consumption. Her replenishment method is a fantastic illustration of how companies can use innovation to lessen their impact on the environment. The story of Ms. Greenway serves as a potent reminder that everyone has the ability to change the world. We can all contribute to the creation of a more sustainable future by making minor adjustments to our everyday routines.

Alongside the important topics discussed during the interview, it is essential to highlight that Ms. Greenway’s journey exemplifies the strength of perseverance and resolve. In the face of numerous obstacles, she remained committed to her vision of fostering a more sustainable world. Her experience serves as a powerful reminder that we must continue to pursue our aspirations, regardless of the challenges we encounter.

Analysis and digging:

It is fairly evident that Ms. Greenway’s story closely resonates with established sustainability concepts and frameworks in business, such as the triple bottom line, which advances the three important areas of environmental, social, and economic responsibility. The refill business model that she has espoused is a clear embodiment of the “planet” aspect of the triple bottom line, insofar as it serves directly to reduce plastic waste and meets SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, by encouraging reuse of containers. In addition, the ethical sourcing and consumer education she provides interact with the “people” aspect of addressing community awareness and involvement in sustainable consumption; thus, it shows evidence that her business values are not only intended to serve business interests but also contribute to the greater good.

Ms. Greenway’s experience also builds our understanding of corporate accountability in an applied manner. The transparency she practices with respect to product sourcing does stand in line with accountability principles discussed in the academic literature, which call for businesses to transparently communicate the product origin, ingredient-related, and environmental implications of such information to the consumer. Besides building trust via such openness practices, Ms. Greenway does not engage in greenwashing-a fact noted critically by many studies on sustainable business. That only crystallizes the fact that accountability could be a powerful differentiator in markets where consumer trust is usually hampered by several misleading sustainability claims.

More importantly, perhaps her story indicates a shifting trend away from the business-as-usual approach to sustainability toward innovative business models that create co-responsibility between consumers and businesses for environmental outcomes. Indeed, the scholarly work in sustainability, for example Elkington (1997), does indicate that participative sustainable strategies are among the best-those that let customers participate actively with sustainable products and practices. Ms. Greenway’s refill system does just that: it engages customers in reducing waste, creating a sense of personal responsibility which deepens their pledge towards sustainability.

Ms. Greenway’s business model, as described, underlines weaknesses in the current knowledge about scaling retail practices sustainably. While this approach has succeeded for her at the community level, it raises a series of questions about whether this is scalable to bigger retail markets that would massively depend on plastic packaging. Studies of sustainable retailing, such as by Jones et al. (2005), confirm that businesses like hers commonly face difficulties in securing affordable, eco-friendly raw materials and in scaling up local solutions to bigger markets. Such is indicative of the tension between the ideals of sustainability and reality on the ground that has continued to characterize the retail industry, since cost and supply chain constraints practically inhibit wider diffusion.

This is also a story that breaks myths about corporate sustainability-that indeed, the smallest of businesses can make a huge difference in the environmental and social metrics in their community. While large corporations are often looked upon to lead the charge in terms of sustainability, what Ms. Greenway’s story shows is a business can be highly influential-with limited resources, at minimum in consumer education and building trust. This case thus constitutes further evidence that local-level sustainability initiatives constitute the building blocks of the greater movement toward environmentally responsible consumption.

Future Impact:

Throughout this learning experience, we’ve collectively agreed on how inspirational and educational Mrs. Greenway’s story has proven to be. This story is about educating and pushing consumers to make ethical and eco-friendly purchasing decisions. As a group, we want to tell this story to not only influence and inform others but most importantly, to educate and better our futures. Our behaviour towards eco-friendly purchasing has already flourished a new outlook on our time ahead as we all understand no difference is a small one.

When discussing the impact this story has had on us as a group, many of us mentioned we’ve begun educating our roommates, family, and friends regarding eco-friendly products, and how to produce less waste. One of our members noted that they recommended that their family shop at Mrs. Greenway by educating them on its story and innovation. Considering we are from different countries and some of us don’t have access to refillers like Mrs. Greenway, many of us highlighted that trying to cut down on plastic by using reusable bags, bottles and containers while purchasing is now a necessity. We have all already become more environmentally aware, as many of us agreed we will not just buy the first item off the shelf, while also looking more deeply into each ingredient. We feel these habits will continue influencing our current, and future purchasing behaviours by acknowledging unethical and unsustainable consumption. This includes non-eco-friendly packaging, production, and ingredients. Mrs. Greenway’s story and innovation have forever impacted our thought processes regarding ethical and eco-friendly products. To reiterate, we understand altering these small habits in our everyday lives will steer us in the right direction because no change is insignificant.

The story behind Mrs. Greenways business has many implications to the business world. Mrs. Greenway has put sustainability at the core of its business model, demonstrating a strong commitment to ethically sourcing clean products and educating consumers on the importance of sustainable shopping. These are critical steps that other companies should consider when addressing the problem of sustainability amongst businesses. Practices such as sourcing responsibly, using clean ingredients, and minimising waste all contribute to the next steps of working towards integrating sustainability into business models. Mrs. Greenway’s emphasis on consumer education is another strategy businesses can adopt alongside. Mrs. Greenway proves that educating consumers creates opportunities to create relationships, customer loyalty, and enhances the value of shopping with the brand. Additionally, Christine, co-owner, emphasises the limited accessibility of refillery options. If more businesses implemented a refillable system in their stores, this would increase accessibility to sustainable shopping (Scott, 2023). Positioning sustainability at the forefront of a business model allows a brand to stand out from competitors while meeting consumer and stakeholder expectations. In recent years, there has been an emergence in voluntary corporate responsibility that has reshaped how businesses respond to the challenge of sustainability and ethical business practices (Waddock, 2008). This shift in trend is causing consumers to seek eco-friendly options, therefore implementing forms of sustainability into your business model allows your brand to meet external expectations.

Individual Reflections 

Adrianna

Over the last six weeks, myself (Adrianna) and five other team members worked together to research, interview, and create a story about a small business’s innovation. This required a deal of teamwork and communication, but along the way, we had to overcome obstacles including cross-cultural dynamics, as well as exclusively communicating virtually. But this didn’t stop myself and my team from successfully meeting every week, which we did by finding a recurring time to meet every Wednesday that worked for every time zone. If communication was lost during meetings, I respectfully messaged our WhatsApp chat where everyone worked as a team to fix all questions and concerns. Regarding tasks and assignments, myself (Adrianna) and Reegan conducted the business interview and reported all information back to our team to allow for the continuation of other assignments. By evenly splitting tasks between all members, Sergio and Sergio eased their way to completing the story, and Muodi and Shahad completed the poster without anyone being too overwhelmed. Overall, this team was a delight to work with. I feel each member put in an equal amount of effort to the team, allowing us to easily manage our cross-cultural dynamic, and communication challenges, deal with multiple time zones, and finally complete an exceptional AIM2Flourish project. I am super proud of the work myself and the entire team has put into this assignment which I feel will pay off! Learning from Christine the co-owner of Mrs. Greenway has opened my eyes to my generation’s future where individuals like me must act now to save the planet.

Modi

My participation in this COIL project was a rich learning experience, as I collaborated with a virtual team to tackle a global issue – sustainability. Even though the time zone and culture differences were a worry, the teamwork and communication were great. The project taught me how the SDGs of the United Nations influence and affect business and how businesses can innovate for the good of society. Identifying and interviewing a local firm that follows SDGs was an enriching experience that showed how business can have a positive impact on the environment and society. It was a pleasure to work with someone from overseas. Although we weren’t in the same physical space, we bonded well Weekly meetings allowed for discussions, brainstorming, and everyone’s voice to be heard. It proved challenging to negotiate meeting times across time zones, but we had tools like WorldTimeBuddy to help. The project also opened my eyes to businesses’ role in society. It showed how companies can help create positive change rather than just making more profit. This COIL project helped me think critically, communicate in a virtual setting and understand the value of teamwork in different cultures. After completing an AIM2Flourish story along with a poster and the reflection you are reading, I learned valuable things.  I think this project will teach me skills that will help with my academic and professional life in the future.

Sergio Di Nallo

I am very happy and proud of what we have done in such a little time, especially considering that we were all in different countries, with different time zones and have been raised in different cultures. None of that have stopped the team from achieving the end goal of finishing the project while also getting great insights and having learnt a lot. At times we had some cross-cultural dynamics issues. For example, we agreed from the very beginning to have one weekly meeting every Wednesday at the same time. Though, here in Europe, a week ago the time zone went backwards by one hour, which led me to miss our weekly meeting by an hour. Obviously, I should have taken this change of time zone into account but in the end these cultural issues and overcoming them is what have made this experience so enriching for me. All in all, I am very proud of the team and its member because we have managed to make it work as smoothly as it could have been considering that we have not even seen each other ever. Besides, I also admit we have been lucky because I have heard a lot about other teams where people did not work as much, which certainly was not the case for us.

Shahad Bin Sweileh

Businesses play a critical role in addressing global challenges through the SDGs. They have the resources and capabilities to develop innovative solutions that can create significant impact. However, it is essential to consider perspectives across cultures when evaluating their role in advancing the SDGs, as different cultures may emphasize different SDGs based on their own unique challenges and values. Despite these differences, there is growing global recognition of sustainable practices and corporate social responsibility, which fosters collaboration and cross-learning among businesses. Participation in projects such as COIL focused on the SDGs develops core competencies, including effective team planning, personal responsibility, accountability, and leadership. Successful teamwork requires adaptability and open-mindedness. My experience in a multicultural team provided valuable insights into the importance of flexibility and adaptability in enhancing teamwork skills. Engaging with a variety of perspectives has influenced my understanding of the SDGs, contributed to my personal development, and enhanced my sense of accountability. However, challenges such as coordinating meetings across different time zones and varying working hours have impacted collaboration and productivity. But I benefited a lot from this experience, as I realized the importance of diversity within the   .team and gained problem-solving and negotiation skills

Sergio Elías García Bermejo

Working on the AIM2Flourish project really inspired me to know and learn more about how Ms Greenway works. Learning about the refill model, how she sources items in such an ethical manner, helped me to realize that even the smallest actions are contributing to something much bigger, like the SDGs, responsible consumption, and climate action in particular. It has made me more aware of my own habits and really encouraged me to adopt eco-friendly practices.With my team working virtually, several challenges arose that were mostly related to time zones and working styles. Regular meetings and the fair distribution of tasks enabled us to get through those issues. I particularly appreciated how each member brought one’s own unique perspective to this project; through this diversity, the impact of our story grew stronger. This project indeed taught me much on teamwork, accountability, and small changes that would be so useful in taking up new initiatives in my future personal and professional life.

Reegan Monteith

Throughout the past 6 weeks, I have collaborated with students from around the world virtually to analyze how small businesses use the United Nations SDGs. Together we successfully met every week, finding time across different time zones, schedules, and communicated daily through WhatsApp. I believe that my team did a wonderful job collaborating despite being in different countries and not being physically together. We were successfully able to communicate and be creative, as well as responsive and attentive to all meetings. This project was enlightening as I learned about small businesses outside of North America that practice sustainability, and it was interesting learning how many businesses around the world have adopted sustainability into their business practices. I have gained valuable knowledge about sustainability and how the small business located in Ontario, Mrs. Greenway, can implement SDG goals into their business model despite having limited resources and many obstacles. One part of my role in this project was interviewing with one of my team members, Adrianna. We interviewed Christine, the co-owner of Mrs. Greenway, and it was inspiring to learn about her story and passion behind starting the business. Overall, I am very grateful to have had this experience with my team members overseas and to analyze and understand the importance of sustainable practices along the way.

References

Scott, M. (2023, August 9). Consumers keen, but big brands failing to buy in to refillable packaging | Reuters. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/consumers-keen-big-brands-failing-buy-refillable-packaging-2023-08-09/

Waddock, S. (2008, August 1). Building a new institutional infrastructure for Corporate Responsibility | Academy of Management Perspectives. Academy of Management. https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amp.2008.34587997

Environmental, Green, Eco Products: Ontario. Mrs. Greenway. (n.d.). https://www.mrsgreenway.ca/