Ecolunchbox: Reusable Lunch Box, Ecobold Blog

Ecolunchbox: Reusable Lunch Box

We interviewed the founder of Ecolunchbox, Sandra Ann Harris, she makes my absolute favorite reusable lunchbox which I take with me every day and fill up with my raw fruits and vegetables (yes raw because I don't like to cook if you don't already know!). This lunchbox is made out of stainless steel and is BPA-free, phthalate-free and PVC-free. I have the oval one and there's a small container that comes with it that I usually put my special sauce I make for my veggies (organic mustard, olive oil, salt, soy sauce, cayenne pepper and a hint of lemon juice). The best part is that the lid won't ever open or fall off because there are 2 little handles on the side that you lock it, and the containers are also dishwasher safe. Here's their story and why they're different than most plastic containers.

Tell us a little bit about the background/story of ECOLunchbox.
When Sandra Ann Harris founded ECOlunchboxes in 2008, plastic-free lunchware was scarcely available and even now it is hard to find in mainstream stores. She started the company because she wanted to make available lunchware for children and adults that was plastic-free as well as waste-free, vinyl-free, PVC-free, sweatshop-free, lead-free and generally free of all toxins.

“I couldn’t find what I needed in the marketplace, so I decided to design my own lunchbag and some stainless steel food containers that would fit inside,” Founder Sandra Ann Harris explains. “Luckily, I grew up sewing so I could do the design work and prototyping myself. And thankfully I had a lot of friends and family who have encouraged me every step of the way. I never dreamed my company would take off the way it has over the last two years. I outgrew my stock room in my garage in the first six months.”

The unique lunchware line she designed set out to be the ultimate “free lunch.” And the motto she chose for ECOlunchboxes is “healthy for people and the planet.”

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I’ve always loved all things international and being in the outdoors. I was president of our high school exchange student club and we had students live with us at home. I also absolutely loved being outdoors. Growing up we spent all our free time in the creek behind our home fishing for tadpoles or hiking and climbing trees in the open space in front of our home. We lived just 15 minutes from San Francisco but it felt so wild and natural! Later, I went on to hike the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains with a high school student group and live and work abroad in Finland, Spain, Vietnam and other places. Founding ECOlunchboxes was a culmination of these interests since we are working on environmental issues, supporting fair trade textile artisans internationally with our hand block printed fabrics as well as working on making positive world changes through doing business sustainably.

I'm dying to hear some stats on what's wrong with styrofoam and other polluting numbers on disposable or potentially toxic containers! Feel free to add as much as you can to our education!
Did you know that a typical American family generates 4,320 pieces of trash during lunchtime? And this trash is mostly plastic! Adopting zero-waste lunch habits can reduce a family’s exposure to plastic toxins as well as avert a mountain of trash and save approximately $400 every year, according to our Lunch Waste Study. Buying throw-aways and pre-packaged foods is a trashy and expensive habit.

Plastics are not biodegradable and only 5% of plastics end up being recycled. (On the flip side, about 90% of stainless steel is recycled and reused.) So plastics end up in our landfills and polluting our environment. We are hearing more about the massive gyres in our oceans, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, where plastics debris accumulates and poisons our marine life. Toxins in plastics, like BPA (bisphenol-A) and phthalates, are known hormone interrupters and cancer causers, according to emerging scientific research. Canada and the European Union have passed laws regulating the presence of these dangerous chemicals in products and the U.S. government is considering the passage of similar laws.

We will be hearing a lot more about toxins in plastics and the harm they cause to both people and our planet. In the meantime, ECOlunchboxes strives to offer no-plastic and non-leaching lunchware hewn from stainless steel and artisan cotton. We want to make it easy for people to make a choice to support their own health – and Mother Earth.

What's the biggest lesson you learned while starting ECOlunchbox?
Persistence is so important for entrepreneurs! Connecting all the dots to bring a green product to market like our eco lunchboxes and eco lunch bags is tougher than I thought! It’s also very rewarding and fills me with joy for all we have accomplished so far through the distribution of our sustainable lunchware. We have helped to avert tens of thousands of pieces of trash as well as supported our sewers and craftspeople through our endeavors. We are currently seeking growth capital and would like to connect with green investors who share our passion for greening lunches internationally.

What's your favorite product from your line?
That’s like picking a favorite child. Impossible! I will say that I’m especially excited right now about our Furoshiki ECOsnacksack, which is a 100% plastic free sack for snacks. We have not used any plastic zippers, plastic Velcro or synthetic plastic coatings on our fabrics. We have designed our snack pouch to tie closed in a variation of the ancient Japanese furoshiki wraps. Also very cool, this furoshiki snack sack can be tied to a backpack, a bike bar, a stroller bar or a belt loop. Hands-free and eco chic!

If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
I would be canoeing at Lake Pinecrest in the Sierra Nevada mountains with my family.

Describe a typical day in your life.
I work the typical split shift of entrepreneurial parents. I’m up early and in the office until early afternoon. Then I like to spend time with my children and take them to their afterschool activities. After bedtime, I’m back in my office for a second shift. It makes for a long day, but it’s a very rewarding schedule for me and I feel fortunate to be able to set my own day.

What are your top 3 best sellers??
Our buyers love our original ECOlunchbox Kit, which includes a backpack-style eco lunch bag with three matching napkins and their choice of a stainless steel lunchbox. For the children, our eco lunch box Three-in-One, which packs a sandwich and two side dishes in a very compact stackable format, is our best seller. Personally, I love our eco lunch box Oval with yogurt cup for pastas, salads and leftovers.

If you had to choose... breakfast or dinner?
Definitely dinner. Most days I fix a hot breakfast for my children. After all, it’s the most important meal of the day, right? But I’m never hungry in the morning. How about eating a yummy breakfast for dinner? Sounds good to me!

If there is one thing/thought/idea that you could pass on to the next generation, what would it be?
“Whatever we do will be insignificant, but it is vitally important that we do it.“ - Ghandi What this means to me is that we all must work to contribute positively even though our efforts may seem like drops in the bucket at times. We must persist!

Ecolunchboxes offers many reusable lunch containers and products: reusable lunch wrap, snack sack, lunch bag + 3 napkins, lunch set, oval and square lunch boxes as well as cute reusable bamboo utensils (fork, spork and napkins). Check out her Ecolunchbox's Ecobold shop here: http://www.ecobold.com/shops/ecolunchboxes