Brandon Chong’s journey to changing into a sustainability entrepreneur wasn’t a straight shot.
It began with epic childhood battles together with his older brother over the TV distant. Whereas cartoons held Brandon’s consideration, his brother craved the tutorial gems of Discovery Channel, Nat Geo, and Animal Planet.
This fixed publicity to environmental points sparked a lifelong consciousness in Brandon, and nature documentaries ultimately grew to become his ardour.
Nevertheless, the turning level truly got here on a household journey to Taiwan. The pristine streets mirrored these of Japan, leaving a constructive first impression.
However because the aeroplane ready for touchdown, a horrifying sight unfolded beneath them—countless plastic waste swirling within the ocean like a poisonous soup.
This unforgettable picture grew to become a defining second for Brandon, solidifying his resolve to battle towards plastic air pollution.
From property to ardour
Brandon’s story begins within the company corridors of EcoWorld, the place he spent 5 years working in property gross sales, occasions administration, and leasing.
His position on the Inexperienced Council at EcoWorld was pivotal, aligning firm insurance policies with sustainability targets. This place allowed Brandon to fulfill quite a few enterprise house owners and be taught the intricacies of beginning and working a enterprise.
“Assembly bosses from Jaya Grocer, Tealive, and plenty of others was extremely inspiring. Seeing how they constructed their companies from the bottom up made me wish to begin my very own,” Brandon recalled.
This inspiration, mixed together with his rising curiosity in sustainability, laid the groundwork for Natureloop.
After years spent in property gross sales and occasion administration, Brandon honed his enterprise acumen whereas nurturing a secret ardour: upcycling plastic into lovely merchandise.
“I stumbled upon DIY recycling movies on YouTube and began upcycling family plastic waste into lovely merchandise. It was a pastime that caught with me,” shared Brandon.
This expertise bolstered his dedication to adopting a zero-waste life-style and ultimately led to the beginning of Natureloop.
Closing the loop on waste
Natureloop started with a easy but bold thought: to create lovely, purposeful merchandise from recycled plastic.
Brandon began small, upcycling plastic waste into objects like coasters, keychains, and cellphone holders.
The preliminary response was promising, and he quickly expanded his vary to incorporate extra advanced merchandise like medals and trophies.
“Our NATUREWIN medals are an awesome instance of what we do. They’re constituted of 100% recycled plastic, and we settle for orders as little as one unit,” stated the founder.
Natureloop’s medals and trophies usually are not solely eco-friendly but in addition extremely customisable, because of UV printing know-how.
This revolutionary strategy has attracted main firms like Petronas, Shell, BMW, and Sunway Group. These corporations have partnered with Natureloop, impressed by their distinctive choices and dedication to sustainability.
“We’ve got lots of business-to-business shoppers. Most of our shoppers truly come to us once they see a few of our movies on-line. So, I believe it’s primarily due to our advertising on Instagram and the experience we’ve got that’s helped to safe these shoppers.”
“We additionally take orders as small as one and as giant as our present greatest order of 20,000 customised medals with a never-before-seen standing medal and magnet operate,” he shared.
A path with ups and downs
There are just a few related companies, equivalent to Treasured Plastic Malaysia and Zero Waste Earth Retailer. Subsequently, beginning a enterprise in a distinct segment market like recycled plastic merchandise comes with its challenges.
“The Malaysian market continues to be accustomed to conventional supplies like steel for medals and trophies. They at all times want the load within the medal to really feel premium as a result of if it’s made with recycled plastic it feels low-cost to them.”
“Convincing them of the standard and worth of recycled plastic merchandise is an ongoing problem,” Brandon famous.
Nevertheless, he sees this as a possibility to coach and alter perceptions.
To deal with these challenges, Natureloop focuses on the distinctive promoting factors of their merchandise.
“A conventional steel medal has a excessive carbon footprint because of the electroplating course of and the space it travels from China.”
“Our recycled plastic medals, then again, have a a lot decrease carbon footprint,” Brandon defined.
This eco-friendly side, mixed with the aesthetic attraction and performance of Natureloop’s merchandise, units them aside out there.
Increasing horizons
Natureloop’s journey started with a six-figure funding to construct machines that breathe life into recycled plastic, handle day-to-day operations, and create the moulds for his or her various product line.
Though it’s nonetheless in its early phases, the corporate has already made important strides.
“We’ve been lucky to safe bulk orders from occasion corporations, which has helped us develop,” he stated.
The corporate is now seeking to develop its product vary and transfer into a bigger facility to accommodate rising demand.
They’re additionally within the midst of securing an MOU with a big company to remodel their plastic waste into furnishings and different merchandise.
“We wish to present how versatile recycled plastic will be. It’s not nearly making small objects; we will create bigger, purposeful items which can be each lovely and sustainable,” Brandon shared.
That’s why a vital a part of Natureloop’s mission is training. Brandon is obsessed with instructing others concerning the significance of recycling and learn how to do it correctly.
“Many individuals don’t know that several types of plastic have to be sorted and cleaned earlier than recycling. We wish to change that,” he stated.
Natureloop additionally gives workshops for his or her shoppers the place individuals can study recycling and even create their very own upcycled merchandise.
To maintain crafting recycled plastics
Natureloop’s imaginative and prescient is to shut the loop on waste, not simply with plastic however with different supplies like fabric, glass, and natural composites.
“We wish to save our planet from air pollution by reworking waste into precious merchandise,” Brandon acknowledged.
The corporate goals to be a pioneer in sustainable manufacturing in Malaysia and past.
As Natureloop continues to develop, Brandon stays dedicated to his zero-waste life-style and to inspiring others to affix him in making a constructive impression on the surroundings.
“It’s not at all times straightforward, however the rewards are price it. Seeing the transformation of waste into one thing lovely and helpful is extremely fulfilling,” he shared.
Naturelooop is not only creating sustainable merchandise—they’re altering mindsets and paving the best way for a extra accountable way of life.
- You possibly can be taught extra about Natureloop right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Natureloop
