International Women's Day 2024: Spotlighting Our Founder

International Women’s Day is as much an opportunity to advocate gender parity as it is to honour the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout history. This year, we at ecoegg thought what better way to celebrate the amazing strides that women have made worldwide than by spotlighting our very own visionary founder, Dawn White.

We caught up with Dawn to find out more about how she carved her path in business and her aspirations for ecoegg as a female founder.

Q: Dawn, can you share the inspiration behind the ecoegg laundry egg?

Dawn: Absolutely. The idea for ecoegg stemmed from my personal struggles with eczema as a child and my deep-rooted environmental values as an adult. Back in my early teens, my eczema would flare up after sports activities and I initially attributed it to physical exertion. It wasn’t until my late 20s, after reading an article on ingredients in laundry detergents causing skin issues, that I realised it was the detergent all along. This realisation was the spark that ignited my interest in creating a solution that would address the need for people to clean their clothes sustainably and affordably without irritating their skin. That’s when the ecoegg laundry egg was born!

Q: How has ecoegg evolved over the past 15 years, especially given the consumer demand for sustainable products?

Dawn: Fifteen years ago, educating and converting consumers to a more sustainable lifestyle was more challenging, as environmental issues weren’t as critical to the mass public. Now the need for sustainable solutions in the face of the escalating climate crisis has become much more prominent. This has enabled the ecoegg range to flourish, gaining wider recognition and acclaim worldwide – so much so that we now have a brilliant partnership with SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Sea Change to help consumers reduce their plastic consumption and protect the ocean. It’s a mission that aligns not just with ecoegg brand’s values but my personal ones too, given my first-hand experience with chemical water pollution whilst diving in southeast Asia.

Q: As a female founder, how do you think ecoegg empowers consumers?

Dawn: I believe ecoegg is more than just a laundry product. It challenges the norms defined by big brands that have always advocated for highly fragranced, chemical-laden products, often packaged in unnecessary quantities of single-use plastic. This simply need not be the only option for people and planet.

In particular, the original fragrance-free laundry egg has been life-changing for individuals with severe skin conditions. I’ve received some incredible feedback from customers over the years about the product, particularly from mothers sharing stories of how the laundry egg has helped their children’s eczema. The ecoegg was also one of the first truly sustainable laundry products on the market at the time of its inception. The concept of helping consumers reduce single-use plastic in this way has always been at the forefront of my product designs, well before it was a critical requirement, and will continue to be the case as we advance our product pipeline.

Q: Lastly, what is your vision for the future of ecoegg?

Dawn: My vision is simple yet impactful – to have an ecoegg in every household. The potential reduction in plastic alone would be immense and aligns perfectly with the core values of International Women’s Day: creating a healthier, safer and more equal world for all.