Meet Lindsey McCoy, Founder of Plaine Products and crew member of Round the World Leg 5.
As part of our Ambassador Spotlight Series we wanted to share Lindsey’s Superpower Story.
Lindsey experienced first-hand the effect of single-use plastics on our ocean whilst living in the Bahamas. In 2017 she was inspired to launch Plaine Products with her sister. Plaine Products offer premium personal care products in aluminium bottles that can be returned, refilled and reused and act as an alternative to single-use containers.
We caught up with Lindsey about her work since her Voyage and the place for business-for-good companies in the fight against plastic pollution.
My dream is to revolutionise the way we consume products.
How did you end up sailing with eXXpedition?
I have been involved with plastic pollution for six years now. When I was working and living in the Bahamas I began to see my waste in a different way. I saw all the plastic piling up on the islands and washing up on the beaches. This for me, was when I really began to understand that plastic never goes away.
My frustration with plastic pollution comes hand in hand with my love for the ocean. I have always loved the water – so much so that I lived on a sailboat for a year and a half with my husband. We both fell even more in love with the ocean than before.
When eXXpedition came up on my Instagram feed I couldn’t quite believe it. It quite literally ticked every box – an all women sailing trip where I got to live at sea and carry out groundbreaking research in plastic pollution. I sent in my application as quickly as I could and couldn’t believe my luck when I found out I had been accepted onto Leg 5 of the Round the World voyage.
What did you learn that surprised you most?
I think the first thing that surprised me was that so many of the women had never spent time on a boat. Of our crew of 10 I think only three of us had spent significant time at sea. I remember thinking how brave those other seven women were.
For them, being passionate about plastic and adventure was enough – and for me, that was awe inspiring.
I remember thinking that those other seven women who had never spent time at sea were the bravest people I’d ever met.
In terms of the data we collected, the surface plastic we encountered was awful to see but it did not surprise me. What shocked me most were the lower depth water samples we took. To discover all the tiny microplastics hanging in the water column undetected, not only shocked, but terrified me.
I think it was then that I really understood that we will never be able to clean up the ocean entirely. The microplastics are too small and there are too many. Whilst terrifying, this knowledge sent me home reinvigorated.
Can you describe eXXpedition in 3 words?
Inspirational. Terrifying. Hopeful.
So back home, you are the CEO of Plaine Products – the start-up you established and now run. What was the inspiration behind Plaine Products?
It all started from me wanting to cut down plastic in my day-to-day routine. I realised quite quickly how many plastic bottles I was accumulating in the shower, and I wanted to cut them out. So I decided to find a solution. That is when my sister and I decided to create what is now Plaine Products. We offer premium personal care products in aluminium bottles that can be returned, refilled, and reused, as an alternative to single-use containers. Our e-commerce store runs throughout the US and in addition, we work with around 150 retailers.
To date, we have eliminated 300,000 plastic bottles from the waste stream with Plaine Products. Every day that number goes up and that is a continual source of pride for me.
To date, we have eliminated 300,000 plastic bottles from the waste stream with Plaine Products. Every day that number goes up and that is a continual source of pride for me.
What is your mission – is there an end goal you aspire too?
In a nutshell, the ultimate dream is to revolutionise the way we consume products. I want to prove that packaging can have value. It can be more than just something you use once and throw away. Part of this mission is finding and creating an infrastructure where it is convenient and reasonable to ask people to do that. I want to see a world where reuse is the mainstream consumer option.
I want to see a world where reuse is the mainstream consumer option.
Has the voyage influenced your work since you returned home?
eXXpedition really reinvigorated my passion for what I do. Of course, I wanted to continue growing Plaine Products. More importantly though, I wanted to stretch myself to do things that wouldn’t directly benefit our business but would help our wider mission – changing consumer habits and protecting our ocean.
So I have created more partnerships, done podcasts, done interviews – essentially spoken to anyone who wants to listen.
We have also collaborated with Loop – a division of Terracyle. Loop has got several consumer goods companies trialing some of the responsible packaging Loop have been designing. Obviously we are already there in terms of our packaging, but we have signed up to be one of their collaborative brands.
On World Ocean Day 2021 along with Loop, eXXpedition and TerraCycle Thai Foundation, Plaine Products joined a live event discussing the importance of protecting our shared ocean which you can see here.
How would you describe your superpower and how has that helped you make an impact?
My superpower is using business-as-a-force-for-good, but I am a problem solver at heart. I had a problem – I couldn’t get rid of all the plastic bottles in my shower – and I found a way to solve it.
Where do you think fundamental change is going to come from?
Collaboration and diversity. We strive to be a collaborative organization. I see other sustainable product companies not as competition but team members. At the end of the day, we are all trying to move people to the same sustainable side of the street.
We are never going to solve plastic pollution with one solution. We need as many solutions as possible. It is important that we give people choice and collaboration is the key to that diversity. So we have been working with a lot of other sustainable businesses doing cross promotions to introduce consumers to as many sustainable options as possible.
There are so many things that we can do to innovate and improve but to do that we need many, many more people sitting at the table.
There are so many potential solutions to the plastic crisis, but to make them happen we need many, many more people sitting at the table.
What advantages does your platform as a start-up give you for implementing this change?
Growing up I envisioned myself saving the world through the non-profit sector. But then I saw this gap in the market for re-use bathroom products and began to think about how we could solve plastic pollution in a different way. I realised that business could be a way to follow my passion, do good but also make a profit. Instead of relying on fundraising or donations I could use business to make money myself, and then use that to help.
As a start-up we have the advantage of being flexible and nimble. I started a company in 18 months; some large FMCGs wait 18 months to make just one alteration to their packaging. I am a “let’s do it now” kind of person. Being a small company allows me to be that.
It’s important that these larger corporations are pushing sustainable changes too, but as a smaller more flexible platform, we can experiment and see what works. Once we have proof that a concept works, the bigger fish can take it up. It all goes back to collaboration and diversity.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to cut down on their plastic consumption?
At Plaine Products, we push for progress, not perfection. I don’t really like the term “zero waste” – it sets the bar too high. I will never be able to get all my plastic to fit in a mason jar – that’s just not my reality. Instead, we speak about starting small. Do something, see how it goes, do more.
It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and slip into inaction. We want to encourage people to act, but not scare them into shutting down. It’s a tricky balance. But my advice would be to try one thing. If it does not work for you, try something else – whether that be using a reusable water bottle or buying a shampoo bar. Do whatever works best for you.
Remember that there are multiple solutions, not one.
We can make different choices, and together we can turn off the tap.
What keeps you hopeful about the future of the oceans?
Plastic is a problem that we can solve. There are so many things that are beyond our control, but this is something that we have control over. We can make different choices, and together we can turn off the tap.
Photo credits
With thanks to: Sophie Dingwall, Sophia Nogues; Pindy Bhullar and Lindsey McCoy
