Saturday, March 9, 2019

World Wisdom: FREY Laundry

FREY has succeeded in bringing innovation and environmental responsibility to an industry that is long overdue for new products and ideas. Geared towards everyone who does laundry. FREY is a certified B Corporation, an honor bestowed on them as a result of their rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. FREY’s products are environment friendly, great, fresh smelling, and revolutionary.

The Frey brothers discovered this industry was built on misleading customers: bottles and caps were created to encourage over usage and filling, formulas incorporated fillers (such as plain water) to give the appearance of more product, harsh chemicals were used to give the initial appearance of a good clean, but in reality, damaged fabrics over time. After months of research, a Kickstarter campaign and bottles hand-filled in basements, FREY was born. FREY products are produced with the highest-quality ingredients by some of the leading manufacturers and one of the top fragrance houses in the U.S.

Environment friendly - Most existing formulations include overly-harsh chemicals such as OBAs, FBAs, damaging surfactants, and even phosphates. These give the initial appearance of a decent clean but, over time, damage the natural colors and fabrics of the garment, as well as cause harm to the environment. FREY formulations remove these damaging chemicals, while maintaining an exceptional clean through a specialized blend of enzymes and environmentally friendly surfactants.

World class scent – FREY fragrances are blended with over a dozen essential oils and natural fragrances. FREY uses Oak fragrance which is a symbol of strength and endurance, embodied by its austere scent of wood and wild forest combined with crisp, natural freshness of cedarwood and the warm rich tones of amber to form the strong base layer. Then this is layered with the notes of soft leather accompanied by hints of citrusy bergamot, a touch of geranium, and the fresh, minty-ness of eucalyptus to form a well-balanced scent that leaves your clothing clean with a subtle distinct aroma.

Social Impact – FREY has ingrained it into the fabric of their brand from inception. Ten percent of all profits go to either planting trees in deforested areas, or their heart-warming Wash for Wash program. This great organization works with local groups to create a system that assists the homeless in showering and provides them with both new and washed clothing as well as giving food to those in low-income communities.

I had a chance to interview them to learn more.

Why did you decide to develop FREY products?
1.      We were tired of using the same detergents that generations before us had used, many of which still utilized outdated formulations and remarkably similar fragrances.  Laundry is actually a super personal part of people's lives. We spend over 95% of our day in contact with items that have been in our wash– whether it's our clothing, our sheets, our towels, or something else. Yet the detergents out there didn't resonate with us, and we realized that they didn't resonate with anyone else either.  No one is picking these big-box brands because the product or brand makes them feel good, it's just because there's no other option. However, with FREY we give people a way to choose quality products with quality ingredients that have a positive impact on your clothing, and is safer for both your skin and the environment, with a blend of natural fragrances and essential oils. 

What sets them apart from other environmentally-friendly products?
2.      FREY products use a concentrated formulation and compact design which was created to look good no matter where you have it, and is easy to carry.  It reduces water waste and even chooses less irritating ingredients than many environmentally-friendly products.  FREY is a certified B Corp, which is proof by an independent third party that we are having a positive impact on the world, joining the ranks of some of the most respected environmentally friendly brands out there.  However, FREY will also have you smelling exceptional, since its fragrances are crafted from the highest quality ingredients such as those found in quality colognes and perfumes.

What was the biggest challenge in launching your company?
3.       The biggest challenge was scaling up, and for the first extended initial period we were still doing everything by hand ourselves.  Although this allowed us to get extensive first hand (pun slightly intended) experience with our products, there were times that we were simply overrun with orders.  Luckily, we are far past the point of making and shipping the products completely by ourselves, but have partners with decades of experience and a shared desire to make a positive impact as we grow our brand.  

Why is it so important for people to switch from conventional products?
4.      It is important that people choose products which they believe in and which resonate with them and have a positive impact on the world.  FREY also donates 10% of all profits to charity, and helps plant a tree for every order via a nonprofit partner.  Not only that, but FREY is designed to help the user look, feel, and smell exceptional, while protecting the garments you invest in.

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