Entrepreneur sees success with new venture

A local entrepreneur fast tracked the launch of a brand new business after discovering lockdown had turned the nation green.

Chorley-based business woman Joanne Maclachlan had planned to launch The Eco Friendly Living Company, an e-commerce business focused on environmentally friendly products for the home, later in the year following the sale of her previous wedding business at the end of 2019.

However due to research that showed lockdown was making people greener Maclachlan chose to launch her new venture more quickly. The decision has been vindicated with the retailer reporting huge demand for its planet friendly cleaning products, reusable face cloths, natural soaps and plastic-free alternatives, as more people seek out sustainable alternatives for the home.
Maclachlan said: “I sold my wedding business at the end of last year after nine years at the helm. I knew that I wanted to do something entirely different and after a trip to Namibia to work in an animal sanctuary and research facility I decided to turn my passion for the natural world into my next business venture. What I didn’t plan for was that it would launch at such an unprecedented time.

“I spent the first few months of 2020 researching and sourcing the very best eco friendly products for the home which aligned with the business’ reduce, reuse, recycle ethos. As the country started to move towards lockdown my initial reaction was that this would be a terrible time to launch a start-up, but in fact people across the UK have used this time to really pause and reflect on many areas of their lives and as a result demand for eco friendly products has soared.

“What I aim to do is to make it as easy as possible for people to make these lifestyle switches – offering a wide range of environmentally friendly alternatives in one place that have been researched and tested by me. If people are going to make the leap into a new way of living then I want to ensure that the products they switch to are as good, if not better than the ones they are so used to using.

“It is extremely heartening that we can take some positives out of what is a very difficult situation and that the simple lifestyle changes that people are committing to now will have a long term positive impact on the environment.”