Getting Greener with Nikki Ciancio

What does sustainability mean to you? ‍

Sustainability to me is all about being responsible and making considered choices in your everyday life. It is about making small changes that you can sustain moving forward every day that are going to make a better impact on people and planet.

‍What motivated you to start a sustainable business? ‍

People and planet are what motivate me every single day to be a sustainable business. I am advocating for those who are working to make our clothes and to make the products that we use every single day, and also advocating obviously for the planet to be a healthier place.

‍What are some of the ways that BLAEK Store is doing this that people may not realise?

Every day at BLAEK Store, we are always trying to make a difference in the way that we can help others reduce the impact on climate change. One of the biggest initiatives that we have is our in-store and online recycling programs for all of our customers. Anyone can recycle textiles, shaving products, dental hygiene products, all through us.

And we have a whole bunch of other things that you can recycle as well.

Everything we stock is either recyclable, refillable, reusable, or can biodegrade back into the earth. We are the first responsible retailer of our kind in Australia, and I am also really proud of that.

‍What do you see as the biggest challenge to living a greener way of life?‍

One of the biggest challenges we face here at BLAEK Store is resistance. Resistance is always going to happen when it's about changing something that you have done your whole life. For example, brushing your teeth with a tube of toothpaste. But, we love a challenge here at BLAEK Store; and, for us, it's all about education.

The more we can educate our customers and demonstrate how easy it is to make these small changes in your everyday life.

‍ Why was it so important to you to be a founding partner of the Green Economy? ‍

Being a founding partner of the Green economy is so important to us. It helps us get our purpose out there and it's something that we live daily in our life here at BLAEK Store. This is the way we live and it's important for us to be able to show and demonstrate to everyone else out there that it's really easy to do, and it will save you money in the long run and also help save our planet.​

‍What excites you about the future of sustainability?‍

I think that there are small Australian businesses out there that are doing sustainability well, and I think this because they are nimble. They have the ability to chop and change whenever they need to and to think on their feet. They're also able to do small production runs and not mass produce products that may not necessarily sell.

So I think they have a leg up and I think that we should be supporting the smaller brands out there that are paving the way.

‍Do you have any tips for people who are just starting out that want to get greener but are not sure where to start? ‍

It's important for everyone to know that while it may seem really overwhelming and daunting to start the journey of a more sustainable and responsible lifestyle, it's super, super easy. And here at BLAEK Store, we are here to help you start the journey no matter what stage you are at. So, give us a bell and come in and chat to us, and we're always here to help you.

We loved chatting with Nikki and hearing all about what makes her tick.

If you're ready to embrace a greener way of life, why not check out BLAEK Store here

Or if you're a business that's interested in finding out more about joining the Green Economy, get in touch today.

‍