Innovation

A study says that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. Out of 8 million tonnes of plastic that are being dumped into the ocean every year, Indonesia alone contributes more than 600,000 tonnes of that waste. Senormal tried to tackle this problem by creating cleaning effervescent tablets for use in spray cleaner. By using these tablets, consumers no longer have to purchase cleaning products and their refill pouches (which are contained in plastic packaging), each time their cleaning product is finished. Consumers can simply put one of these tablets inside a water-filled spray bottle and start cleaning. In addition, these tablets also use naturally derived ingredients that are safe for babies and pets.

Senormal was founded by three friends in their late 20s. Although their innovation is not really “rocket science”, but by designing their marketing campaign towards - borrowing the company’s term - “kick-ass moms”, particularly among the Millennial and Gen Z age groups, they are hoping to make the cleaning experience for families more exciting, fun, and meaningful.

Inspiration

One of the co-founders of the company came up with the idea when she was trying to figure out how to organize her cleaning supplies. Her baby was playing around and started spraying table cleaners all over the place which made her panicked. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop her baby and the spray cleaners hurt her baby’s eyes. This incident got her to think, “Why are regular household cleaning products cheap but the ones that are completely safe for my baby cost 6 times more?”. Coupled this with the shared concern between the co-founders of the dangers of single-use plastic from cleaning products, which are the root cause of many environmental problems, they decided to start Senormal. They believe that people should not have to choose between effectiveness and safety. Everyone deserves an affordable and quality product, at the same time.

Overall impact

Senormal’s impact to business, society, and environment can be attributed to three different SDGs: SDG #3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG #5 (Gender Equality), and SDG #12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). The company aims to contribute towards mitigating these three SDGs. Along with their product composition, the company aims toward pushing for a greener end-to-end process from production to packaging (as evidenced in the products’ biodegradable cardboard and water based ink packaging) while empowering consumers to take part in a mission driven by a female first workforce that otherwise conventionally faces the greatest wage gap across all industries.

The short term effect that the company expects is the reduction of plastic waste in Indonesia, while the long term effects would be the change of Indonesian people’s lifestyle from mindless consumerism to mindful consumption.

“What we actually offer is a change to a responsible lifestyle. Everyone wants to be responsible, but they don't know how to start. When you buy Senormal’s products, you are making a mindful consumption.”

Xandega Tahajuansya, Cofounder and Chief Marketing Officer of Senormal

Business benefit

With the promising sales trajectory of their current products, Senormal is planning to expand its product portfolio to other eco-friendly household goods. Considering that similar products have been proven to work in countries such as Australia, UK, and the United States, many investors and VCs are interested in the potential benefits that Senormal’s products will deliver in the future.

In addition, in the same year that it was founded, Senormal became one of the few startups that were invited to SheDisrupts Indonesia 2021, a startup competition and pre-acceleration program for women entrepreneurs organised by Indonesia Women Empowerment Fund (IWEF) and Creatella Impact.

Social and environmental benefit

Based on the company’s research, an average home will go through 30 single-use plastic bottles of cleaner in a year, while with Senormal’s product, an average home will only need 1 Senormal bottle with 30 effervescent tablets for a year. This means, there will be a significant reduction in household plastic waste.

Interview

Xandega Tahajuansya, Cofounder & CMO