Innovation

Planet B is innovative in many ways. Not only do the Wondr products offer Ph-balanced and soap-free alternatives to regular soap, shampoo or conditioner, thus being more healthy for your skin and hair. But they have also reimagined the entire look and packaging of these products.

These products are made with pure, natural, vegan and animal-friendly ingredients. Wondr offers shampoo and conditioner in the form of bars and powders, completely eliminating the need for plastic bottles, which are thrown away after use. Instead, you can simply make your own shampoo, conditioner or handsoap by adding tapwater to your powders. This way you can reuse the same bottle over and over again.

Klaaar, one of Planet B’s other brands, offers plastic free, biodegradable and 100% dissolvable laundry strips that make the use of classic laundry detergent a thing of the past. As Tibbe Verschaffel, the CEO of Planet B, explained: ‘It is essentially a concentrated sheet of detergent, which allows us to hold the detergent together using a biological polymer.’ You simply place one or two of these strips alongside your laundry in the washing machine and that’s it. No need for struggling with large, heavy plastic bottles.

These strips are not only extremely effective but they also allow the big plastic bottles to be left behind, thus helping reduce plastic waste, which is beneficial for both nature and mankind.

As we all know, these microplastics harm nature, oceans, and wildlife. Tibbe is aware of this, stating: ‘I believe we underestimate microplastics in our bodies just as we used to underestimate asbestos.’

Bambooze, their third brand, focuses on reusable bamboo straws, but with a unique twist. When asked why this straw in particular is unique, Tibbe said the following: ‘If you put a regular bamboo straw in the dishwasher, the inside starts to unravel, which is very unhygienic. What we do now is mill out the inside and polish it. We make sure to preserve the hard outer layer, which makes the straw dishwasher-safe. That is what makes bamboo straws unique.’

In addition to all of these wonderful products, Planet B is still innovating. In our interview with Tibbe, he teased the release of a new perfume based on water instead of alcohol. Traditional alcohol-based perfumes can be hormone-disrupting, so by reimagining the very basis of this product, Planet B hopes to further their progress towards safer consumer consumption.

Inspiration

Tibbe Verschaffel’s inspiration for founding Planet B and developing sustainable care products came from a deep frustration with the waste and inefficiency he observed in everyday consumer goods. As he explained, his entrepreneurial journey began during his student years, when he organized summer bars and experimented with eco-friendly materials. 'I was running a big summer bar in the Waasland and I was looking for straws. I was really into bamboo,' he recalled. This small search for an alternative to plastic straws sparked a broader realization when he discovered that 'plastic straws were going to be banned in 2021… that was the biggest awareness campaign ever around plastic.'

This experience awakened Tibbe to the larger environmental crisis caused by single-use plastics and unsustainable production. He began asking himself how he could address those problems through entrepreneurship. 'We started thinking about disposable plastics and then the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) market, which actually has the biggest impact,' he said. His curiosity grew into a mission to change the system itself. 'I was shocked that companies always want to maximize profit and minimize costs, that always means sacrificing health and sustainability. For me, that’s just different.'

Rather than focusing on profit, Tibbe’s vision became purpose-driven. 'Money is an enabler, not the goal', he stated. What inspires him most is 'making an impact, contributing to a better world, and showing that business can be done differently.' To build a business that proves sustainability and success can go hand in hand.

Overall impact

Planet B uses only bio-based materials, in both its packaging and its products. The packaging is made of recycled materials which, according to Planet B, helped to avoid the usage of 2.555.257 plastic bottles. And the reusable straws of Bambooze are responsible for the avoidance of 45.508.962 straws. This encourages SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 14: Life Below Water.

The pure, natural and vegan ingredients used in their Wondr products contribute towards the SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being, as they offer Ph-balanced and soap-free alternatives to regular soap, shampoo or conditioner, thus being more healthy for your skin and hair.

In the long run Planet B focuses on SDG 13: Climate Action. The eco-friendly packaging, their natural ingredients and the immense avoidance of plastic bottles and straws while still delivering quality products is what makes Planet B so unique. All of their initiatives amount to a better, safer and healthier space in this world for both nature and mankind.

Business benefit

The fact that the Bambooze straws are so unique resulted in a massive deal with ALDI in Germany. Planet B was able to supply 1200 stores with over 120.000 boxes! The success of the straws also gave the Planet B team an energy boost, because they saw that they were making an impact. Besides their straws, Planet B also created its own laundry strips. The way they are designed positively influences two factors that are important to customers. Its convenience is second to none, but also its price is highly competitive. Tibbe illustrated this with figures: ‘We sell it for 25 cents per wash. €9.95 for 40 washes, which is extremely competitive. Once people buy our products, they tend to come back. Our returning customer rate is impressively high: no less than 60% of customers return for another purchase, compared to the e-commerce average of just 20 to 25%.’

While all of the innovations listed above are impressive, their greatest innovation might be an internal one. Planet B has its own R&D and tries to minimize its supply chain. Tibbe explained: ‘Everyone needs a margin, resulting in extremely cheap production that neglects health and sustainability.’ Shortening the supply chain enables them to be highly price competitive while still offering quality products, which allows them to compete with the big players in the industry. So far, they have achieved 100% growth every year, and they aim to continue this trajectory by further developing their strategy, without losing sight of their core values.

Social and environmental benefit

Since its start, Planet B has avoided the use of over 45 million plastic straws. Simply because the bamboo straws are reusable and are able to be washed in the dishwasher. Besides lowering the use of plastic straws, it has also reduced the need for about 2.500.000 plastic bottles by using a laundry strip box and refillable containers. Thus its impact on the use of plastic is immense, which is great not only for the environment but also for us, as humans.

Not only does Planet B reduce the plastic consumption and its impact on our body through microplastics but it also focuses on creating healthy products. Especially in the cosmetics sector because there is one big issue there, hormone disruptors, Tibbe explained. Hormone disruptors can lead to significant health issues, such as cell mutations that can result in diseases such as cancer. Planet B plans to address this by releasing a water based perfume that is non-disruptive to our hormones and alcohol-free.

Planet B has an immense social incentive. For example, during the month of October, they released the so-called ‘Boobie Bars’. These are bars of their Wondr soap, shaped like a female breast. Why? Because October is the worldwide Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The shape is meant to remind females to regularly check for lumps or any other possible indicators of breast cancer while they shower. On top of their genius design, Planet B also donates €5 to Think Pink, the Belgian national breast cancer organization, for every bar sold.

Planet B also sells their products with imperfections: products with dents, old branding or damaged packaging… For a discounted price as opposed to just throwing them away. Thus still creating value out of their throwaways.

On top of all of these wonderful initiatives, the company also focuses on a very underrated social issue: one in six Belgians don’t have access to basic care products. And largely thanks to Planet B’s ‘Wondr of gifting’ campaign, they managed to donate over €125.000 to local non-profit organizations that combat poverty in the area of hygiene. Tibbe clarifies the financial implications of this approach: 'Planet B could have had over 100. 000 euros in profit, but we choose to start social initiatives.'

Interview

Tibbe Verschaffel, CEO