Innovation

The founding of Sustainable Haus was not simply a business venture, but the result of a personal journey marked by curiosity, dissatisfaction, and determination. After a long career in the corporate world, Janette began questioning the products she relies on. Janette stated, “I just wanted to understand what was in my laundry detergent that I always bought, you know, reading stuff, and the ‘green’ products still weren't great.”

Dissatisfied with the available options, she took matters into her own hands, learning to make her non-toxic laundry detergent.

Around the same time, a beautiful piece of second-hand fabric inspired her, she says, “the fabric was perfect. Three days later, I sat in my kitchen and made napkins, and I've been making napkins out of the used fabric ever since. It's a big part of what we do. That's how it (Sustainable Haus) got started.”

From its inception, Sustainable Haus was designed to do more than sell eco-friendly alternatives. Janette established strict standards that went beyond marketing buzzwords. When asked about her products, she responded confidently that “you will never, ever, ever find laundry strips in our store. You will find almost no polyester or synthetic fibers of any kind.” Every item must meet rigorous criteria for non-toxicity, environmental responsibility, and authenticity. By focusing on reusable products made from natural or reclaimed materials, locally sourced goods, and truly sustainable production methods, Sustainable Haus offers an alternative to the convenience-driven consumerism that dominates the modern marketplace. Rather than offering superficial eco-friendly choices, Janette built Sustainable Haus to challenge the very systems that have normalized toxic products and disposable culture.

Inspiration

Janette’s commitment to sustainability was planted long before she ever opened her doors. Janette disclosed about her background, “we sewed, we cooked, um and we appreciated natural materials, natural fibers, um and that's kind of how I grew up, so that um starts to shape you and it's sort of hard to explain to people if they don't understand why petroleum is toxic and why plastic is toxic.” Growing up as a first-generation American, she was raised with a deep appreciation for natural materials, self-sufficiency, and frugality. These values, embedded from an early age, formed the philosophical foundation that would later inspire Sustainable Haus.

Frustration with corporate dishonesty and a desire to protect her family’s health motivated Janette to dive deeper into sustainable living. What began as a personal experiment– making her own cleaning products and sewing reusable items–evolved into a much larger mission. She realized that true sustainability requires more than isolated actions: it demands a systemic change in how people live, shop, and think. “You can’t rely on big corporations to look out for you,” she explained. “You have to take responsibility for yourself.” This philosophy is at the heart of Sustainable Haus, guiding everything from product sourcing to customer education.

Rather than following trends, Janette built her business on the principle that living sustainably should be accessible, practical, and rooted in genuine care for people and the planet.

Overall impact

The impact of Sustainable Haus is felt at both the personal and community levels. Janette expresses eagerness about seeing customers make the first initial change, “I think that you start with one thing, right? So when you realize that every time you buy a shampoo bottle, you are buying plastic pollution that goes straight to landfill…you realize that all that is such an easy change and it works better than the shampoo you already had.”

In the short term, customers who walk into the store or visit the website are offered real, attainable solutions to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics and toxic chemicals. Over time, the small changes lead to broader lifestyle transformations, with customers rethinking their household cleaning routines, kitchen tools, wardrobe choices, and even energy consumption.

In the long term, Sustainable Haus contributes to a cultural shift toward greater environmental consciousness and personal responsibility. Janette expressed that, “the amount of money people spend on their Friday night pizza restaurant is what we make, right? … We should be busy all the time.”. She actively contributes to a future where everyone is more environmentally aware of their actions.

Through her social media outreach, where she has cultivated an audience of over 66,000 followers, Janette continually shares practical advice, product education, and inspiration. Viral successes, like the sudden popularity of her pop-up reusable baby wipes, show how powerful these moments of awareness can be in encouraging more significant change. Sustainable Haus is not just a store; it is a catalyst for a growing movement of people committed to healthier, more sustainable living.

Business benefit

Despite opening just two weeks before the COVID-19 shutdown, Sustainable Haus quickly demonstrated remarkable resilience. Facing enormous uncertainty, Janette stated that during this period of uneasiness, “I pivoted and started to research masks and sold 7,000 masks, which kept us alive and funded inventory.”

Sustainable Haus’s success lies not in chasing trends but in creating genuine value. Janette’s carefully curated product lines offer long-term savings for customers and voice, “It's always cheaper to go sustainable, always.” Products like cleaning pods cost less than a cup of coffee, last longer than conventional alternatives, and eliminate the need for plastic packaging. 

Janette then speaks on her hair product’s lifespan: “The conditioner lasted me two years, the shampoo eight months.” In comparison to the average products bought in grocery stores, Janette’s product makes your hair shine brighter for longer.

Word-of-mouth referrals and social media engagement, rather than traditional advertising, have proven most effective in driving growth. As Sustainable Haus continues to expand, Janette is carefully laying the groundwork for future scaling, including launching a wholesale line of curated goods. Her long-term vision is not focused on profit margins but on building a sustainable business that can support full-time careers for her staff and foster thriving local communities. She dreams of the day when Sustainable Haus is as busy as a Friday night pizza restaurant–not because of sales figures, but because it would mean that the message of conscious living is truly reaching people.

Social and environmental benefit

The social and environmental benefits generated by Sustainable Haus are profound and far-reaching. Every product sold supports toxin reduction, waste elimination, and healthier ecosystems. By choosing only non-toxic, plastic-free, and responsibly made goods, Sustainable Haus helps customers reduce their environmental footprint while protecting their health and the health of future generations.

When asked about her other works, Janette states that she is “cofounder, cochair of Beyond Plastics, New Jersey. We're a policy change, education group and advocacy group, so we're working on legislation in New Jersey.” Through her policy advocacy and initiative, she contributes to systemic change and structural reforms at the state level.

Her commitment to sustainability extends into every detail of her products. Items like hand-sewn napkins made from reclaimed fabric, stainless steel mason jars attachments, and cotton-thread-stitched linens exemplify how every choice, no matter how small, can contribute to a healthier world. Even simple products, such as beeswax birthday candles or compostable cleaning wipes, are chosen with intention, offering customers beautiful, functional alternatives to the disposable status quo.

Ultimately, Sustainable Haus is not just about selling better products–it is about building a better way of life. Janette leaves us with a final message, saying, “I do this because I have nine kids and because I care about you… And I care about everybody. People who care will make a difference.” 

Through education, empowerment, and genuine care, Janette has created a model of what a sustainable future could look like: one stitched together not by convenience or consumerism, but by resilience, responsibility, and hope. 

Interview

Janette Spiezio, Owner