Abstract

The case is about New York-based eco-friendly refillable cleaning supply retailer Blueland. It was founded by serial entrepreneurs Sarah Paiji Yoo (Yoo) and John Mascari (Mascari) from Harvard Business School. Deeply concerned about the growing menace of microplastics, the founders came up with the idea of making cleaning liquids, toilet cleaners, dishwashers, laundry wash, hand wash, etc. in a tablet/powder format, so that they can limit packaging and transport. Thus Blueland was formed. Its tablets and powders were 200 times smaller, 300 times lighter, and 90 % cheaper to ship compared to conventional liquid cleaning products. Typically, a truck of Blueland tablets was equal to 83 trucks of liquid cleaning bottles. Since its launch in 2019 till February 2022, Blueland has introduced 15 different products. It sold more than 10 million products to over 1 million customers The company had prevented more than 1.9 billion single-use plastic bottles from ending up in landfills and oceans. Blueland’s endeavor toward a circular economy was widely recognized. It was a certified BCorp company, USDA BioPreferrd, Cradle to Cradle, and Leaping Bunny certified. The company was carbon neutral and measured its Scope 1, 2, and 3 Cradle-to-consumer greenhouse gas emissions. After tasting success with cleaning and washing products, Blueland ventured into personal care and beauty products. Yoo and Mascari needed a plan to take Blueland into this highly competitive market.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Gain insights into designing business models that address global climate challenges
• Analyze how start-ups can integrate sustainability into every facet of their business
• Assess Circular Business models, and examine how businesses can create environmental, social, and economic value.
• Gain a broad understanding of Circular Start-ups and the creation of circular business models
• Identify the Characteristics of Circular Entrepreneurship

Keywords

Blueland; entrepreneurship; global climate challenge; born circular company; circular business model; circular start-up; circular entrepreneurship; ocean plastics; single use plastics; sustainable cleaning products; plastic pollution; microplastics