How did you first come up with the concept of Tabitha Eve?

I am a scuba diver and have always been aware of ocean plastic pollution. When I left my job in finance after having my first child (a whole other story of misogyny), I started to try and find ways to reduce my own waste and developed our plastic-free kitchen "None" sponge - the business was quite accidental, I had every intention of finding my way back into a career in finance but people were interested and Tabitha Eve was born.

Why did you want to create a brand whose ethos focuses on sustainability?

I wanted to establish a business that reflected my own values and life goals, I wanted to reduce my own waste as well as create a company that provided flexible, fairly paid, working conditions for EVERYONE. As such we offer flexible working for our team from all walks of life, including the disabled and LGBTQ+ community.

What are your top 4 recommendations to our readers on how to lead a zero waste lifestyle?

Don't get bogged down in being perfectly zero waste - It's unlikely all your waste will fit in a mason jar the first week of trying to reduce your waste - these goals belong on instagram and don't need to be your reality.
Start simple. Choose just one thing like your kitchen sponges or single use make up rounds or facial wipes to replace with reusable alternatives.
Understand your local recycling rules - they are almost always needlessly complex and vary from area to area, do your research and make sure your recycling efforts aren't in vain.
Use what you have! Before you go buying that really cool new lunch box/water bottle/solid shampoo bar or throwing away all that tupperware, use what you have first. This is often the most frustrating part for most people on a zero waste journey, waiting for that last bit of shampoo to empty from the bottle before embarking on that solid shampoo mission can feel miles away when you have a cupboard full of spares.

What does sustainability mean to you personally?

Living consciously. Being conscious about my impact on the environment and on others.

What's your favourite Tabitha Eve product?

I ADORE our plastic free kitchen none sponges still. Reusable, compostable, machine washable, effective and pretty!

How did COVID affect the business? Have you had to adapt or change the way you work since?

It has been so tough, people were uncertain and sustainability was low on the list of priorities. We were really lucky that we were able to turn a hand to making biodegradable, reusable face masks during the first lockdown. I am grateful that I was able to make use of the furlough scheme to look after my team properly during the harder times and very glad that we are still here and fighting on through.

As a female business owner, what have been your biggest challenges since starting Tabitha Eve?

People do not take my business seriously. I find people (men) still assume, even now, that Tabitha Eve is a hobby business that my husband allows me to do whilst he works and brings in the money. I often get asked things like "How's your little business going?" or they look surprised that I am not sitting at a sewing machine all day, but actually running a business. People (men) still have the assumption that in traditional presenting family units, men work whilst women have hobbies. F*CK THE PATRIARCHY.

What's the first thing you do when you get up in the morning to motivate yourself?

Make coffee... then stretch... I have come to yoga quite late in my life (during lockdown actually) but I find it really helps to set my intentions for the day ahead. I am a total novice though.

What's next in 2021?

I'm really keen to continue to expand our product range, especially our homeware collection. I'm also working on a really exciting expansion into another country...

Featured