01/27/22 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Trade Secrets owner Stephanie Hite arranges the ample varieties of handmade bath bars offered at the store.

From Mirror staff reports

While value and ease of purchase are still the main drivers of buying decisions, sustainability is increasingly top of mind for consumers, reaching a tipping point in the packaged goods, health and wellness, and fashion industries.

“Sustainability has become a catch-all term that can encompass anything from environmental conservation to product packaging — and even how businesses treat their employees,” said Debbi Prosser, director–business development with Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission. “At Startup Alleghenies we have an expanded view of sustainability to include supporting and sustaining local businesses to help grow our local economy. This includes helping businesses that make an impact with recycling, creative reuse or the development of thoughtful products.”

Three pillars of sustainability include reduce, reuse and recycle, with a goal of getting the most practical benefits from products and at the same time, generating a minimum amount of waste.

Startup Alleghenies entrepreneurs leading the way include Mama Earth Movement in Cambria County, JAR the Zero Waste Store in Somerset County, Trade Secrets in Blair County, Kate’s Real Food in Bedford County and Four Diamonds Ranch in Huntingdon County.

For example, Andrew and Stephanie Hite founded Trade Secrets with a goal of providing products free of toxins and chemicals. Now, doctors recommend the duo’s products to patients with skin issues, such as eczema and psoriasis.

Stephanie Hite said Trade Secrets features a full line of bath bars, body lotions, body butters, bath bombs, sugar scrubs and lip balms, made with natural materials that are cruelty free, sulfate free and petroleum free.

“We made our own shampoo bars so we could do away with plastic packaging to be more eco-friendly. Our bath bars can be purchased ‘naked’ without the box,” she said.

Jennifer Barkman, founder of JAR the Zero Waste Store in Somerset, created soap refill subscriptions to mitigate single-use plastics that eventually end up in landfills. The shop stocks zero-waste goods in minimal packaging, bulk goods and eco-friendly items.

Kate Schade, founder of Kate’s Real Food, credits growing up on a family farm with helping to shape her perspective on food, caring for animals and the land, and the importance of soil health and organic agriculture.

Dianna Dickson of Four Diamonds Ranch in Huntingdon wants to nurture her customers with nature. A visitor can take a nature stroll, play with goats, pick flowers and shop handcrafted bath and body products.

Becoming a mother made Danielle Mallozzi, owner of Mama Earth Movement, commit to raising her children with a healthy diet in a chemical-free home. Her jewelry is made with genuine stones and crystals with their own healing properties. Other products include diffuser bracelets, earrings and meditation/prayer beads called Malas.

Nearly 70% of consumers in the U.S. think it is important that a brand is sustainable, according to a new study by IBM Institute for Business Value and the National Retail Federation.

These attitudes drive customers decisions about where to make a purchase, online or in person.